Postponement confirmed

Friday 13th unlucky for Velux 5 Oceans

Friday the 13th seems to be unlucky for the Velux 5 Oceans, as Race Director David Adams today announced that the start of leg three has been postponed as a result of the severe weather expected to hit Norfolk, Virginia (USA), over the weekend.

With less than 48 hours to go before the fleet of skippers were due to set sail for Bilbao and complete their solo circumnavigations of the planet, the weather has dealt a blow to race start plans as a powerful low pressure system across the Chesapeake Bay, delivering intense storm conditions, reminiscent of the start of the race in Bilbao.

The latest forecasts from NOAA show 40-55 knots of wind offshore (over 20 miles from land) on Sunday morning, with gusts up to 60 knots and waves of 25 feet east over 100 miles offshore. The storm is then expected to back off with up to 40 knots of wind on Monday, diminishing to 25 knots late in the day.

Speaking following a briefing with skippers, teams and sponsors, David Adams concluded, "It was clearly not an easy decision to postpone the start of the third leg, but we felt it was absolutely necessary in order to guarantee the safety of the skippers and the safety of the local community here in Norfolk. All the weather models are predicting a front that will hit the area on Sunday and deliver strong winds, heavy rainfall and big seas."

Adams continued, "We spoke to the best weather experts in the country and leading local meteorologists who know the regional patterns and impact of these storms. At the same time, we worked closely with the skippers and sponsors to share information and reach a decision that was best for the race and the teams. Although the skippers regularly battle big seas and strong winds in the Southern Ocean, we did not want to jeopardise their safety at the outset. The horrendous storm in the Bay of Biscay at the start of the race vividly illustrated what is possible when you underestimate nature and the power of the ocean.

"It is also imperative to ensure the safety of the local community and resident of Hampton Roads who may wish to watch the start of the race and bid farewell to the skippers. The Coast Guard did not want a spectator fleet to be at risk in the Bay and the conditions have led the local authorities to issue a warning to small boats and ban helicopter movements. Finally, any transfers between RIBs and the yachts would have been hazardous and I could not ultimately guarantee a controlled and safe start line and area for preparation.”

A new time has yet to be set for the restart but Adams and his team will review the situation every 12 hours and make their decisions as the weather develops, in constant consultation with meteorologists from across USA and Europe, as well as the skippers and their teams.

The news is a blow to the planned events for start day, which included a helicopter trip for the skippers out to HMS Ocean and festivities down at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk. However, the skippers will still attend a special farewell ceremony onboard HMS Ocean on Sunday with guests from Velux and representatives from the city of Norfolk to formally bid farewell and celebrate the end of the stopover in Virginia.

Norfolk is accustomed to such large storms, known locally as 'Nor'easters'. Tony Seibers, Meteorologist in Charge of the Wakefield Forecast Office of NOAA, commented: "Nor'easters typically occur in the fall and spring and happen around three to four times a year. They tend to deliver heavy rain, lots of wind and often coastal flooding as ocean water is pushed into the Chesapeake Bay. In this case, we are expecting over an inch of rain from a big thunderstorm on Sunday morning and strong winds all day."

It is not the first time the Velux 5 Oceans organisers have been forced to make such a decision. In the 1994 Around Alone, when David Adams finished first in Class II, the start of leg four from Punte del Este was postponed due to weather conditions, as was the second leg in the 2002 Around Alone from Brixham to Cape Town. The 2000 Vendee Globe also saw a four day postponement due to severe weather conditions in western France. Race organisers will continue to keep media and public informed of all decisions and developments.

Following David Adams' announcement Sir Robin Knox-Johnston commented:

"This was a difficult decision but I support David. The boats are capable of handling these winds but only one small thing has to go wrong and someone gets injured or even worse. We were all a concerned about the safety of our support crews, the race organisers start boats and spectators. We look forward to continuing our contest when conditions permit."