#VOR - Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team and the Spanish MAPFRE squad were neck and neck leading the Volvo Ocean Race fleet out of Cape Town and towards the southernmost point of the African continent this afternoon (Sunday 10 December).
It was the 11th time in the history of the event that the fleet had raced out of Cape Town, this time on a 6,500-nautical-mile leg to Melbourne in Australia — with an ETA between Christmas Eve and St Stephen’s Day.
Conditions were ideal, with the famed Cape Doctor wind that caused some concern over the weekend blowing at 20-25 knots. The fleet raced around a short triangle course in front of the city before being freed to sprint off towards Australia.
There was some drama for the Dongfeng team, winners of Friday’s In-Port Race, who had to make a late crew change just before leaving the dock.
Daryl Wislang suffered a back strain this morning and the team decided not to risk having it flare up more while at sea. He stepped off the boat to be replaced by Fabien Delahaye.
The forecast is for very strong winds this evening and overnight, which should then ease for a brief respite, before strengthening again as the first of the Southern Ocean weather systems that will pick up the fleet and carry them to Melbourne comes calling.
“It is the worst sailing you can do but it’s also the absolute best,” said Stu Bannatyne, a three-time race winner on board Dongfeng, in reply to a question about the Southern Ocean.
“Fortunately it seems the human mind forgets the bad times and only remembers the good, which is why we keep coming back.”
That is a sentiment that is sure to be shared among the 63 sailors — and seven on-board reporters — over the coming days.
