Roaring Forties the Southern Ocean
Into the Roaring Forties
As the Volvo fleet head further across the Southern Ocean, we take a look at the latest blogs straight off the yachts. It doesn’t sound pretty…
Volvo Ocean Race- Leg 5- New Zealand to Brazil
It’s that famous stretch of the Volvo Ocean Race, Leg 5, where the sailors head straight into the Southern Ocean. It is wet, noisy and as these pictures sent straight from the yachts show, a pretty wild ride.
Anna-Lena Elled from Team SCA:
The SCA boat is rocking. We got salt water splashing all over the deck and quite a lot inside the boat as well. Condensed water is dripping from the ceiling and we can already feel the temperature sinking. The sailing conditions are spectacular. The waves are big. We have 12 hours of fast reaching behind us. Some of the girls found there sealegs quickly, others are still struggling. The gentle start feels very far away.
To really get a good idea how it’s to sail the boat there I asked Abby to describe. She just finished a late lunch and prepared for next watch.
“It is bumpy. It’s wet and it’s wild. It’s like being on a rodeo horse or on a rollercoaster, it’s just intense. It requires 100% concentration, not only helming the boat but when you move around. The movement is so violent. There are no wave pattern at the moment, they are quite short and close together making the ride uncomfortable. You just have to be careful, it’s not only looking after yourself, anybody who is out there. We are sailing at a really fast angle in the right direction, heading south, heading east.
March 19, 2015. Leg 5 to Itajai onboard Team SCA. Day 2. Wind and big waves. Team SCA are sending it fast and in the right …read more
