Monday 31 October 2011

How I helped grind third place in the Pro-Am

It seemed only sensible that if I’m going to report on this Volvo Ocean Race and the people and boats then I should get stuck in and have a sail. And I got that chance when I was invited to join Mike Sanderson’s Team Sanya for the Pro-Am Race.

Unlike the grey skies and light air for the in-port race, we were blessed by a 12-knot breeze and bright sunshine. The teams took five of the professional crews off the boats and replaced them with amateurs.

I was joined by some VIPs from past races and some race sponsors. I wasn’t about to jump on board and give it the big I am, so I tried to melt into the background. I’m 6 ft 7ins and melting into the background has never been my strong point.

Younger crew
As the crew was made up of the younger side of the team, no one recognised me.  And when Mike Sanderson offered the chance to get involved and jump on to the grinding pedestals, I naturally stepped forward.


I didn’t have the heart to tell the young lad that was explaining to me how to sail that I’d been a professional sailor for 25 years and was a grinder in the Americas Cup.

After the first few tacks I had ground the main in using only first gear and spun my teacher off the handles. It was at that point he asked my name and I confessed to my history.

Father figure
The news spread quickly through the boat and I was treated like a respected, recognised father-figure of the sport. After that I was given the job of getting the main in by myself and had a fantastic day. We finished a respectable third.


The day may have provided a little boost to my ego, but the downside was inevitable – the next day I was going to hurt from top to bottom of my 6 foot 7 inch frame.

Mark Covell

Saturday 29 October 2011

Fixed course holds no fear for Walker and Abu Dhabi


Abu Dhabi passes Puma going the other way
Photo: Mark Covell 
Fourteen minutes is a massive margin to win a yacht race – especially when the yacht race is only 53 minutes long. 

Here in Alicante for the first in-port challenge, double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker skippered a near-perfect race in the trickiest conditions to claim the first six points on the board.

The day started wet, windy and cold. The teams left the dock looking like they were heading for the Southern Ocean. The Puma shop was doing brisk business selling rain jackets as fast as they could. Thankfully the weather front slowly cleared and racing got away on time.

Passing lanes
The big difference in this edition of the in-port race is that the course is fixed and not laid for the conditions and wind direction on the day. Some teams worry that the fixed course could become a procession. After today’s race, their fears were firmly quashed. There were plenty of passing lanes from wind shifts, sail choices and forced errors.

Abu Dhabi got a good start and just nudged round the first mark in front of Camper, but the real race-winning manoeuvre was when they both rounded the second mark.

A difference choice in headsails saw Walker’s team extend their lead, leaving Camper to be swallowed up by the chasing fleet. At one point Camper fell back to last.

Turning gate
Abu Dhabi managed to hold the last grain of boat speed to slither through the turning gate and head for the shortened course finish. I took a great shot of Abu Dhabi heading past Puma, 100 metres down the track sailing in opposite directions.

I don’t think you can draw too much from this crazy race - but a win is a win !

Provisional results:
Position / Team / Time / Points
1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / 53 minutes 44 seconds / 6 points
2. Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG / 1 hour 07:58 / 5 points
3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand / 1:10:11 / 4 points
4. Team Sanya / 1:10:43 / 3 points
5. Groupama sailing team / 1:11:11 / 2 points
6. Team Telefónica / 1:12:08 / 1 point

Mark Covell

Friday 28 October 2011

Time to fire the starting gun

The light wind and cloud-covered sky gives the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Alicante the feeling of a sleepy Spanish town waking up to a slow Sunday morning. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Look past the limp flags and gently rocking boats and you will see an army of worker ants descending on the village to pick, pull and dissect every particle of the race.

As I write, there is exactly 24 hours before the first in-port race. At 12:00 UTC (14:00 local time) tomorrow, the teams will get their first chance to win points.

Intense course
This may be the world’s premier round-the-world yacht race, but 20 per cent of the overall points are won by racing around a very small and intense course for just 50 to 60 minutes.

On the Ocean legs they may not change sails for days, but during an in-port-race they will franticly switch them around every 10 minutes or so.

These majestic Volvo 70 yachts are not set up for this frenetic short-course racing; it’s like asking a marathon runner to take part in a sprint.

Pecking order
But it gives the teams a real chance to upset the pecking order. Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson knows that his boat (formerly known as Telefónica Blue) took a podium place in every in-port during the last Volvo in 2008-2009.

As Ken Read, skipper of PUMA’s Mar Mostro, says: “Every point counts and if you took the six teams right now and had a tiddlywinks contest it would be a blood match. Every point is huge.”

So let’s wake up this sleepy town with the starting gun - and get this race under way.


Mark Covell