Volvo Ocean Race

It's farewell icebergs, welcome to the tropics for leg five

Volvo Ocean Race
Overall standings after four legs

Place	Boat	Points
1	illbruck Challenge	29
2	Amer Sports One	22
3	ASSA ABLOY	20
4	Team News Corp	19
5	Team Tyco	18
6	djuice	17
7	Team SEB	12
8	Amer Sports Too	7

Once again the boats have been repaired and refitted, the crews rested and the vital new sails put aboard. Though the Volvo Ocean Race passed mid-distance some time ago, only when the boats reach Miami at the end of leg five will more than half the points have been awarded.

Tactically, leg five is unique in that it passes through the tropics and across the western edge of the Doldrums at a time of year when the light winds that plague the race on leg one are at their least fickle. Weather predictions for this leg currently show solid breeze of between five and seven knots all the way through the inter tropical convergence zone but things could change before the fleet arrives.

Even if the predictions prove correct, the hot sea surface leads to violent thermal activity with localised squalls. Patches of strong wind are mixed with stretches of light or even windless ocean. Picking a way through this land of snakes and ladders will be vital to success. Indeed mark Rudiger, navigator on Assa Abloy sums up leg five as "all about getting through the Doldrums". News Corp co-skipper Ross field agrees. "We're in the tropics which meansthe wind will come and go and swing around. Each six hourly schedule will be like a mini-race as we track our position against the rest of the fleet."

Weather predictions for Sunday's start show the fleet setting off into a north easterly. At least they must be getting used to starting every leg with a good beat by now. Just to add to the fun, the current will also be against them. The big question is how far offshore to sail. More wind and possibly less current further out is balanced by more distance to sail and the possibility of getting stuck on the wrong side of the first shift. Close inshore the current is favourable, but will there be any wind under the high coastline? Tough choices will have to be made right out of the traps.

Once round Cape Frio and Cape de Sao Tome on the Brazilian coast it will most likely be a drag-race in the south east trades all the way to the Doldrums. Later, after rounding Recife, the northeast tip of Brazil the easterly trades and a long reach beckon. The next marks of the course are Barbuda and then Antigua in the West Indies. From the first Caribbean islands there is little change of course before the fleet pass through Providence Channel between the Bahamian islands.

The 120 mile passage through the Bahamas will most probably turn into a run as the boats close on Miami. While surface currents will prove important all the way from Brazil, none is more critical and less predictable than the Gulf Stream. If a cold front sweeps down from further north in the States, the Gulf Stream can get quite rough with the wind against the current. However, if the wind goes light then picking the best strategy to play the Stream will be vital.

Leg five is also the only leg of the race where the cold will never be a problem. Indeed the heat is likely to be a much more serious issue. Stacking the boat down below is never much fun at the best of times, but moving more than a tonne of gear in what amounts to a sauna surely must rank as one of the more gruelling jobs in the world. Keeping an eye on the fluid intake will be vital to the long term performance of the crews.


There should be plenty of sailing like this on leg five

Page two.... Crew changes
Page three.... the overall picture
Page four.... full crew lists