Regata Volvo Ocean RACE.

October 2005

4º Stage: Wellington until River

In the South Ocean the boats will have to fight with one of the hardest Earth seas, the terrible “country” of it shades as it liked to call Lamazou. More ahead Cape Horn will show the honor of being the flying goal of this stage.

A great stage, as much by its 6700 miles of route, like by the hardness and variety zones that it crosses. From ice and very low temperatures that “will be protected” by two “doors” that will limit the proximity polar waters, enormous periplo by the South ocean where he is frequent to find conditions extremely extreme, until the passage of frightful the Cape Horn that lays the way to the Atlantic Ocean to overcome until Rio de Janeiro.

During the sections in which the stage can be divided as they are; the South ocean, the passage of Furnaces, the South Atlantic and the approach to River, will possibly live without hard exciting moments, situations limit and, because no, some new world-wide record? Time to the time.

The exit very interesting and has been disputed. The Movistar had to leave 2 hours later, due to the penalty in which it incurred after to have removed the boat from the water in Wellington to inspect and to repair some small problem in his helmet. But in spite of it, it has known to recover the lost time and to strain themselves in the head for surprise of all the fleet. The position has not lasted since the ABN1 has returned to impose their law and at the moment it is again in head and 70 miles of the Movistar.

In the South Ocean the boats will have to fight with one of the hardest Earth seas, the terrible “country” of it shades as it liked to call Lamazou. In order to force not to force the whole by the whole to the crews, the two committee of regatas has established judicious waypoints who move away the defeats of the strongest dangers of growlers and icebergs.

More ahead Cape Horn will show the honor of being the flying goal of this stage. In their waters in enough occasions the conditions are almost unbearable due to the speed of the currents in their neighborhoods. The reason is based in the sudden change of depth that raises important waves, that sometimes it comes accompanied by heartrendering winds due to different orographies direct that them.

Before arriving at River it is possible that different strategies forced by the meteo take place that in 10 days offers this zone of the world. Following the position of the anticyclone of the South Atlantic, it is possible that the equipment can happen to the East of the Falklands islands or happen between the continent and these.

What is safe is that in these next days many things will happen, among which we hoped, without much confidence, that the pendular keels of the Farr do not return to break themselves and to leave outside race to more of an equipment.

In this second day of race Brazil has already torn totally one of its candles that in addition will be very necessary in the arrival to River, which has forced to turn the boats into an unexpected sail loft in which the long undergone tears are repaired.

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