Monday 9 July 2012

Groupama secures victory in Galway

Groupama skipper Franck Cammas celebrates in Galway.
Picture: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race
Upwards of 100,000 people are believed to have turned out at Galway Harbour to welcome the Volvo Ocean Race fleet in.

A little rain, a cool wind and the wrong side of 2am did nothing to deter the crowd lining the dockside. The slightly unpleasant conditions gave the crowd a feeling of solidarity with the sailors who had borne so much adversity over the last three months.

It was Chris Nicolson’s team, Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand, who took the leg 9 win. This was their first leg victory and would put them in a good position against Puma going into the in-port race.

Overall trophy
Groupama finished shortly after Camper to take second place. That result was all they needed to clinch the overall trophy.

A disappointed and frustrated Kenny Read finished third on Puma Ocean Racing. They had been ahead of Camper at the Fastnet Rock. Losing to Camper had dropped them out of a chance of finishing second overall.

As we have seen throughout this race, the media coming off the boats brought the race to life. Leg 9 was no exception.

Live interviews
The 485-nautical mile leg 9 sprint from Lorient to Galway was covered extensively by live interviews with both skippers and navigators.

You could see the tension on board the boats as the close racing came down to the line. All of this has been made possible by Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband 500 enabling the excellent data streaming.

I will cover the future in my next blog, but as one race finishes and the next has been announced in 2014, the thirst from the race fans for interaction will not go away. The next race will be the most connected ever and it will be Inmarsat at the heart of the race again.

The Overall Final standings: 1. Groupama sailing team 253 points; 2. Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 231; 3. Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg 226; 4. Team Telefónica 213; 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 131; 6. Team Sanya 51

In-Port Series Final standings: 1. Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg 45 points; 2. Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 44; 3. Groupama sailing team 41; 4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 37; 5. Team Telefónica 27; 6. Team Sanya 16

Mark Covell

Monday 2 July 2012

So much live coverage

Puma rounding the Fastnet Rock
Ian Roman/ Volvo Ocean Race
Live, now, instantaneous, straightaway, immediate.

No, I haven't just swallowed a thesaurus or am trying to design a crossword, I'm sitting here in Galway connected to the web, being inundated by the amount of live footage and content coming from the fleet and its every move.

We are witnessing the last leg of the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race. It's so short the teams are treating this as a mad dash sprint.

No sleep
Puma's Amory Ross wrote in his last blog: "Sleep has not been a component of Leg 9 thus far. So here we are... last full day of the Volvo Ocean Race with close sailing, rough weather, short duration, and high intensity.

"With the top four positions still to be determined, each point remains crucial. Consequently, this leg's 30 points are valuable enough to make all of us spend the last night sitting (or lying) on the rail.

"That would be OK if we were passing the Bahamas or Fiji, but we're close-reaching through the English Channel in 25 knots of wind, rain squalls, and shivering-cold temperatures. It's just another lovely July day on the way to the Irish Sea. Ugh! One final bashing for us and the old girl."

See the action
So that's a view from Amory's laptop, so now for the list of ways you can see the action.

As well as the usual social media networks - Twitter and Facebook etc - live streaming footage is being hosted here with interviews, still images and video conferencing, all being updated as it happens. See http://new.livestream.com/volvooceanrace

As well as the live crosses to the MCMs, Volvo has a helicopter flying over the Fastnet Rock, off the south coast of Ireland. The fleet has just gone around it in daylight.

Famous rock
I tuned in to see and hear Volvo's Rick Deppe speak to Mike Sanderson, the skipper of Team Sanya. In mid chat the camera panned round to reveal the famous rock and lighthouse that so many sailors have raced round before.

When this race is over and a "thank you" has gone out to all the teams and staff, one of the biggest must go to the team at Inmarsat for bringing this race to life!

When I set out to cover the race I truly didn't know how much Inmarsat has been at the heart of the race.

Something like 90% of all the footage has been channeled through their network and equipment. Impressive!

Puma in the lead
The fleet is due in tonight at 03:00 UTC, with Puma in the lead (at the moment…). Volvo is bringing you regular live video calls off the boats, rolling-text updates and live race tracking.

Here's the schedule for live calls, which will be broadcast at www.volvooceanrace.com and www.livestream.com/volvooceanrace:

Monday July 2:

1800 UTC - Puma
1830 UTC - Abu Dhabi
1900 UTC - Telefónica
1930 UTC - Camper
2000 UTC - Sanya
2030 UTC - Groupama


Mark Covell

Friday 29 June 2012

Any of the four top boats could win

Hamish Hooper won the Inmarsat MCM award for leg 8
(Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

This is a quick blog from me as I am packing to go out to Galway, ready to receive the fleet from France on the last leg of the race.

It will be such a sprint that Volvo is planning to cover it almost live. We still have the penultimate in-port race tomorrow that could potentially seal the deal for Frank Cammas and his Groupama team.

Everyone I have spoken to want them to have a difficult day, just so that the race stays open into the last offshore leg. It’s still mathematically possible for any of the top four boats to win this race.

Closest race
If there is one thing we have learned from this race, it is that anything can happen. Don’t rule out the unthinkable. There has never been a closer race finish in race history.

There are a lot more trophies to win. Hamish Hooper, Amory Ross and Yann Riou are all close for the overall win for the Inmarsat Media Award.

Hooper received the award for his outstanding overall multimedia output during a stormy Leg 8.  And in particular some breathtaking footage of skipper Chris Nicholson being washed from the wheel by a wall of water.


Recent video
The judges noted two outstanding pieces of recent video from Hooper, who clocked up enormous numbers of YouTube views with footage of Chuny Bermúdez dodging a whale and skipper Chris Nicholson being washed off the wheel.



Hooper, who had previously won two MCM leg awards, saw off competition from fellow nominees Groupama sailing team’s Yann Riou and Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg's Amory Ross to claim the Leg 8 accolade.

Tune into the in-port race this Saturday and then the leg start on Sunday. It’s all live and if you believe the forecast it’s going to be a windy one.

Mark Covell

Friday 22 June 2012

How the balance of the competition has changed

Telefónica’s skipper Iker Martinezat the finish of leg 7
(Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)
With only one more leg to race, teams have started to look back at their mistakes and highlights. Would have, should have, could have?

Racing is about good preparation and the ability to learn from others as the competition evolves. 

Ideally you want to be the fastest boat going into the event, but more importantly to win the Volvo Ocean Race you have to be the fastest boat by the end of the event. 

Full potential
Telefónica has learned this lesson all too well. They dominated the early stages of the race, winning the opening three offshore legs and the In-Port Race in Cape Town. In contrast, the last boat to sail into Cape Town was Groupama with a lot to learn in a very short time.

Skipper of Telefónica Iker Martinez said the closeness of the competition had built leg by leg as the teams learned more and more about their boats, and how to sail them at their optimum performance.

“At the regatta’s halfway point all the boats reach their full potential,” he said. “At the start, we all have to learn about our boats and although each team prepares as much as they can, some have less time than others, so there are usually a lot of differences.

Best improver
“But at the halfway point, after so much time spent competing against each other, everyone has had the chance to learn about their boat and how to get the most out of it.

“We all learn from each other too, and so it always happens that around the middle of the regatta that it becomes very even.”

If there was a ‘Best Improver’ prize then Frank Cammas and his Groupama team would win it. They are overall leaders with 219 points on the board 23 points ahead of the next boat. 

Bouncing back
For sheer tenacity and ‘never say die’ attitude then Puma Ocean Racing must get a mention for slowly picking off the points to sit second overall, just five points ahead of Camper and Telefónica - tied on 191 points.

All the teams have suffered major damage that they’ve had to overcome. 

Bouncing back from a setback is the other trait that has shaped this edition of the race.  Some have done better then others.

Losing sleep
So, with one last offshore leg to race and more than its fair share of potential pitfalls and issues, Leg 9 can still upset the apple cart and with so much live streaming action to watch, I know a few race fans who will be getting less sleep than the sailors.

Saturday 30 June - Lorient In-Port Race
Sunday 1 July - Leg 9 Start - Lorient to Galway

Mark Covell


Friday 15 June 2012

Groupama romps home to a French victory


Race leaders Groupama take first place on leg eight.
Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race
There is nothing more inspirational than a home finish win to sharpen a team’s focus.

As I write this blog I am watching the live finish of leg eight and Groupama romping home to a French victory in Lorient.

Frank Cammas and his team have simply improved with every leg after the tactical blunder of leg one (when they took a flyer that didn’t pay off), which seems so long ago.

Lost time
The live pictures coming from Lorient are fantastic. The French spectators are making up for lost time after their absence from the Volvo Ocean Race for so long. Listening to the French commentator going mad with excitement, I don’t think they will be leaving the race again for a long time.

The excitement and connection the fans have made with this race has been boosted by the amount of high-quality live footage coming off the boats - the highlight being the streaming video interviews held with the skippers and crew all via the Inmarsat FleetBroadband 500 onboard.

Streamed live
In this last leg Volvo up’d its game by inviting five journalists to ask questions to five different boats and streamed the whole interview on its website, live. It was a huge success and all went smoothly.

During this race I have written many times about all the practical capabilities that Inmarsat’s satellite connectivity provides. From telemedicine, weather data, position reporting, logistics, safety and media reporting, it has been the latter that has shone the brightest.

The Volvo Ocean Race teamed up with a new company pioneering immediate media, aptly called Livestream.

Technology developed
It has developed technology to transmit stills and video live to a web page. Many other media companies do, or try to do, the same thing, but none do it as well as Livestream. The work they do on land is transmitted using a 3G or 4G network, but at sea Inmarsat provides the connectivity.

Appetites have been whetted, and the need for high-quality live media is only getting stronger. Inmarsat will be there again, at the heart of the race. Maybe they will be at the heart of even more races and events as fans and media realise the potential.

So as the fleet come into Lorient - 1st Groupama, 2nd Camper, 3rd Puma ,4th Abu Dhabi, 5th Telefonica and finally Sanya - the last leg is looking like a make or break for the French.

I look forward to bringing you the action, hopefully live!

Mark Covell

Thursday 14 June 2012

Close-fought in-port race adds to Groupama's lead

Groupama won  the Lisbon in-port race gaining six points
Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race
I can't believe we are into the penultimate leg already, with only three more point-scoring opportunities left. 

The Lisbon in-port race did not disappoint the race fans for supplying plenty of action-packed drama, place changes and protests.

The writing was on the wall at the skippers' press conference.

Avoid mistakes
The skippers were asked: "what was their race plan of action, attack or defence?"

Chris Nicolson from Camper said "stay out of trouble"  while Kenny Read said "watch out for pitfalls".

Frank Cammas replied "avoid mistakes and sail a clean race" and Ika Martiness from Telefónica said "attack".

Penalty turn
They all did what they had promised.

Camper and Groupama got a clean start and headed down the track, leaving Telefónica attacking Puma.

Kenny Read’s match-racing experience gave him the upper hand leaving Telefónica reeling on the line with a 360 degree penalty turn to perform, dashing all hopes of a result in Lisbon.

Fantastic racecourse 
The natural amphitheatre of the Tagus River beside the beautiful city of Lisbon provided a fantastic racecourse pushing the fleet together again and again due to the close river banks as they gybed down the track in 15-20 knots of wind.

The lead changed a few times before Groupama stretched away to take the win and add another six points to her overall lead.

The in-port results were: 1st Groupama, 2nd Puma, 3rd Camper, 4th Abu Dhabi, 5th Sanya, 6th Telefónica.

My next blog will tell the story of how the world's media is lapping up the live streaming content coming off the boats. 

Friday 8 June 2012

Lisbon in-port race will be like a naval battle

Camper during the practice race in Lisbon
Photo: Ian Roman/Volvo Ocean Race
I have just climbed out of a hot and humid commentary booth, having covered the Pro-Am race with TV NZ’s Martin Tasker.

The city of Lisbon is putting on a wonderful display. The sun was shining, the wind was up and the crowds poured into the race village to see the action just off the end of the dock.

Today’s racing was just for fun and the bragging rights of the lucky guests and sponsors who got to sail on board.

Naval battle
Tomorrow, Lisbon will host the real deal. The Oeiras in-port race will start at 1300 local (1200 UTC). With only 21 points separating the top four boats, the one-hour race will be more like a naval battle then a sailboat race.

The forecasted conditions look good for aggressive combat, with the 12-15 knot WSW wind blowing across Lisbon’s Tagus River. The river’s current will also come into play.

Today we saw a current of more than two knots sweeping up the estuary. The course will consist of some short windward leeward legs, with lots of boat manoeuvres, and then a longer dash up the river towards the city.

Keeping cool
Tonight the teams will be discussing their tactics. The mood that they race in will play a big part at the start. Hanging back and keeping cool may result in missed opportunities. Charging in, all guns firing, could result in forced errors.

Telephonica have lost two in-port races by sailing the wrong course in Atajai and also hitting a mark in Miami.

With only three in-ports left the race for the overall king is even closer then the race itself. Puma, Camper and Abu Dhabi are all tied for the lead on 30 points each.

I will be donning headphones and microphone again for tomorrow’s race, but this time from a camera boat out on the water. I join the commentary team who are also keen to have my insight on the role of the MCM and how the Inmarsat communications work onboard.

Tune in on the web to watch and hear the race live on http://volvooceanrace.com/en/home.html

Mark Covell

Friday 1 June 2012

Determination wins the day for Walker and Azzam


Azzam skipper Ian Walker clinches his first leg win
Photo: Laura Martinez/Volvo Ocean Race
My great friend and old team mate, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker, summed it all up last night after winning one of the toughest Volvo Ocean Race leg finishes we’ve witnessed for many years. 

Hanging over the rail of the Abu Dhabi yacht Azzam and visibly overwhelmed, an emotional Walker said: "So much effort goes into these projects, and all for moments like this!" To me that says it all. 

All the waves, all the freezing conditions, all the sleepless nights and all the highs and lows come down to the raw primal emotion of knowing you have won. That’s why these adventurous sportsmen put themselves through this madness. 

Carried away
It may seem like I’m getting a little carried away. After all, this is leg 7 and I’ve been reporting on this race from day one. 

Yet I couldn’t help but get amazingly excited as  I sat watching the tracker and texting my mates as things started to get closer, and keeping an eye on the live comments coming in from both Abu Dhabi and Groupama fans. 

Night had fallen, the wind was dropping, and the chances of Abu Dhabi falling at the last hurdle was looming. It was all great entertainment. 

Live streaming
Then, with the French within pouncing distance and the finish line still tantalisingly close, Volvo started a live streaming connection with the boat. 

It was if we were there onboard, sat on the deck. This technology is down to the capabilities of Inmarsat and their partners. I know it’s my job to get excited about this stuff, but I can truly say, that was good TV!   

The win by Abi Dhabi Ocean Racing, aka ADOR, was made even more heartfelt because it was a re-run of the tortoise and the hare. 

Tortoise and hare
The yacht Azzam has not found the same boat speed as the other new-builds in this race. But after a great tactical play ADOR had pushed out a 90-nautical-mile lead. It was then down to the tortoise to hold off the hare. The slowest boat found itself fending off Groupama, the fastest boat to that point. 

In the end - and after 3,500 nautical miles and 12 days’ racing -  ADOR crossed the finish line just 5.30 minutes ahead of the French. 

Skipper Ian Walker, a double Olympic silver medalist, said afterwards that the win was one of the highlights of his sailing career.

Sailing team
Ian went on to say: “For all the people who follow the team in Abu Dhabi and all the people who follow Azzam, Azzam means determination, and the sailing team have proven that the whole of our team have as much determination as anyone out there.”

“This is my second Volvo race - that must mean I’ve sailed about 70,000 miles around the world and I’ve never won a leg,’’ he said. 

“Seventy thousand miles around the world is a lot of effort. To win a leg was one of my goals for this race and one of the whole team’s goals for this race.

“And it feels great.”

Mark Covell

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Complex Atlantic crossing as boats seek best winds

 Thrane & Thrane FleetBroadband onboard Abu Dhabi which
 will help the crew choose the best tactics for crossing The Atlantic 
 Photo: Nick Dana/Volvo Ocean Racing
When you cross oceans with the prevailing winds, the goal is to hook into a fast running weather system and sail with it as long as you can - a little like catching a bus. 

Crossing the north Atlantic Ocean from West to East is an ideal opportunity for this to work well for the fleet.

Now they are away from complications like gulf streams and tropical storm Alberto, the navigators have tried to line their race boats up with the fastest systems going east.

Leeway diminishes
The next trick is to play-off how much north or south you should be to benefit from the best winds that carry the full force of the front.

When you're thousands of miles away from the finish line, you can sail further to line up perfectly.

But as you get closer, there is less leeway before you find yourself sailing more distance for less overall gain.

This is exactly what’s facing the fleet now.

Elastic band
Abu Dhabi Ocean racing made a 90 nm gain when they lined up perfectly with a system.
Now the next system is coming in from the west and sweeping the back of the fleet up to meet the front.

It's like the fleet is connected with a giant elastic band, as the lead is pulled out and then caught up.

There are a number of tactical considerations being made by Puma’s Media Crew Member, Amory Ross, as he considers the options for the fleet.

Stronger winds
"It is exciting to think that after sailing 3,500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, this leg could well restart with just 100 miles to go, and with Groupama, Telefónica, and now Abu Dhabi squandering breakaway leads due to unfavourable weather, the thrills look set to continue until the end," he said.

"Once over 90 miles to our east, Abu Dhabi is now just 30 away, and as we’ve brought the stronger winds to them, the guys to our southwest are doing the same to us.

"At some point we could all line up south to north. Fortunately, these exciting 15 to 25 knots of wind are forecasted to last at least another day, giving us a final chance to gain some leverage to the north.

Complicated tactics
"When the front begins to overtake us it should again favour the boats further north while lifting and lightening the southern pack," he added.

Making the tactics all the more complicated is the proximity of the trough to the finish, Amory explained.

Because there are only about 100 miles to sail after punching through, there’s just not enough ‘runway’ to make up for miles spent diverting far north or south of Rhumb line in search of an optimal point of transit.

"In other words, if this ridge were mid-Atlantic, you could aim and sail for a narrow band 100 miles north of where you were — no problem — but to do that for this ridge would mean you would essentially double your distance to the finish, having to sail an additional 100 miles on the other side too," said Amory.

"So we're all going to be forced to stay relatively conservative in our approach and execution, staying closer to the actual course to Lisbon than what might otherwise be most advantageous."

Thursday 24 May 2012

No place to hide on live TV


Kenny Read rubs his eyes as he climbs out of the dark depths of below deck.   
 Ken's interview appeared on the Livestream website
 Photo: Livestream

Media Crew Member Amory Ross passes him a set of headphones and a throat mic, as his eyes get used to the light.

It slowly dawns on Kenny that he is about to go on camera so he makes a half effort to ruffle his hair so as to be vaguely presentable.

Live means live
Volvo’s Rick Deppe reminds him that he is live and to wipe the food from his mouth.  In this case, live truly means live!

Yesterday, Rick Deppe did the rounds, calling all six boats for a live  video streaming web chat for all race fans to tune into.

This has been a new capability for this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race and has been a huge success.

Bringing race to life
The live streaming provided by Inmarsat’s connectivity using FleetBroadband 500 has brought the race to life.

The French team Groupama have a regular TV spot using the live stream and now have clocked up over 100 live interviews from the oceans. This has given the team unrivalled media coverage and brought them a huge fan base.

Volvo’s communications department and the teams are now thinking ahead to the next race and how the new faster data transfer speeds that Global Xpress will bring will impact on the race.

HD web cams
The world’s media is demanding fast connectivity to bring more live events to life. The Volvo Ocean Race will be no different. Live streaming HD web cams that viewers can operate at will is just one of the ideas being considered.

The other benefit of a live interview from the boats is that the skippers being interviewed have no time to think of the smart answer.

The result is a very straight and honest opinion. As much as Ken Read struggled to wake up and perform for the camera, he ended up admitting that they had not gybed quickly enough and missed a trick on Groupama who opened up a 70 nautical mile lead.

You can watch this interview at:

http://new.livestream.com/volvooceanrace/Leg7/videos/1178143

Mark Covell



Monday 21 May 2012

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing rules the in-port race


Abu Dhabi chases the Groupama during the in-port race
Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race
The city of Miami has finally said goodbye to the Volvo Ocean Race. It’s hard to get the attention of the sports fans in this city. The footfall in the race village was the lowest it’s ever been.

Sailing here can’t compete with the big American sports like basketball and football. With all that in mind the on the water turn out was good for the in port and race start.

Ian Walker and his team on Abu Dhabi OceOcean Racing showed once again that they are the kings of the in-port race, winning their third event.

Training pays off
They needed that win desperately, to just keep team morale up. They are having a terrible race offshore, and mathematically cannot win.

"That was a pretty strange race," said Ian "I have to say our crew work got us back in the race. It feels great - we've had a tough time.

“The last in-port race we had no training time, this time we made an effort to have two training days and it paid off.

Lead whittled down
The team sailed a faultless in-port race on Saturday, unlike the overall leader, Team Telefónica who got round the top mark in first and then proceeded to fall back after mistake after mistake.

The final nail in the coffin was when they had to perform a 360-degree penalty turn after hitting a mark. Finishing last saw their lead whittled down even further.

"It didn’t go according to plan - well, the first bit did, but then it went downhill," said Telefónica's Neal McDonald.

Overall points
"It’s so easy to lose places with all these good guys behind you. You only have to make one slip-up and one boat goes by, then another boat goes by and then you’re in last place. It’s tough - heartbreaking."

The fall out from Saturday’s in-port race was the points just bunched up even more. Puma sneaked past CAMPER in the last few metres of the race to take third and Groupama closed the gap on Telefónica to take second.

This is how it looks for the overall points going into leg 7.

1. Team Telefónica 165

2. Groupama Sailing Team 158

3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 152

4. PUMA Ocean Racing by BERG 151

5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 74

6. Team Sanya 27

The crossing to Lisbon looks like a fast one, with a low-pressure system repelling the teams across the Atlantic Ocean.

This leg will be very interesting to see who can make an impact and who falls behind. The big question is can Team Telefónica hold it grip on the overall lead?

Mark Covell

Thursday 17 May 2012

Media crew share experiences with Miami students



Camper's media crew member Hamish Hooper presenting
to students at the University of Miami
Photo: Mark Covell/Inmarsat
The life of an Inmarsat Media Crew Member demands a wide range of skills as they document life at sea through the many twists and turns of this amazing race.

The skills list looks like this: journalist, documentary film maker, writer, photographer, chef, psychologist, cleaner, communications director and all round media expert.

Well now they can add one more skill and job title to their list: university lecturer.  

Rigours of filming
The students of the University of Miami School of Communication sat transfixed as they had their first insight into the rigours of filming onboard a Volvo Open 70. 

Camper's Hamish Hooper, Team Sanya's Andres Soriano and Groupama’s Yann Riou all took to the lectern and spoke about the role and the media tasks onboard.

The event was hosted by  the university and presenting alongside the MCMs  were Inmarsat's vice-president of external affairs, Chris McLaughlin and Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad. 

Media advances
Chris praised American technology that made so much of what Inmarsat does possible.

He went onto explain how 100 per cent of the footage filmed onboard is transmitted using Inmarsat’'s equipment and satellite network, an essential part of any media delivery in the field.

Knut also spoke about how the technology onboard and how it has advanced throughout the history of the race.

Weight limits
Knut recanted how things were back in the dark ages before good media translated into positive sponsorship return.

"When I first competed in the race you could take camera equipment or 200kg of lead," he said.

"Half the boats took lead. We took the equipment and the first media crew member, Rick Tomlinson. We didn’t win the VOR that year but won the media exposure race by far."

Workflow
Bringing the events up-to-date, Hamish Hooper, who has a media degree himself, asked the students what their course covered.

The answer was "everything". So Hamish replied: "Oh good then, you know what our job entails too."

It was taken as read that the students knew what the documentary-style workflow was, to film life onboard.

Polished promo
However, the challenge of filming in such a harsh environment was new to the students.

Yann Riou explained how hard it was just to hit the correct key on the laptop key pad when trying to type a blog.

The students enjoyed watching video clips of the MCM’s work both in the raw boat feed as it comes off the boat and the polished promo after the editors at IMG had worked their magic.

Inmarsat capabilities
Most of the MCMs' workflow was somewhat similar to the work the students had experienced.

The students admired their tenacity and coping strategies to film in such uncomfortable environments. 

The real lesson learned was the knowledge and concept of being able to send footage from anywhere in the world using Inmarsat capabilities and connectivity.

Inmarsat looks forward to hosting another similar event in Galway, Ireland, as the race draws to a close.

By then the MCMs' would have been responsible for an amazing body of work and all transmitted with the help of Inmarsat at the heart of the race.

Thursday 10 May 2012

Puma's Miami victory creates fantastic battle


Puma arrives in Miami escorted by many spectators
Photo: Ian Roman/ Volvo Ocean Race

Now look what you have done Kenny.

You’ve set this race up to be a fantastic close battle between Team Telefónica, Camper, Groupama and Puma.

On Wednesday skipper Kenny Read and his team onboard Puma Ocean Racing held back the constant attacks from Camper to win a second consecutive leg win. 

Unbelievable
Puma crossed the Miami finish line at 14:14 local time, 18:14 UTC, with a lead of around five nautical miles over Camper.

Camper crossed the finish line for second place just over an hour later, at 19:21:25 UTC.

"This is unbelievable," said Read just minutes after crossing the line in the company of about 100 spectator boats.

Offshore legs
"It's great to be back in the United States, actually we've been to Miami before in this boat, so this marks our complete circumnavigation.

With six of nine offshore legs now complete, Telefónica lead with 164 points, followed by Groupama on 153, Camper on 149 and Puma on 147.

With the French team, Groupama, finishing ahead of the Spanish team Telefónica later that day, there are now only 17 points between the top four boats.

Great job
Puma held the lead all the way on the 4,800 nm race from Itajaí, Brazil, apart from a very short period when it looked like Camper would spoil there party.

Kenny Read said: "It was touch and go, the guys on Camper sailed very well, but I couldn't be more proud of our team, they did an unbelievably great job.

"It's been a long leg and PUMA have sailed very nicely, they have defended very well, but I think we have attacked well too.

"I'm pretty happy with how it's gone. We're in better shape now for the next leg."

Thursday 3 May 2012

Hot pursuit of Puma in light winds

Going fast downwind onboard Camper, just
behind the leader Puma.
Photo: Hamish Hooper/Volvo Ocean Race
Look left, look right, they’re coming for you Kenny !

Puma skippered by Ken Read has been holding off the chasing fleet for most of this leg.

The lighter winds and the drag race nature of the trade winds have kept his crew on their toes.

You can defend when your enemy is to one side of you, but it’s much harder when they split and divide your attention.

The crews have been hooked on the three-hourly scheduled position reports for most of the race, but now the leaders are only a few miles from each other.

Prolonged battle 
If they need to know how they are doing, they can just use their eyes. At one point, Puma held the lead from Camper by only half a mile.

“After such a prolonged battle, the Puma Ocean Racing team is now getting used to living in such close company with their rivals,” explained Puma’s media crew member (MCM) Amory Ross.

He confessed that being under such pressure to perform added an extra thrill to leading the fleet on Leg 6.
Design changes
“As nice as it’s been out in front, there’s a certain excitement that comes from having other boats in clear sight,” he said.
When boats are sailing so close, the subtle design changes start to tell. Designing a boat is a game of compromise.
If you trade light wind performance for heavy wind speed,  you suffer when the wind drops and so on.
Different strengths
Design an all rounder and you will be punished if the race turns out to be lighter or stronger then average.
Amory agrees:“Every boat has design strengths and weaknesses that favor certain wind speeds, sailing angles and sea states.
“Mar Mostro tends to thrive in lighter conditions and now we’re moving away from that. Maybe towards a windier corner that suits the design of Camper or Telefónica a little better.
Groupama struggles
“It’s impossible to know for sure though, so all we can do is focus on making our boat go as fast as possible in the building breeze.”
Abu Dhabi and Groupama are fighting it out with their own close quarter battle about 100nm behind.
The French look likely to lose their grip on second overall if they don’t catch up.
With 1600nm of Leg 6 still to sail, there is plenty of golf left in this hole.

Friday 27 April 2012

Zim Monaco's incredible act of kindness

Ken Read answers interview questions via Inmarsat 

Photo: Amory Ross/Volvo Ocean Race
This leg is nothing like the last one, in so many ways. No more mountainous waves, no more freezing temperatures and definitely not the boat-breaking conditions.

The fleet are heading north, looking forward to the Champagne sailing they enjoyed last time they navigated these waters, way back on leg one.

Puma is leading the pack and loving life. They even bumped into the very ship that had gone out of its way to give essential diesel fuel to them after they dropped the mast on leg one. Amazingly they saw the ship in port in Itajaí, Brazil.

Stopped on dock
Puma’s skipper, Kenny Read, was shocked to be stopped on the dock by the relief captain, who passed on the regards of Captain Bondar.

Apparently, Read reported, the ship’s crew have been following the race closely and watching loads of Volvo videos ever since they helped the little red boat in the middle of the Atlantic.

He also brought them a gift - a bottle of whisky and a carton of cigarettes. What else would a ship’s crew offer for a gift?

Travels globe
“So what are the chances of ever seeing the Zim Monaco again? A container ship that travels the globe - not a chance, right?" quipped the Puma skipper.

“One thing that will always stick with me is the comment that Captain Bondar made when we wrote to each other following our diesel loading,” continued Read.

“Of course, I thanked him profusely after the incredible act of kindness that he displayed - for sure, something that cost his company money to do.

Help each other
“His response… ‘In as much as we are all seamen, we should all help each other at unforeseen situations that arise at sea’.

“A pretty amazing attitude in today’s world of corporate profits and time management.

“I can tell you one thing for sure - we contacted about five other ships via VHF those fateful days, looking for diesel and some help.

Radio trouble
“Once we explained our situation to each ship, each one of them mysteriously had trouble speaking English or had radio trouble all of a sudden. Not the Zim Monaco.

“So the Zim Monaco is alive and well. It turns out they’ve been to Singapore, China, South Korea and here to Brazil since we saw them last. They’re off to Argentina and Uruguay next - their own little Volvo Ocean Race.”

We still have more exciting legs to race in this edition, but it’s clear the fleet are now heading back into more hospitable waters!

Mark Covell

Monday 23 April 2012

Who has the winning momentum?

Ryan Godfrey and Shannon Falconea board PUMA during leg six.
Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)
In sport, we talk about momentum, and yacht racing is no different. Team Telefonica is leading overall with 149 points, 16 points clear of the French boat, Groupama.

There are four legs to go and 120 points up for grabs so it’s still anyone’s race. The unfortunate Team Sanya and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are out of the running, but will be looking for a leg win to prove a point.

So who has the winning momentum to pull them through these last few legs?

Coming back
Team Telefonica has not put a foot wrong off shore and has the ability to keep coming back from setbacks to always be in the hunt.

Groupama gets the most improved prize and is still getting better. Their hard work and tenacity won them a third place podium finish, even after breaking their mast in the final sprint to Itajai.

Camper crewed by Team New Zealand is the dark horse at this stage. It could go either way. Their epic struggle to sail into Itajai after major repairs on leg four has not given the team any time to rest between legs. Hamish Hooper reported that the crew were in the worst physical shape they had been in so far, but mentally they were strong and focused on the race.

Keep focused
“There is no point sweating about the stuff you can’t control or getting frustrated at things that can’t change. You just have to keep focused on doing as best as you possibly can every time there are points up for grabs,’’ Hooper said.

Will that fighting spirit that often defines the Kiwi off-shore sailor pull them back into the hunt? Or will they let the American giant Puma claw its way past them?

Puma is probably the most buoyant team at the moment as they have just claimed their first leg win by holding off a late attack from the Spanish team. As I type this she is leading leg six to Miami. Everything about this team has a strong momentum to win this leg. It will mean a lot to Puma and her American sponsor.

Great sailors
"Right now, we feel good about ourselves, and that says something. We're as confident as you can be sailing in a fleet like this against such great sailors and great boats,” said skipper Ken Read.

The leg itself is not a straightforward one with the last of those most random doldrum crossings promising to turn the fleet inside out again.

“We’re starting just behind a weather front that pushed through overnight, so we’ve got some good downwind sailing over the first day or so,” said navigator Tom Addis. “It won’t last that long though, and after a day of nice downwind, we’ll see a couple days of lighter stuff. We’ll battle through to the trade winds and once there we should have some nice, solid reaching almost all the way to the Bahamas.”

So who will win leg six, and keep that winning momentum rolling?


Mark Covell

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Hard-working teams prepare for US leg

Groupama undergoing repairs to its broken mast in Itajai.
Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race
As Camper edges closer to their Leg 5 finish, after stopping for vital repairs, the other teams are re-launching to get ready for the next leg already.

Camper has had a reasonably smooth sail up to Itajai, but it hasn’t been a cruise.

They are still racing against the clock to get there and their job list is a long one after such a difficult leg.

Windless hole
The twist to this most twisted leg is a windless zone off the coast of Itajai that has so far snared all of the Leg 5 finishers.

"The reality is there is a painful big windless hole we could end up parked in for a few hours merely 20 miles from Itajai,” Camper’s crew member Hamish Hooper said.

"This will be a cruel and painful way to end the leg, so we are hoping like anything it doesn’t eventuate and the breeze will carry us all the way there. I am remaining optimistic this will be the case.

Team effort
“Hopefully it won’t be too much more than 24 hours and we will be pulling quietly into the dock, in the early hours of the 30th day of the leg.”

The shore crew will need to draw on all the team if they are to be ready to rejoin the fleet for the DHL In-Port Race in Itajai on 21 April at full strength.

So just one day off for the sailors after 30 days at sea and then back into it.
“One day off will be plenty to recharge the batteries and ignite the fire in their bellies again.” Hamish said.

High expectations
The other teams have been working hard too. Team Telefónica launched on Monday, joining PUMA who have had the most time off and the least work to do.

Leg 6 will be a big one for PUMA, the only American team, as this is the leg where the fleet heads for the US and expectations are high after their recent win.

Groupama’s shore crew were this morning still preparing their replacement mast which was flown in from the Netherlands.

Long afternoon
Shore crew boss Ben Wright said the French crew planned to go sailing on Tuesday to check over and tune the new rig.

“There are always a lot of details to sort out. You can never do enough, it’s a race boat so it is never finished. Tomorrow’s sailing will all be about making sure everything works, locks, reefs everything, so it will be a longish afternoon out on the water.

“We need to tune the rig and set it up properly so there may be some to and fro-ing. We may need to come in for a short while to do some dock tuning and then go back out again.”

It’s a good job the dome on the back of the boat and the Inmarsat satellite link all works well.

That’s one less job for the over worked shore crews to deal with…    

Friday 13 April 2012

Groupama overcomes broken mast to take third place

 
Groupama sailing under jury rig approaches the finish line
Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race

Groupama’s leg 5 podium finish, after their mast snapped in two 60 nautical miles east of Punta del Este, took nothing but gritty resilience from the French team.

It would have been so easy to throw in the towel, but with the chance of third place and 20 points, it was a mission worth fighting for.

Once safely on the dock, skipper Franck Cammas said: The guys all did a fantastic job and I am very happy with our podium place - we're still right in this race."

Twisted rigging
They were very positive words bearing in mind that just six days before, they were trading places with the leader, Puma for victory on this leg.

When it happened the mission was to make the boat safe and prevent any more damage occurring.

Having carbon splinters, twisted rigging and heavy sail cloth everywhere is not the easiest mess to clean up.

Crew member injured
As it was bowman Brad Marsh managed to stab himself in the wrist while cutting away the mainsail from the broken mast.

The team medic had to immediately attend to Brad’s injury by using five medical staples to hold the wound together.

They suspended racing and made for the nearby port of Punta del Este to assess their options.

Good speeds
One section of the broken mast was long enough to step again and hoist up two-thirds of a mainsail and fly a headsail.

After restarting their leg and getting underway they reported good speeds with the jury rig.

Frank Cammas said: "Our technical goal was to use the top part of the mast  that we managed to bring back after the incident - which is a tube of almost 20 metres.

Jealous sailor
“But we had to create a whole new rig in 24 hours, with limited means, using only the materials we had.

"The result, with more than 100 square metres of sail area, isn’t ugly and could even make a sailor on La Trinité sur Mer jealous.

“Fingers crossed for it to make it through, because the supporting cables aren’t really adapted to this new function. At least for now, this jury rig is fully satisfying with a surf at more than 20 knots.”

Great comment
I read a great comment from Doug Baker from the UK on my Covell.on.volvo facebook page ‘Still faster with a jury rig than most will ever have travelled in a sail boat’.

The news from the ongoing leg 5 is Puma claimed first, then overall leader Telefónica took second with the tenacious Groupama salvaging third.

Camper with Team New Zealand crew are still sailing to Itajaí with 1,200 nautical miles to go. This epic leg 5 feels like the leg that never ends.

Shipped for repairs
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing retired from Leg 5 due to hull damage. Azzam departed on a ship from Puerto Montt, Chile to Itajaí.

Team Sanya retired from Leg 5, returned to New Zealand - the yacht is being shipped to Savannah for repairs and then will sailed to Miami to rejoin the race.

Mark Covell