Update
difference. What has changed for the better is food and clothing – and both compensate for the worse life on deck. The intensity of the race has also changed. My experience is
that each edition I have competed in has been more intense than the one before. It is more competitive; there is a higher level of crews. Communication has obviously improved a lot. It is important not only for the media but also connectivity to receive data. The weather forecasts are also better. The two-day forecasts were acceptable, but for a week they were just general orientation due to the lack of accuracy. The grib files have also improved a lot. As for the race, it is very commercialised – now the commercial
issues are as important as the technical ones. But this is the same for many big regattas. It is the natural evolution. SH: What is the difference between the meteo files used in the America’s Cup and in the Volvo? JV: They are different models based on the same principles. For the AC you use micro-scale models with higher resolution. The objective of the forecasts are also different, because in the Volvo you are interested in the forecast at 2, 4 or 7 days and in the Cup it is a few hours or sometimes just minutes. SH: In the middle of the ocean how do the models and the reality now compare? JV: There are things that models do not indicate exactly. You have to know how to interpret them to spot small differences. The impor- tant thing is to know the why of things. An example is the change of direction of the wind when a front passes: the model indicates the shift itself but at a time that is longer than the reality. SH: Does it make a difference that you now cross the Equator four times instead of two, as before? JV:Changing hemisphere is always interesting tactically. You have the impression that it is a point where the race begins again, with opportunities to win or lose. The Doldrums of the Pacific Ocean are new to me and we also have the added uncertainty of being in hurricane season. It’s summer in the southern hemisphere so these Doldrums will be very active. SH: With the fleet so tight surely tactics are less important? JV: The important thing is to adapt to the game and not try to imagine a different game. On the third leg to Melbourne the ice limit dictated the route. We all wanted to go very close to the limit to be as far south as possible, and the game changed. It was no longer an oceanic regatta, but a series of inshore races, one after the other. Once in the south we said, ‘The first oceanic phase has now finished, now we try to follow the ice limit to a fixed point; and then another oceanic phase from that point to the finish in Melbourne.’ In open waters it is difficult now to find a different strategy
because all the boats go with the same sails and stay in a pack. Looking for different options is dangerous, and in the short term you lose and you do not have the certainty that later your extreme tactical option will pay benefits. In the end it is about assessing the risks of each decision, it is not the same being in front of the fleet as behind, the level of risk that you assume is different. Extreme choices do not usually work, you usually have little to gain, two or three positions, but against that you can lose everything. On Mapfre our aim is to be consistent, to add the maximum
points in each leg without seeking at all costs to win each leg. It is true that victory gives you an extra point, and there are stages with double points that mean a little more pressure. But you have to keep gaining points and always stay in the leading group. SH: Is it a two-boat race between Mapfre and Dongfeng? JV: So far, yes, but do not forget about Vestas who won the first stage, and I do not think it was a coincidence. I also think Brunel will improve, they have good sailors. They don’t know as much about the boat due to a lack of time before the race, but they will improve. SH: Will the Cape Horn stage be decisive? JV: In the overall context of the regatta there are so many points available that this leg is not actually so important. Will it be important, yes, due to the double score and the extra point at Cape Horn, but it won’t be decisive. Remember there will still be the transatlantic leg with double points as well. SH: And the trickiest stage?
16 SEAHORSE
JV: The Atlantic crossing for me is the most complicated because it has more tactical options. In addition, as it is one of the last legs there will be teams who will force the pace a lot, an opportunity to come back with the double score. We must also not forget that the boats and equipment will by then be very tired… Carlos Pich
q SNAPSHOTS Brought to you in association with
l Yadi yadi ya…on leg 3 the VO65 Brunel set a new 24-hour record for the class of 538.1nm l A few…weeks after François Gabart sailed 851nm singlehanded l As we said…yadi yadi ya l Up a notch…Tour de France à la Voile legend Pierre Mas, Swiss Jules Verne record holder Bernard Stamm and 49er Olympian Stevie Morrison have entered this year’s EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour l And counting…more than 2,750 yachts and motorboats have gone into landfills around Florida after being wrecked by Hurricane Irma l Unbelievabubble…achievement. Gordon Ingate won the Dragon Prince Philip Cup last month, crewed by Amy Walsh and David Giles l Ingate…is 92 l Bout bloomin’…time. It’s now Sir Bruce Kirby… l To all you… plebians l Back…in the shed for Macif after that brief sprint round the globe l Macif…will relaunch in five months after extensive improvements expected to make her ‘much faster’ l Ouch…After all the noise and shouting about illegal keels, rudders and who knows what else the J/70 association has grabbed the bull by the proverbials with eight skippers banned for various periods l And…five boats being declared out of class l Yes, yes…all bar one were from ‘there’ l Ciao… l Guess who…the latest recruit to the New York YC Cup challenge is double Whitbread and four-time Cup veteran Dawn Riley l Calm down…Simon Maguire has indeed ramped up production of the ‘rather desirable’ Exocet foiler Moth… l Good news…for the 60+ customers who have paid their deposits l Sort of…three boats are now coming out every eight weeks l Dropping…the wait time to under three years l Top… man (men) – former Safran skipper Marc Guillemot and Dominic Bourgeois are reviving the famed Trophée des Multicoques in La Trinité this August l With…some very modest support from this very journal l Like brother…like sister l Libby…Greenhalgh joined the ‘men’ of Scallywag for Volvo leg 4 as navigator l Following which…Scallywag won the leg with the help of a bit of buffalo girls at the Doldrums l Ice claws…no, we didn’t know either l But…they are, it seems, essential safety equipment on ice boats for dragging yourself ‘outta the oggin’ should you fall down a hole l And change…Prada has committed an initial US$109 million to the next Luna Rossa America’s Cup effort l Obviously…Vasco – 25 world titles and counting – Vascotto has been confirmed at Luna Rossa for 2021 l On fire…the 2018 Class40 schedule is rammed, the fleet is strong and more well-known faces are appearing at every event l And…perhaps most important, the used boat market is also hot with 15 boats changing hands last year l Oh yes…there will even be a Class40 contingent racing in the Pacific this summer l Smart…for his next Cup effort Ben Ainslie has grabbed and hung onto Nic Holroyd as his new design chief l CV…ex-Team NZ (won one), ex-SoftBank (lost one) l Significant…and sad passing. Everett Pearson, who when the class was really rolling was delivering 36 new J/24s every week from his factories in Michigan and Rhode Island l RaceBoatsOnly…and ScuttlebuttEurope? l Yachting…porn l And…yachting news l Because…we care
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