The start of the fifth stage from Auckland/New Zealand to Itajaj/Brazil was originally due to take place on Sunday, but was postponed due to Hurricane Pam, which is currently sweeping across New Zealand. The race organisers have now announced the new start date. On Wednesday at 9.00 a.m. New Zealand time, which is Tuesday at 8.00 p.m. UTC, i.e. 9.00 p.m. German time, the teams will set off for Brazil.
"We see a significant change between the options of starting on Tuesday afternoon (New Zealand time) or Wednesday morning in lighter conditions," says Race Director Knut Frostad, explaining the postponement, which was initially planned for just one day. If we had started on Tuesday, "we would have sailed for five to seven days in 35 to 40 knots of wind," says Frostad, whereas this is not the case now. The team leaders also welcomed and supported this decision.
Live there
The start, which still promises to be a sailing spectacle in strong winds, will be broadcast live as usual. According to the organisers, the broadcast will begin in Germany at 8.45 pm. To follow the live stream via the internet, German fans should visit the race homepage at around 8.45 pm and follow the instructions there. Normally, the YouTube channel is the easiest method, but due to legal problems for users in Germany, it is not always available or only with the help of appropriate programmes. However, the Race page usually also provides a link to a viewer that avoids this problem.
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Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
