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Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002 Eight, nearly identical 60 foot yachts and seven teams of talented professional sailors - all backed by the world's greatest weather routers - are currently tackling 32,700 nautical miles of spray-in-your-face-racing having started from Southampton on September 23. By the time this nine-leg challenge ends in Kiel, Germany in June 2002, the fleet will have visited 10 ports and raced through four oceans. Here is a perfect opportunity to understand the myriad weather patterns which await the Volvo competitors ... Don't miss it for the world! Introduction With so many close parameters in the Volvo Ocean Race, subtle skills will win this race. Routing notes We profile each leg in synoptic detail Leg six - Miami to Baltimore April 25: Doldrums-like weather makes for fickle work as fleet negotiates how to use the Gulf Stream to their best advantage. Leg five - Rio to Miami March 9: Gentle gradient winds provide coastal challenge for start of leg 5. Leg four - Auckland to Rio by way of Cape Horn February 22: Nail biting finish after 6700 miles of sailing, with fickle winds dominating from the Falklands to Rio. February 12: Blast reaching all the way to Cape Horn as fleet remains neck and neck. But Illbruck rounds the venerable cape first - and in stunning conditions! SEB falls flat on her face as complex low delivers a knock-out punch The worst weather encountered was a vicious cold front and the only boat to find it was Amer Sports Too. But the girls handled it all with flair. February 6: Blocked high and cradled low challenge the fleet on their way south. January 23: Typical summertime blocked high creates a slow start from Auckland Leg three - Sydney to Auckland by way of Hobart January 6: Assa Abloy leads all the way across the Tasman as complex low delivers a range of conditions December 30: Assa Abloy first to Hobart but just 45 minutes separates the first six yachts. SEB retires and Amer Sports Too delayed as rudder problems persist. Meanwhile, Tasman Crossing looks like a fast reach as several cold fronts line up to lash fleet. December 28: Slow and smoky start belies wild weather further south Waterspout creates havoc for maxi yachts December 23: Early prediction for Sydney to Hobart start December 18: We analyse the race course
with our routing notes: Leg two - Cape Town to Sydney December 7: Illbruck charges to victory in leg two after a subtle game of synoptic chess in the Great Australian Bight split the fleet. November 28: High pressure ridge creates a race restart as fleet rounds Eclipse Island waypoint and heads into the Great Australian Bight. November 19: Clean reaching past Kerguelen Island - halfway to Australia - as a cold front looms up from behind. November 15: Fast, cold reaching at last but high pressure looms from the west. November 10: Upwind start from Cape Town predicted as Volvo fleet faces a battle with high pressure to get to the westerly trades. Leg one - Southampton to Cape
Town October 14: First a windless ridge, then the doldrums. With just two days of 'champagne sailing' in two weeks of racing, this is turning out to be one tough - and slow - Volvo! October 2, 2001: Upwind bash as Bay of Biscay lives up to its name. Meanwhile, race for the trades is on in earnest! Routing notes Leg one: Southampton to Cape Town. Leg two: Cape Town to Sydney. Leg three: Sydney to Hobart, and Hobart to Auckland. Leg four: Auckland to Rio. Leg five: Rio to Miami. Leg six: Miami to Baltimore. Leg seven: Annapolis to La Rochelle. Leg eight: La Rochelle to Goteborg. Leg nine: Goteborg to Kiel. |