The very first leg is a tough one. Extremely different sea areas mean extremely different conditions. This was demonstrated in the last edition, when half of the six starters dropped out on the identical first leg.
Team Abu Dhabi was hit on the very first night, when the mast came from above. On the second day, Team Sanya had to give up because Parts of the fuselage delaminated. And in the South Atlantic, Puma also suffered an accident with mast breakage.
This first stage in particular will be the touchstone for the new Volvo Ocean 65 unit class. Is it really more robust and safer than its predecessor, the VO 70? The answer to this question also harbours a special new explosiveness. Because the boats were built in an extremely standardised way, a material defect in one participant almost inevitably means that this defect is also present in all the other boats. It will be interesting to see how the race organisers react to any failures.
The promo video for the race start
But this leg is also one of the most demanding in terms of tactics. The Mediterranean can become a lottery right after the start with its unsettled winds, and the passage through the Strait of Gibraltar with its strong currents is also a challenge.
And one of the biggest meteorological obstacles lurks at the equator: the Doldrums. Huge areas with very little wind stretch across the Atlantic. Powerful cumulus clouds bring thunderstorms from time to time, from which gusts of force 9 winds can rush out. The Fernando de Noronha archipelago must be left to port. Behind it, the St Helena High, the southern hemispheric sister of the Azores High, awaits with a seemingly endless stretch of weak winds. However, the shortest route is usually not the fastest, as the wind and current come from the front, like Team Groupama had to learn the hard way in the last race. A diversion deep into the 40s latitude can be worthwhile.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
