The B&G Report- Volvo Ocean Race - Prize Winning Moves - Week 4

by Mark Chisnell for B&G on 5 Nov 2014 Top Volvo Ocean Race correspondent and analyst, Mark Chisnell writes a regular report for B&G on the current race and trends he sees developing. Here's his third analysis of Leg 1, Week 4 .

Prize Winning Moves

We are into the final approach and there isn’t much race left for a prize-winning move by any of the navigator’s;

'The B&G Navigator’s Prize will be awarded to the navigator who, in the opinion of the judging panel, has made the most effective use of meteorological, oceanographic and geographical information to gain distance on the majority of the fleet.'

The judging panel will be the navigators themselves – they will vote on their peer group, and decide who made the best moves for each leg. So while Leg One will be over in the next couple of days, don’t forget to check back here during the stopover to see who won the award, and find out what they all have to say about the strategy and tactics that unfolded in Leg One.

Reprise

Let’s just quickly reprise the strategy for this section of the race – skip to the next section if you’re happy with the overall picture. It’s all about the St Helena High, which stretches across most of the South Atlantic and, with a complete absence of any wind in the middle, creates a roadblock on the direct route to South Africa.

To avoid this parking lot, the traditional route is to head south down the coast of Brazil, skirting the edge of the high and staying in that north to north-easterly flow down the left-hand edge. Eventually, the boats will get far enough south that they will be within reach of a low pressure system that will carry them east, and fast.

To read the rest of this analysis click here