Leg 6 starts this Saturday, make sure you have the pace notes for this tricky leg
With 180,000 competitors in the virtual Volvo Ocean Race fleet, getting your nose ahead in the early stages of Leg 6 from Rio to Boston will be crucial. Do you hug the shore to get out of the tide but consign yourself to an upwind slog, or do you head further offshore, into the Brazil current but into faster reaching conditions?
How do you cope with the equator and the ITCZ and where’s the best place to join the sling shot from the Azores’ high?
In the May issue of Yachting World (out now) weather expert Chris Tibbs walks the course and explains how to plan for a complex leg.
There’s also a gate to get through and you should take a look at the official leg briefing notes.
THE START
Saturday, 11 April 2009, Starting Signal 15:00 local time or 20:00 Central European Summer Time (GMT 2)
Start in Rio de Janeiro: 23°00’S 43°08’W
Fernando Noronha Gate: 03°50’S 32°26’W ( Leave to port )
Be sure not to touch the buoy.
Finish in Boston: 42°27’N 70°17’W
The finish zone is a large circle with a 30Nm radius.
VIDEO
Meanwhile, take a look at our latest two video postings, supplied by Volvo. You can either watch them on line or download onto your iPod/Blackberry via iTunes.
Life as a Media Crew – See Ericsson 3’s media man, Gustav Morin’s award winning mini documentary about his role aboard E3.
Mid Race Summary – A mid race promo it may be, but this is well worth a watch as a reminder of some of the highlights so far, including a few of the broaches!
PODCAST
This week’s edition of Shoretalk will be posted later today, a day earlier than normal.
You can either listen to the podcast online, or subscribe through iTunes.