Team SCA in the Volvo Ocean Race - Day 1: ​All about the timing

"I think I said goodbye to my parents about fifty times," Sally said. I said goodbye to my mom more times than I could count. First there was the goodbye in the hotel, then the base, then at the base again, and the walk to the boat before the sailors parade, then after the parade, then one from the boat. After a while, you just want to head out!   Start days are a mixture of excitement, adrenaline, calm, and stress. You know something big is going to happen but it's never quite comprehendible that you're about to sail offshore for three weeks, let alone sail to China! But we finally got to leave the dock, jumping in time to "Wake me Up" and jazzed up on the energy from the previous day's InPort win.

 

We sailed a clean course in the light winds, and held third for the entire triangle, just behind Dongfeng and Azzam. However, shortly after the we crossed through the gates we began to lose to the other boats. For well over an hour, Mapfre sat on our bum-- we could easily pass sandwiches. After a few hours, Mapfre (with Libby's brother at the helm) eventually made a drastic and aggressive maneuver and scooted around us. Needless to say, it was quite frustrating. We tried different drivers and trimmers, body weight and sail weight, before eventually taking a breath and settling into a mode. Settling in helped a lot.

It's an interesting and often challenging switch from inshore mode to offshore mode. The two modes, or ways of sailing, are both physically and mentally different. For one, in-shore mode is often immediate response to conditions and off-shore mode is more long-term and future thinking. Also, inshore mode is very athletic-- it requires all bodies and results in little to no sleep.

As we approached Dubai under a full moon, with the dozens of tankers anchored off the city, I had a brief chat with Sally (who is re-joining us after not sailing Leg 2). "We are sailing below Alvimedica and Mapfre because we will not have to have such a drastic gybe when we reach the Iranian exclusion zone. Plus, we will get lifted eventually and that will help us carry this gybe for longer."

Making the switch at the right time is essential for the boat's performance. Sailing offshore is all about timing-- especially on this leg in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. It will 100% be about tactics and making the correct decision. As most of the leg is coastal, we will be flipping from in-shore mode to off-shore mode constantly.

(www.teamsca.com)

 

It's an interesting and often challenging switch from inshore mode to offshore mode. The two modes, or ways of sailing, are both physically and mentally different. For one, in-shore mode is often immediate response to conditions and off-shore mode is more long-term and future thinking. Also, inshore mode is very athletic-- it requires all bodies and results in little to no sleep.
As we approached Dubai under a full moon, with the dozens of tankers anchored off the city, I had a brief chat with Sally (who is re-joining us after not sailing Leg 2). "We are sailing below Alvimedica and Mapfre because we will not have to have such a drastic gybe when we reach the Iranian exclusion zone. Plus, we will get lifted eventually and that will help us carry this gybe for longer."
Making the switch at the right time is essential for the boat's performance. Sailing offshore is all about timing-- especially on this leg in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. It will 100% be about tactics and making the correct decision. As most of the leg is coastal, we will be flipping from in-shore mode to off-shore mode constantly.
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