An historic first race win for Scallywag and Hong Kong in the Volvo Ocean Race. bc was the there to capture the action, click on any photo to see more images of the victory celebrations.
Click on any photo for more images of the celebration.
Scallywag sails up Victoria Harbour to win Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, and lead the fleet into their home port. It’s an historic win for team that grabbed the lead with a bold tactical call out of the Doldrums last weekend.
“We had a bit of a plan and we stuck to it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and this time it worked for us.”
In an extended Doldrums crossing Scallywag came from behind to what appeared to be a strong position, only to fall behind the fleet again late in the crossing. Witt and navigator Libby Greenhalgh made the decision to cut the corner, and turn to the west earlier than the rest of the fleet who kept pressing north in search of stronger winds.
The move paid dividends nearly immediately on the leaderboard as Scallywag had less miles to sail to the finish line, but the armchair pundits cautioned that the teams in the north would almost certainly overhaul them as the tradewinds filled in from the northeast…
It never happened.
Even when the team dropped miles recovering a man overboard after Alex Gough was swept off the boat by a wave, after executing a flawless recovery, Scallywag returned to racing and extended to nearly a 100-mile lead.
But then, the chasing boats began chipping away at the lead. Two days out from the finish, the margin had been cut significantly and the pressure mounted.
“I was really impressed by the way we operated over the past couple of days,” Witt said. “We had a pretty big lead and then through no fault of our own, about two-thirds of it got taken away. But we stuck to our guns, did what we thought was right and it’s worked out.”
Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, arrivals. 19 January, 2018.
With the Leg 4 win, Scallywag picks up 8 points (7 points for first place plus a one point win bonus). It will vault the team up to mid-fleet on the overall leaderboard, in a very respectable fourth place.
“It was always going to take us longer than the others to get up to speed as we were the last to enter,” Witt said. “All teams need a bit of confidence and I think one thing that is underrated in sport is momentum and this will certainly give the Scallywags plenty of that… We’re all still learning and we’re going to keep getting better as we go on.”
Witt has acknowledged the significance of the win as the local team leading the fleet into the first ever Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Hong Kong. For the team owner, Seng Huang Lee, who has supported Scallywag sailing over the years, it’s a big moment.
“We’re a privately owned team and our owner Mr. Lee has poured his passion and enthusiasm and vision into this project and this win will be very special for him… Winning this leg will be a massive platform for Scallywag going forward.”
Family, friends, support crew and sailing fans are gathered at the Kai Tak Race Village waiting hopefully, expectantly for the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet for their first ever visit to Hong Kong. Amazingly Hong Kong’s debutante Scallywag is leading the way home.
Glances at phones and the large digital tracker screen show the hometown boat’s lead is shrinking. Unlike a watched pot the tracker also shows the distance to the finish dropping rapidly as the 65 foot boat powers home at over 20 knots (23mp/h or 37km/h). There’s a steady breeze to the finish in Victoria Harbour and the tension ebbs as the excitement rises.
Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.
After a tense 24 hours Scallywag looks set to lead the Volvo Ocean Race fleet home as Hong Kong’s entry is estimated to sail up Victoria Harbour to the finish line off Kai Tak around midnight today as the Volvo Ocean Race makes it’s first ever stopover in Hong Kong.
The fleet is sailing in from the East, so the breakwater at Chai Wan typhoon shelter or any of the headland vantage points will provide a superb viewing spot to watch the boats arrival. The leading three boats will arrive in the early hours of the 20th Jan, the rest throughout the day.
Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, day 17 Annemieke Bes on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 16 January, 2018.
The ‘Race Village’ is situated at Kai Tak and there’s a wide range of activities going on during the two week stopover. Entry is Free!
17 Jan – Race Village opens (opens daily 0900-2200)
25 Jan – Practice Race – 14:00-15:00
26 Jan – Concert – 20:00
27 Jan – In-Port Race Victoria Harbour – 14:00-15:00
27 Jan – Music showcase – 17:00
28 Jan – Around Hong Kong Island Race – 11:30
28 Jan – E-sports – 18:00
29 Jan – Pro-Am Races x 4 / start times 14:00, 1455, 1550, 1645
31 Jan – Leg 5 start Hong Kong to Guangzhou (tbc pm)
31 Jan – Race Village closes to public
31 Jan – Guangzhou Race Village opens
3 Feb – Guangzhou In-Port race
5 Feb – Leg 5: Guangzhou to Hong Kong start
7 Feb – Leg 6: Hong Kong to Auckland start Victoria Harbour – 14:00
For more details of the Hong Kong stopover click here
The first ever Volvo Ocean Race Hong Kong stopover is officially underway following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Runway Park. It’s the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race fleet have visited Hong Kong – and with local team Scallywag currently leading the Leg 4 fleet, there’s an extra frisson of excitement.
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
The Race Village is open from 9am to 10pm from 17-31 January and entry is is free. The fleet is currently due to arrive on 19 January – and the stopover is packed with on and off-water action and activities.
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
For more information, including daily schedules in the Race Village, visit www.volvooceanracehk.com
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
For details of how to visit the Race Village click here.
Images: Volvo Ocean Race, Konrad Frost, Ainhoa Sanchez
Following one of the longest and most painful doldrums crossings in memory, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is now in the northeast trade winds and speeding towards the finish line in Hong Kong, some 2,700 nautical miles to the northwest.
The fleet finds itself in three distinct groupings, with Dongfeng Race Team leading team AkzoNobel and Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the northernmost triumvirate. And it’s in the north where the stronger winds should be as the northeasterly trades winds get established.
“I think we are in a strong position,” said Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier. “We have just left the doldrums and we should be the first ones to catch the trade winds… we hope. We are very close on the ranking with Scallywag but we prefer our position for the future.”
While that northern option may turn out to be the correct one, at the moment, it’s David Witt’s Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag who are stealing a march on the opposition.
Contrary to many weather routing predictions, Witt and his crew have managed to craftily cut the corner, turning west before the rest of the fleet and gaining valuable miles towards the finish.
“The weather has helped us for sure,” Witt said. “It’s a balance between making decisions based on what the weather files tell you and what you can see in front of you… Anything can happen, it’s a pretty volatile situation still, but I’m pretty sure this group of people can deal with whatever happens.”
The Scallywags make up the middle grouping on their own, with MAPFRE leading Turn the Tide on Plastic and Team Brunel in the final triad, some 150 nautical miles directly east (and further from the finish line) compared to Scallywag.
For the trailing group, it’s been 24 hours of immense frustration. One final cloud in the doldrums grabbed these three and wouldn’t let go, while the other four boats were speeding away.
“We thought we’d be fighting at the front and now we’re fighting at the back which is not where we wanted to be,” said Dee Caffari, the skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic. “Really disappointed. But we have nearly 3000 miles left to make it up.”
Additional reporting and photos: Konrad Frost, Volvo Ocean Race, Brian Carlin
Unlike the traditional Southern Ocean route of Leg 3, the fourth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race from Melbourne to Hong Kong is a new addition for the 2017-18 edition – but some of the challenges it poses will be recognisable from the early north-south legs.
The Volvo Ocean Race leg four will start in Melbourne on the 2 January and the fleet are expected to arrive in Victoria Harbour around the 20 January with local boat Scallyway looking to lead them home.
Where Leg 3 was all about hooking onto the infamous depressions of the Westerly Storm Track that circle the bottom of the world west to east unrestricted by land mass, Leg 4 is all about navigating through climate zones.
Setting out across the Coral Sea, the sevens boat fleet must tackle the Subtropical High Pressure Zone, a stable, semi-static area of high pressure in the Pacific lying between 30 and 38 degrees south. Because of its proximity to the northern edge of the Westerly Storm Track there is a real chance of being propelled out of Melbourne by big winds. Equally, the anticyclone could prove dominant.
The normally-consistent trade winds will come into play as the fleet climbs further north, before the dreaded Doldrums come into play once more. Throw in numerous Pacific Islands dotted around the course and you’ve got a serious challenge in the shape of Leg 4.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 3, on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 12 December, 2017.
Additional reporting and images: Konrad Frost, Volvo Ocean Race
The Spanish Volvo Ocean Race team MAPFRE wins Leg 3 from Cape Town to Melbourne, a 6,500 nautical mile dive into the fierce challenges posed by the Southern Ocean.
For the second consecutive leg, MAPFRE needed to come from behind to earn the victory. And for the second time in a row, it was Dongfeng Race Team they passed mid-stage, to snatch the win.
“We had to fight very hard for this victory,” skipper Xabi Fernández said moments after crossing the finish line. “There’s so much of the race to go. But for now it’s looking good and we’re very happy of course.”
The Southern Ocean pushed the teams to the limit. Extreme cold, storm force winds for days on end and towering seas posed massive seamanship challenges, let alone allowing for racing and tactics.
“The strongest point for this team is the group of people we have,” Fernandez acknowledged. “They are so good and give us so much and have been working so hard on this leg. It was so tough, but it’s all gone perfect. Now we have a few days for recovery and we can get ready for the next one.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, Start. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race. 10 December, 2017.
Dongfeng Race Team, nursing home a boat with a damaged keel system was able to fend off a late charge by Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Team Brunel to secure second place finish. It’s the second consecutive second place finish for skipper Charles Caudrelier’s team and this one will be bittersweet. The team led for much of this hard Southern Ocean leg and were disappointed to see MAPFRE make a pass to take the win
“This was the toughest leg I’ve ever done,” Caudrelier said. “We had this big fight with MAPFRE for most of the race and then a big problem on board just before the finish. A crazy section of gybing around the ice limits, it was a very, very difficult leg. We’re a bit disappointed after leading 80 per-cent of the time to give first place up to MAPFRE, but there are more legs to come and we will do better.”
Vestas 11th Hour Racing grabbed the final spot on the podium. Just after crossing the finishing line, Mark Towill, team director and co-skipper acknowledged the scale of the achievement “It was a tough leg. We’re happy to be on the podium again. It’s great to be in on Christmas and I know we’re all looking forward to getting ashore. It was a difficult leg, hard on the bodies, but everyone has held up well.”
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 5, Morning watch on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 14 December, 2017.
The Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew finished behind Dongfeng Race Team but ahead of Team Brunel. At one point, with about 36 hours to go, the race tracker showed nothing to choose between Vestas and Dongfeng in terms of distance to finish, but in reality, the tactical situation favoured the Chinese/French boat.
“It was looking pretty close for a little while, but they were always ahead,” Towill said. “They were always comfortable. Brunel sailed well too so credit to them. It was challenging conditions and we’re all happy to be here and in one piece.”
In fourth place was Team Brunel, skipper Bouwe Bekking knows it keeps his team in touch with leaders but wants to be challenging the leaders. hoa
“It’s been a really hard leg. We always expected it would be tough and it lived up to that,” Bekking said. “Plenty of breeze and some awesome sailing as well.
Fifth place in Leg 3 went to Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag who managed to hold off Turn the Tide on Plastic, for the second consecutive leg. Skipper David Witt steered Scallywag across the Melbourne finish line on a sunny boxing day, just in time for lunch. Turn the Tide on Plastic was less than three hours behind, after over two weeks and 6,500 nautical miles of close, hard-fought racing.
“Aussies arriving home after a tough leg. 6th place – shame we couldn’t catch those Scally’s. We tried and it was close. Hopefully next time,” tweeted Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari as her boat approached the finish line.
Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race represented a return to the roots of the race – a dip down to the Roaring Forties of the Southern Ocean, where storm systems circle Antarctica, unimpeded by land. The result is day after day of cold, strong winds and fearsome seas.
“The Southern Ocean always turns it on,” said Scallywag’s Luke Parkinson as the boat pulled up to the dock. “There are big waves and a lot of wind. This time we probably spent more time further south with day after day of big wind. It certainly can wear you down. When we turned left and headed up to Australia it was pretty special – a very good feeling. We’ve got to rest up now and be ready to leave in a few days.”
It’s an abbreviated stopover in Melbourne, with restrictions on how much work the crews are allowed to do on the boats, ahead of the start of Leg 4, to Hong Kong, on January 2, 2018.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 06, on board Dongfeng. Rough sailing condition close to the ice gate. Black at the pit. Photo by Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race. 15 December, 2017.
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3 – Provisional Results
MAPFRE – 14 days, 04h:07m:21s
Dongfeng Race Team – 14 days, 08h:10m:16s
Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 14 days, 09h:52m:11s
Team Brunel – 14 days, 11h:36m:27s
Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag -15 days, 13h:06m:31s
Turn the Tide on Plastic -15 days, 15h:52m:50s
team AkzoNobel – still racing
Volvo Ocean Race Leaderboard
MAPFRE – 29 points
Dongfeng Race Team – 23 points
Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 23 points
Team Brunel – 14 points
Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag – 11 points
AkzoNobel – 7 points
Turn the Tide on Plastic – 6 points
Additional reporting, images: Volvo Ocean Race, Martin Keruzore, Jeremie Lecaudey, Konrad Frost, Ainhoa Sanchez
