Avast there matey.

Did ye hear the news?

The Ocean Race 2023 < muffled boom > BEGINS!

This ‘round-the-world performance sailing craft regatta left Alicante, Spainbound for Cabo Verde, an island archipelago in the Atlantic.

This race there are two classes of vessels: the 60-foot IMOCA Class is racing around the world; the 65-foot VO65 Class is racing for The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup over just three legs: Leg 1 is Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde; Leg 6 from Aarhus, Denmark to The Hague in the Netherlands, and Leg 7 from The Hague to Genova, Italy.

The race TRACKER lets you track the fleet in near real-time.

The fleet on ough course 270 for the Straits of Gibraltar is beating into a strong westerly wind.

Already the sea takes a toll. Viva Mexico suspend sailing due to loss of their mainsail. Damage was reported unrepairable at sea.

I’ll update this post over the course of the race.

Is this the modern version of the Whitebread?

I am a big fan of The Ocean Race. I prefer it over the America's Cup. Looking forward to heading to Newport in May for the festivities.

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
Is this the modern version of the Whitebread?

That’s Wonder Bread. The race was Whitbread.

^^^yes, misspelled it. Shame on me. Answer to my original question?

It hasn’t been the Whitbread in 22 years, but yes, The Whitbread, then the Volvo Ocean Race, and now The Ocean Race.

Thank you Trapper. Shows when I used to follow this last.
I love to watch the videos that come out of that, especially down in the southern ocean.

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
^^^yes, misspelled it. Shame on me. Answer to my original question?

Second sentence.

The fleet reached the Straits of Gibralter, with several of the faster IMOCA class boats already through and in the Atlantic.

Conditions look invigorating.

The official Leg 1 Day 2 video.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Already the sea takes a toll. Viva Mexico suspend sailing due to loss of their mainsail. Damage was reported unrepairable at sea.

I guess the adobe gave way.

Leg One is complete. Some crazy footage.

Here is a summary of Leg 2, Alicante to Capetown.



Leg 3 started in Capetown with an inside the harbor course, followed by the Southern Ocean. Look at the speed of these boats.



The teams are now in the South Ocean. Two boats have been forced back to Capetown after serious mechanical failures (e.g., a cracked mast, delaminated hull).

Here is a summary of Leg 3, thus far. Capetown to Brazil via Cape Horn.

After a month in The Great Southern Ocean, the fleet is rounding Cape Horn, on their way to Itajai, Brazil. This is the longest leg in the race, Capetown, SA to Itajai, Brazil.

The leader, Team Malizia celebrates:


Team Holcim-PRB is second around the Horn.



It was balls to the wall sailing getting here.



The Ocean Race

Sig2340 thanks for the links and videos. Many years ago I was heavily involved in ocean racing including several races that were tune ups for the Whitbread. Sailing those Maxi boats was something that I will never forget. The speed (at that time) was insane but nothing compared to what they achieve currently. I will also add that racing at night is a high that I had never experienced before and that included being hoisted to the top of the mast at 0200 hours to fix a jammed halyard …good times!

These IMOCA boats are the epitome of speed sailing technology. I doubt there is a way to get them going much faster, without;

- Running the risk of gear breaking all the time (shit breaks regularly on these boats; I'm talking things break before you finished fixing the last disaster);

- Suffering a catastrophic failure (e.g., demasting at sea that ripped everything on weather decks free and sent it overboard); or

- Crew injuries. Team Malizia lost a crewmember for a day due to a hard knock on the head when she was flung from her rack. It must have been a huge wave to have tossed her from her bunk (its no mean feat getting in and out of them intentionally) onto the opposite bulkhead and then into the bilge, whereupon she slid 15 or so feet toward the bow.

As cool as the IMOCAs are, I long for my misspent teens racing Lasers, Lightnings, Penguins, and Widgeon 12s.

That would be fun to watch.

I'm a little embarrassed, but I'm going to admit I didn't check out any of the videos or links until today.

The hell are they all doing INSIDE the boats!?!?

I feel like my son when his aunt was helping him with a third grade book report about Charlotte's Web and she said he needed to say something about when Charlotte died. He was all, "WHAT!?!? Charlotte dies?" He hadn't finished the book.

Anyway, not exactly Farr 80s are they? What is that curved thing sticking out each side? I don't want to know. I'm just going to crawl back under my rock and dream about a Crealock 37 built by Pacific Seacraft.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
The fleet reached the Straits of Gibralter, with several of the faster IMOCA class boats already through and in the Atlantic.

If we're being picky about spelling (and I'm all for it ), shouldn't that be "Gibraltar"?

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

The hell are they all doing INSIDE the boats!?!?

Trying to stay "dry." Actually, I believe the Race wanted to bring the crews below decks as much as possible due to the last Race, where John Fisher, a Brit based in Adelaide, Australia, was lost overboard from Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag in the Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil leg of the Race.

Anyway, not exactly Farr 80s are they? What is that curved thing sticking out each side? I don't want to know. I'm just going to crawl back under my rock and dream about a Crealock 37 built by Pacific Seacraft.

Hydrofoil blades that are used to lift some 65% of the hull out of the water. It is one reason the IMOCAs are so fast. Boats in 35+ knots of wind can reach 28+ knots over the water. I believe hydrofoils are de debil.

There were two boat types I wanted as a lad, the first a Cheoy Lee 44 ketch, the second a Golden Hind 31.


Cheoy Lee 44


Golden Hind 31

Continuing with the drift

How about a 22' Flying Dutchman?
I itched for months from the fiberglass we laid on the hull. Yup built at my folks home when I was a pre-teen.