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Photo: Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race |
Overnight the fleet had to deal with zephyr-like breeze of only five knots, which caused several lead changes as the fleet ducked and weaved through the light patches. But, as they began to edge away from the shelter of Hainan Island and out into open waters, the breeze steadily built and the wave height increased to between three and four metres.
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Photo: Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race |
At 1000 UTC today, the six boats were slamming with a motion that was causing widespread seasickness for the first time in the race as the teams shortened sail to manage the speed of the inevitable crash landings off the waves.
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Photo: Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race |
“The trick is to back the boat off to a speed where you are much less likely to damage it,” explained CAMPER navigator, Will Oxley.
This is a very tricky leg with many unknowns due to the dynamic nature of this section of the world’s oceans. From the tropics to the Tasman, the weather systems are fast moving and variable. It’s going to be one of the most tactical legs of the race so far with plenty of opportunities to reward bold tactical manoeuvres.
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Photo: Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race |
The extreme conditions are due to the presence of a high-pressure system to the north and a low-pressure system to the south, which will begin to lessen as the low dissipates.
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Photo: Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race |
“Nobody is really looking forward to a week or two of upwind slog – especially in these waves,” wrote Ian Walker from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam this morning.
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Volvo Ocean Race Media
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