The fleet head out of Hong Kong for leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo: Pedro Martinez/Volvo Ocean Race
The fleet head out of Hong Kong for leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo: Pedro Martinez/Volvo Ocean Race
A game of wits awaits the fleet competing in the Volvo Ocean Race as they make their way from Hong Kong to Auckland.
The six vessels competing in race to Auckland, which was leg six of the event, departed Hong Kong on Wednesday.
While the start of their 6100 nautical mile (11,297km) journey was relatively calm, the leg down to Auckland was known as being a hard slog.
DongFeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier said in a skippers preview for the event that the race to Auckland was "the most difficult, complicated and dangerous leg on the sea."
DongFeng Racing Team skipper Charles Caudrelier. Photo: Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race
The route takes the sailors from Hong Kong between Taiwan and the Philippines before they swing out and veer down past Fiji and into Auckland.
It's in swinging out where they face possibly the biggest challenge of the race.
"You have to decide where you are going toward the doldrums. You will only know eight or seven days after if you've made a good choice, and it's not easy," Caudrelier said.
The doldrums are a common term used by sailors to describe the areas five degrees north and south of the equator where the respective trade winds collide. Due to the heat of the area, the warm airs rise, causing persistent bands of showers and storms around the Earth's midsection. There is often little surface wind in this area of the world, which can becalm ships.
In the race to Auckland, the fleet will encounter these about 1500km past the Philippines and 4000km from Auckland.
Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari said the leg was unlike any other as it was predominantly upwind.
"We saw how hard this area is to sail to get here, and it's basically the same in reverse, Caffari said.
Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari. Photo: Brian Carlin/Volvo Ocean Race
"None of the boats have done a lot of upwind sailing, so it'll be interesting.
Competing in the race for the second time, Caffari said from her experience, the leg was won often won by decision-making.
"You'd normally want to take the long way around so that you get the best angle you can through the doldrums and down the Southern Hemisphere trade winds towards Auckland.
"You're almost sailing in the wrong direction before you make that commitment to turn. And it's normally who dare to go the furthest that usually does the best.
Caffari painted a picture of a treacherous time out of the sea, however while it might be a challenge going through the doldrums, she said the sail into Auckland was one of the best in the race.
"We know the Doldrums is full of quite active thunder cells and lightning and squally stuff…then it's a case of fast sailing towards Auckland.
"But it's a very nice sight because its lots of green hills and proper land that everyone wants to go and see."
Vestas 11th Hour Racing will not be contesting the sixth leg of the race, with their vessel set for Auckland, by way of freight carrier, where it will receive repairs.
