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Storms at sea make for perilous sailing and thrilling views during the Volvo Ocean Race
By Tempus | 10 November 2017 | Sport
Dee Caffari’s team falls behind as the skies clear for leading Dongfeng team
* Leg 02, Lisbon to Cape Town, day 04, sunset on board Dongfeng. [Photo © Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race]
As Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race – the world's longest and most difficult competitive sailing event – got underway this week, the seven daring teams found themselves battling the elements as they met localised storms on approach to the Doldrums. The boating teams set out from Lisbon, Portugal on 5 November, and sail 7,000 nautical miles south around the coast of Africa to arrive in Cape Town, South Africa.
This north to south Atlantic run passes through many varied climate zones, with the navigators and skippers exhaustively fighting against cloud systems and wind pressure cells as they fight to remain in the race. Currently in the lead, the Dongfeng team captured an incredible image of a rainbow (above) as they came out of a particularly difficult storm cell.
Related links: Record-breaking female sailor Dee Caffari on turning the tide at the Volvo Ocean Race
* Start of Leg 2. Day 1 from Lisbon to Cape Town [Photo © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race]
VIDEO (above): Watch highlights from Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race
Following close behind, Vestas 11th Hour Racing and team AkzoNobel are giving Dongfeng a run for its money, while MAPFRE and Team Brunel take positions four and five. Currently in last place, Dee Caffari's young Turn the Tide on Plastic team is hoping to catch up to Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag team by the time they approach the in-port race into Cape Town on 8 December.
"It should be said that finishing last in Leg 1, isn’t the position we hoped for," admitted skipper Caffari, who bucked the trend to build a team of young male and female sailors. In fact, by day seven of Leg 2 more than 60% of her crew will have spent their longest time at sea in their careers so far. "As I said in my interview on the dock, of course we’re gutted but that isn’t to say we didn’t have loads of fun and enjoy the sailing."
The 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race began in Alicante, Spain on 22 October and will finish in The Hague, Netherlands in June 2018 – covering a distance of 45,000 nauticals miles across six continents over its 11 legs.
