Leg 6 is a 6,100 nautical mile race to Auckland, New Zealand. The
fleet will start by crossing the South China Sea to the northern tip of
the Philippines. After that, it’s out into the Pacific and a long drag
race to the south-east, dodging the many island chains of Polynesia
until they reach Auckland. It’s another leg that will be dominated strategically by the north to
south transit of the Doldrums, which proved so decisive on Leg 4 into
Hong Kong. And of course, the final run in to Auckland, down the east
coast of New Zealand has seen many classic match races over the years,
as the fleet finishes in the City of Sails.
MAPFRE, the overall race leader, will cross the start line to
Auckland with a four-point lead over Dongfeng Race Team. With another
Doldrums crossing looming, both skippers see the potential jeopardy in
the leg.
“The leg to Auckland is what I call a tricky leg,” said Dongfeng
skipper Charles Caudrelier. “We have to cross the Doldrums and we know
it’s complicated and a bit random and we’re concerned about being the
guys who catch a bad cloud this time.
“But it’s also one of the best legs as you arrive in Auckland which
is a fantastic place where people really know offshore racing and love
the race.”
Spanish skipper Xabi Fernández knows first-hand the challenge the
Doldrums pose, as on Leg 4, a solid start to the stage turned into a
losing battle with clouds and a disappointing result.
“We all know how hard the Doldrums can be and last time, for us it
was even harder,” Fernández said. “We found ourselves a little bit
separated from the leaders and for 10 or 15 hours it was painful as we
watched the others sail away...”
The forecast for start time at 1100 on Wednesday
morning in Hong Kong is for a 12-15 Northeasterly wind, ideal
conditions to get the fleet on their way to Auckland. But as the fleet
gets into the leg, stronger winds are forecast over the first days.
“It’s always notorious this bit,” said Turn the Tide on Plastic
skipper Dee Caffari. “I remember from the last edition when we left
Sanya (China) we had similar upwind, strong conditions through the Luzon
Strait. So it’s the same again this time.
“It’s also a bit deceiving as we almost sail away from New Zealand
before we put the bow down and make that commitment and head down there.
So psychologically it’s a hard leg as well.”
This will mark the 11th time the race has visited New Zealand and the
10th time it has stopped in Auckland. Many will look at New Zealand as a
spiritual home to the Volvo Ocean Race, with over 350 Kiwi sailors
having taken part in the race dating back to 1977.
Six teams will take the start in Hong Kong, with Vestas 11th Hour Racing issuing a statement on Monday that they would miss the leg.
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