Conrad Humphreys diary

Motorola-CHR's solo round the world sailor crewman reports on today's racing amongst the Volvo Extreme 40s in Rio

Yesterday saw the start of the second series of the Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix. Sailing the lee of Sugar Loaf Mountain, the conditions for the first of the four races were near perfect with a light 8-10 knot sea breeze blowing down the bay.

Race 1: The first race had all five VX40s aiming for the committee boat end of the start line. Tommy Hilfiger won the start, but with the first shift and slightly better pressure towards the left, it was Basilica who popped out in front. Clearly benefiting from some additional time on the water over the winter, Basilica held a slight speed advantage upwind and gradually opened up a minute’s lead over the fleet. We pulled back down the final run to within 15 seconds to finish second, with Tommy Hilfiger third.

Race 2: With the wind settling in and veering right, the course was lengthened. The wind funnelled through the gap between the Sugar Loaf and the shore giving a nice lift on starboard up the shore. After a bad start, Volvo Ocean Race hit the right and was the first to pick up this shift sailing through the fleet into second. Basilica again held the advantage and finished 1st with Volvo Ocean Race second and Motorola-CHR third.

Race 3: A similar pattern seemed to be emerging in race three as all the boats tacked closed inshore with the first boat crossing, taking the lead. We were a little slow off the line after our failure to notice the hydraulic mainsheet was open, causing us to fall back from the main group. Basilica rounded first and after some poor sail handling from Tommy Hilfiger and Holmatro, we slipped through down the second run to third place. Basilica crossed the finish first, with Motorola second and Volvo Ocean Race third.

Race 4: With a perfect port tack start, Tommy Hilfiger crossed the fleet and was looking very good initially for the final race of the day. Basilica again shrugged off a slow start and was first round the windward mark. The breeze was freshening and gusting off the shore giving the boats a few surprises as they powered downwind on one hill at speeds over 30 knots. Motorola-CHR pulled back up the second beat and after a rare sail handling error from Basilica, passed to leeward and pulled out down the run to secure their victory of the day.