35 nœuds de vent, cinq mètres de creux : au large d’Auckland, la première nuit de l’étape 5 ne pardonne pas. Si les locaux de CAMPER s’en débrouillent, Abu Dhabi a déjà dû faire demi-tour pour réparer une cloison cassée.
Quelques heures après le départ de l’étape entre Auckland et Itajaí, la tempête tropicale qui frappe le nord de la Nouvelle-Zélande ne faiblit pas. Déjà, 30 à 35 nœuds d’est ; dans les 12 prochaines heures, plus 40 nœuds et des vagues qui se creuseront.
Alors les concurrents font cap au nord pour trouver la meilleure échappatoire possible. Il leur faut s’éloigner de la côte pour toucher les vents de nord qui soufflent à l’est de la dépression.
Dans ces conditions de près agité, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand mène une flotte qui – exception faite d’Abu Dhabi – se tient en trois milles !
Selon leur navigateur Will Oxley, c’est en jouant avec les courants autour de lile de Rakino que le bateau rouge a pris la tête. L’Australien décrit aussi un baromètre qui chute, chute …
« Ce sera une longue et dure nuit. Ces conditions horribles semblent être la norme pour démarrer chaque nouvelle étape. J’espère qu’on va bien démarrer, comme on le fait d’habitude, mais que cette fois-ci, ce sera pour toute la manche. »
Deuxièmes à 13h UTC, les Américains de PUMA sont suivis de Telefónica. Groupama est quatrième et Sanya cinquième.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, lui, est rentré au Viaduct Harbour à 10h30 UTC après une avarie de cloison avant. La cloison qui soutient la cadène du J4, une voile d’avant, s’est carrément détachée dans une vague.
L’équipage de Ian Walker compte réparer rapidement pour reprendre la course dès demain. Leur directeur Jamie Boag parle de dommages « assez simples. »
« Les gars sont de retour sains et saufs et le problème est assez simple. Ils étaient proches de toutes nos ressources ici à Auckland ; je pense que revenir était la bonne décision. On va essayer de les renvoyer en mer dès que possible pour qu’ils reprennent la course. Ça devrait être une affaire de 24 ou 30 heures. »
« Si on était partis depuis une semaine, on aurait pu continuer, » a témoigné le skipper Ian Walker au ponton.
« Je ne pense pas que ça représente un danger structurel pour le bateau, mais c’aurait été une grosse réparation pour remettre la cloison et lui faire supporter le J4, une voile qu’on va probablement utiliser 80 % du temps dans les mers du sud. »
Positions le 18 mars 2012 à 13h UTC (14h HF) :
1. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand à 6634,9 milles d’Itajaí
2. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG à 0,3 mille du leader
3. Team Telefónica à 1,1 milles du leader
4. Groupama sailing team à 2,3 milles
5. Team Sanya à 3,0 milles
6. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / course suspendue / en pit-stop à Auckland pour réparation de cloison avant
Classement général provisoire après 9 manches : 4 étapes océaniques et 5 In-Port.
1-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1 = 122 points
2-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4 = 107 points
3-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6 = 104 points
4-Puma (Ken Read) : 5+0+4+19+3+17+5+25+5 = 83 points
5-Abu Dhabi (Ian Walker) : 6+0+3+10+6+14+4+10+2 = 55 points
6-Sanya (Mike Sanderson) : 3+0+1+5+2+5+1+5+3 = 25 points
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand are leading the fleet in a battle against more than 37-knot winds and six-metre seas on the brutal opening night of Leg 5 that has already forced Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing back to port with damage.
The fierce conditions caused by a tropical storm near New Zealand’s North Island are giving the teams no time to ease back into racing after the brief stopover in Auckland, and there is no relief in sight with the weather tipped to worsen to over the next 24 hours.
CAMPER navigator Will Oxley said the barometer on board the red boat was dropping and the sea state was building as the team prepared to batten down the hatches.
“It will be a long hard night ahead, it seems to be the norm to start each leg in particularly heinous conditions, » he said. “Hopefully we can continue our trend of starting well, but this time carry it on through the entire leg.”
Oxley said his team was able to navigate to their lead by weaving around Rakino Island, gaining an advantage from the tide. At 1300 UTC CAMPER held a 0.3 nautical mile lead over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG.
Overall race leaders Team Telefónica were third, and the only team on a port tack heading southeasterly, while Leg 4 victors Groupama sailing team were in fourth place followed by Team Sanya in fifth, just three miles behind CAMPER.
The crew on board Abu Dhabi’s Azzam returned to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour at 1030 UTC and were visibly disappointed as they threw their mooring lines to their waiting shore crew.
The team were forced to suspend racing at 0630 UTC, just five-and-a-half hours into the leg, after their Volvo Open 70 crashed off a steep wave and ripped a bulkhead in their bow, which secures a crucial heavy weather headsail, clean out.
Skipper Ian Walker described the situation as “not disastrous”, saying that if it had happened a week into the leg the team would have carried on.
However, given the team’s location Walker said it made sense to return for repairs especially as they needed a sound bulkhead to enable them to use their J4 sail, which will be needed for as much as 80 per cent of the Southern Ocean stretch.
“We discussed it and took the decision that we’re only 40 miles from Auckland, let’s come back and we’ll probably repair it quicker and better, and then we can get back out and try to catch everyone up,” he said.
Abu Dhabi team director Jamie Boag said he expected repairs to take about 24 hours.
“The guys are back here in one piece and the problem is pretty straightforward,’’ he said. “They were so close to our big resources here in Auckland that I think they made the right decision to come back. We will try to get the boys turned round as quickly as we can and get them back in the race. It should be 24 to 30 hours or so.”
To Abu Dhabi’s advantage, the fleet will continue to battle against the massive low-pressure system and transition into survival mode as the wind peaks to in excess of 40 knots Volvo meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said.
The fleet is likely to continue to trek north where they will find the best escape route to survive the worst of the storm’s might in offshore waters away from the Continental Shelf and pick up northerly winds on the eastern section of the storm.
As for Abu Dhabi, they are likely to face tough conditions if they depart in 24 to 36 hours. “It will not be an easy departure, they will have a south-east wind gusting up to 35 to 40 knots with steep waves,’’ Infante said.
Leg 5 is the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. It takes the fleet on a 6,705 nm race through the Southern Ocean, around Cape Horn and on to Itajaí, Brazil where they are expected to finish in early April.