VOR |LISBON |DOCKIN

June 1, 2012 - 0130 UTC ABU DHABI CLINCH NERVE-JARRRING WIN, GROUPAMA MOVE TOP

Overall Leg 7 Total 1 Groupama sailing team 25 183 2 Team Telefónica 15 180 3 PUMA Ocean Racing by BERG 20 171 4 CAMPER with Emirates Team NZ 10 162 5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 30 104 6 Team Sanya 5 32 Abu Dhabi shrugged off seven months of frustration to seal their first offshore victory in a nerve-jarring transatlantic leg from Miami to Lisbon, while Groupama’s second place finish -- five and a half minutes behind after more than 3,500 nautical miles racing -- was enough to take them top of the leaderboard in place of long-term leaders Telefonica. Groupama spent days snapping at the heels of the Emirati team and were within a mile of their rivals as they headed up the River Tagus towards the finish line. Ian Walker’s team defended resolutely, however, matching their rivals gybe for gybe to ensure their first podium finish on an offshore leg would also be their first win, and spark wild celebrations lit up by a booming firework display.' For Groupama, the consolation prize came soon enough, as Telefónica’s finish in fourth place -- behind PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG in the third podium slot and just ahead of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand -- meant the French team climb above them. Abu Dhabi, who finished at 21:23:54 UTC, received 30 points for victory, with Groupama netting 25 after their finish at 21:29:21. PUMA took 20 points, Telefonica 15 and CAMPER 10. Team Sanya finished sixth to pick up five points. Groupama, skippered by Franck Cammas, now lead Telefónica by three points overall, with the Spanish team dropping off the lead for the first time since their victory on Leg 1 from Alicante to Cape Town back in November. Four teams remain separated by just 21 points, making it the closest contest in the 39-year history of the Volvo Ocean Race with just two offshore legs and three in-port races still to come. The arrival in Lisbon represented a homecoming for Abu Dhabi, who had a training base in nearby Cascais during the build-up to the race. "It's incredible -- what a welcome," said Walker, before he and Emirati crew member Adil Khalid were chucked into the water by their team mates. "Do you think you can make the last 10 miles of a race any harder than that? "It’s one of the most amazing experiences of my sailing career, that’s for sure. Mentally, certainly I’m exhausted. It's just such a relief." Abu Dhabi also visited Lisbon in much less happy circumstances during Leg 1, after a dismasting within the first few hours ultimately forced them to ship the boat from Lisbon to Cape Town. While they have notched up three victories in in-port races, and have a strong chance of winning the series, this is the first time they have really been able to shine in an offshore leg. First Groupama and then Telefónica enjoyed the lead for long spells on a leg that started out looking like a fast, direct sprint across the Atlantic before the effects of Tropical Storm Alberto altered things drastically. One by one, the boats were forced to head ever further north towards the ice exclusion zone. Abu Dhabi moved into the lead on Day 6 and after briefly surrendering it to CAMPER they were back ahead the following day. Two days later they were clear, though skipper Ian Walker warned repeatedly that a light-air zone inside the final 300 nautical miles would see the fleet compress. That’s exactly how it turned out, with Abu Dhabi forced to scrap every step of the way to an emotional victory at the team’s second home. "It came down to the wire, and we certainly had our ups and downs, but we are very happy," said Groupama skipper Franck Cammas. "it was a good operation for us!" Third place for PUMA kept them in contention for the overall lead, 12 points behind new leaders Groupama. "This is a great result," said the team's American skipper Ken Read. "There’s still a lot of points on the board and to be on the podium is a big deal for us." The battle between Telefónica and CAMPER for fourth and fifth came down to a slow-motion tussle over an excruciating final few miles, with no breeze and the current against them. Telefónica eventually finished with an advantage of 102 seconds and less than a boat length for a five-point boost that could yet prove crucial. The action resumes with the In-Port Race on June 9, followed by the start of Leg 8 to Lorient the following day. Leg 7 results: 1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing – 11d, 04h, 23m, 54s 2. Groupama sailing team – 11d, 04h, 29m, 21s 3. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG – 11d, 06h, 26m, 52s 4. Team Telefónica – 11d, 08h, 28m, 27s 5. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand – 11d, 08h, 30m, 09s 6. Team Sanya – 11d, 08h, 44m, 25s

VOr Live Coverage finsh

VOR | LEG END LOOMING

Credit Ainhoa Sanchez - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

May 31, 2012 - 1300 UTC Leg 7 Day 12 RACE LEAD IN THE BALANCE ON NERVE-RACKING FINAL MILES

The overall race lead is hanging in the balance as Groupama sailing team battle longstanding Leg 7 leaders Abu Dhabi for a crucial victory with just over 100 miles remaining in what has been the closest leg of the 2011-12 edition yet. At 1300 UTC Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were vehemently fighting to protect an 18 nautical mile lead, one that they have held since May 26 and which promises to deliver the Emirati team their first leg victory. But while Abu Dhabi were doing enough to stay clear, Groupama's more southerly position had the potential to deliver better angles in conditions that are very much the French team’s strong suit -- close reaching. Should the French team secure their second leg victory and finish two places clear of overall race leader Team Telefónica, who were struggling in sixth place at 1300 UTC, it would be enough to catapult them to the top spot, depriving the Spanish team of the lead they have held since the race started in October. The high-stakes finish in what Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker regards as one of the “blue ribbon” legs of the race is keeping the double Olympic silver medallist on high alert. “It’s quite a tricky finish all the way to Lisbon up the river against the current and the wind is forecast to go lighter, so I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of nervous moments,’’ Walker said. “Right now, although we’re ahead of Groupama they’ve got a slightly better angle so it’s really, really close. It’s going to be right down to the wire.” PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, currently in third place, are not giving up hope of edging back into second, a position that they have been exchanging with Groupama for the past two days. Having survived the dreaded crossing of the 200 nm wide ridge overnight relatively unscathed PUMA skipper Ken Read said it was great to be back sailing in consistent wind, with the Portuguese trades propelling the fleet. Another challenge awaits, however, in the form of the two to four knot current that will work against the teams as they race the final miles to the Lisbon finish line. Read said he had scoped out the waters of the finish once before, while navigator Tom Addis had been doing his usual exhaustive homework with the help of watch captain Tony Mutter, who has special insight having lived nearby. “Let’s hope if we are behind it is as fluky as hell and if we are ahead let’s hope for a straight shot in,’’ Read said. “It is very frustrating to go from a dominant position to a spot where you are fighting for your life.” In fourth place CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand are expecting to gain some miles on the top three, using their position in the south, near Groupama, to their advantage. “We should have a better angle set up down south. That is yet to play out but it seems a strong possibility," skipper Chris Nicholson said. “We are concentrating on maximising the boat speed and will be sailing flat out to the finish. To be honest, though, that is just business as usual and it’s how we have gone around the world.” Team Sanya are in fifth place, holding a narrow lead of about seven nm over Team Telefónica in sixth. The first team is expected to cross the finish line at 2200 UTC. A maximum 30 points is up for grabs for the winner, which could prove vital with just 14points separating the top four teams. Currently, Team Telefónica are on top of the overall race leaderboard with 165 points, followed by Groupama, 158, CAMPER, 152, PUMA, 151, Abu Dhabi, 74, and Team Sanya, 27.

Light airs lottery

@Hamish Hooper all photos Camper ENZ

Light airs lottery

Hamish Hooper blogs from on board CAMPER

So this is it, this is where the race pretty much restarts and quite possibly will be won and lost in the next 100 miles of high pressure, no wind

Just prior to midnight we were in about 6 knots of breeze. At 0045 we were in 1 knot of wind, it had been steadily dropping all day. Not quite the abrupt windless wall that I pictured but nearly.

After doing two 500+-mile days you notice every knot less boat speed. Even going 8 knots feels like we are stopped. And believe me when I say we would be more than happy to make it through these painfully light miles doing just 4 knots, at one stage we were doing 0 knots.

The stack of equipment and sails which has been packed as far aft as could be for the past few days has migrated forward to the bow of the boat above and below deck to get the bow in the water and the stern out to reduce drag as much as possible. My bunk has been moved into my second bedroom, avec ensuite with no door, the same bog that is used by all of the crew each morning. I haven’t been woken by the stench or groans yet.

All day yesterday we were tracking along side-by-side Telefonica, just managing to edge in front of them slowly before they changed mode headed off to try their hand at crossing the ridge with a more southerly route.
The fleet has compressed a lot, I think prior to sunset Abu Dhabi was some 20 miles ahead, Groupama 13 miles, and Puma only 10 miles ahead.

Will has been staring at weather maps, satellite weather pictures and just about any information he can possibly access like a teenage boy would look at glossy magazines. It’s all about discovery… discovering our best path over the next 300 miles to the finish line.

I can now hear the agonizing slap of water on the hull- it’s a terrible sound, and one you just hope all of the other boats hear for longer than we do.
Hopefully we will sneak our nose out of this no wind pain shortly, and in front of all of the other boats would be nice.

The 0400 sked just came in and it wasn’t what we had hoped. It looks like Groupama, Abu Dhabi, Telefonica and Puma are near breaking through to the northerly winds on the other side. We still have a bit to go.

Time to steel the nerves I feel, and once we get through be ready to give the last 250 miles everything we have.

Ginger spice left the spice girls on this day in 1998- Mike Pammenter was shattered, how could she? But I’ll tell you what I want what I really really want…

To win this bloody leg!

GOLDEN QUOTE: “This could be the longest most painful and intense 260 miles we have had in the race so far. It is not going to be easy.” STU BANNATYNE

@Hamish Hooper all photos Camper ENZ

VOR\ PUMA | AMORYS BLOG

Leg 7, Day 10 blog from Amory HEADING: 092-degrees WINDSPEED: 16.5 kts BOATSPEED: 17.2 kts DISTANCE TO FINISH: 550 miles Five hundred miles to go and this race is only getting closer. Not exactly a surprise – we knew everyone was going to compress again – but what is a surprise is the kind of day we had yesterday: it was slow, sloww, slowww.

 After a few consecutive days of feeling fast, a humbling 24 hours brings us all back to reality, and maybe for the better. You might think performance on these boats is formulaic – at a given wind speed, point of sail, and sea state the boat is tuned to a certain preset and that’s kind of that, right? But the truth is that confidence plays a big part in boat setup and boat speed, and having or not having the confidence to know when to change, to admit you’re slow and not just blame it on the conditions, that’s going to be a big part of anyone’s success.

And thankfully, after a tough day that would shake anyone’s confidence in setup and speed, we closed out the night with a winning sched. The guys went back to the books and made some small but significant-in-summation changes…put the board down further, put the water back in the stern ballast, changed staysail combinations.

Thankfully the boat responded. Not always the case, but happy to have a good one in there, as we sure needed it! So now we again look east, only with much less room to breathe. Abu Dhabi has always been in our sights but we’re clearly more invested in the guys nibbling at our tail; there is more to lose against them than there is to gain against Abu Dhabi. So the question remains: do we approach the remaining miles on the defensive or the offensive? Some of the trailing boats appear to be cutting the corner to Lisbon – sailing fewer miles certainly has its merits – but Tom is confident in our approach to this windless ridge now just a day away, and that deserves proper consideration, too. The weather routing has us drifting by midnight tonight, and it will be interesting to see how everyone handles this final obstacle, turn No. 4 before the sprint down the homestretch to the finish.

As much as it’s important to be in the right place, as we learned yesterday, it can be equally as important to have the confidence to make it work. We’ll spend today trying to build on last night’s small victories in hopes of carrying some good momentum into the tougher times ahead! - Amory Amory Ross Media Crew Member PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG “It’s getting a bit mushy wushy out here…” – Brad Jackson (Kiwi for: light, leftover chop).

VOR | ABU BREACH THE FINSH

May 31, 2012 - 0700 UTC Leg 7 Day 12 ABU DHABI FIND THE ESCAPE ROUTE

Leg 7 31/05/2012 8:05:13 UTC   DTL DTLC BS DTF 1 ADOR 0.00 0 14 210.2 2 GPMA 17.60 2 13 227.8 3 PUMA 24.40 5 8.3 234.5 4 CMPR 41.30 5 10.7 251.4 5 SNYA 43.30 6 8.5 253.5 6 TELE 43.70 12 1.7 253.9 Overnight, the racing for the six-boat fleet approaching the finish of Leg 7 from Miami to Lisbon in Portugal has been some of the most intense in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) closed to within 0.4 nm of leg leader Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) at 0100 GMT this morning, pushing PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) to third place, but as the night wore on and the wind strength gradually improved, signalling the exit route of the no-wind ridge, optimism returned to Ian Walker and his men. As forecast, the breeze dropped away to almost nothing overnight, but at 0500 GMT the northerly side of the course began to look promising. With a lateral separation of 75 nm between Abu Dhabi in the north and Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) in the south, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA), part of the northerly trio which included Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL), had regained second place from Groupama, 13.1 nm behind the leader. However, there is still just shy of 225 nm of tricky sailing yet to be had and the outcome is by no means certain. “We’re not any surer of how things will play out than we were 12 hours ago,” commented navigator Jules Salter as the team concentrated on keeping Azzam rumbling along. At 0600 GMT it was all change again, as Groupama regained second place while Abu Dhabi played every cloud, looking for acceleration with the small wind shifts and re-stacking the sails every 30 minutes for hours on end. At 0700 GMT, with 224 nm to go to the finish line, Abu Dhabi were heading towards Lisbon at 12 knots, drawing out their lead to 15.2 nm over Groupama, who were only managing 9.7 knots. In third, PUMA were slower still at 8 knots (+19.1 nm), while Telefónica and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) were struggling to make six knots of boat speed. Sanya, still way up north, were 37 nm behind the leaders and making eight knots. In his missive to race headquarters this morning, Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker reported that all is calm onboard and much less intense than expected given the position the team are in, however he expects the last miles to the finish to be a big challenge. “It appears that we now have to contend with a fairly light wind run to Lisbon, including what could be a very tricky finish at night in the River Tagus," he said. "This could test everybody’s nerves – especially at night and against the current. It is certainly nice to be in contention in the last few hundred miles of a leg, and no more than this team deserves." The first boat is expected to cross the finish around 2200 GMT tonight.