Team AkzoNobel finishes Volvo Ocean Race strongly with a second place

by Justin Chisholm/Team AzkoNobel 25 Jun 2018 16:14 NZST 25 June 2018

Team AkzoNobel has finished second on the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race around the world to claim fourth place in the overall standings, after Leg 11 from Gothenburg, Sweden came to a thrilling conclusion in front of huge crowds on the beachfront of The Hague in the Netherlands.

This final result in the 45,000-nautical mile (83,000-kilometer) ocean racing marathon means the team has finished on the podium in six out of 11 legs during the eight-month race around the world.

The crew also set a new outright 24-hour distance time for the Volvo Ocean Race on Leg 9 from the United States to the United Kingdom when they clocked up 602.51 nautical miles (1,115.8 kilometers), making them the fastest Volvo Ocean Race crew ever in the 45-year history of the race.

“It’s been an unbelievably hard journey and we have been through some ups and downs around the world, so we are very proud to finish on the podium as the first Dutch boat in our home port at The Hague,” said team AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont (NED).

“This is our sixth podium result of the campaign and I think that says something about the quality of this team,” he added.

Dongfeng Race Team (CHN) snatched the lead in the final minutes of Leg 11 to claim the overall Volvo Ocean Race title ahead of second placed Spanish crew Mapfre, and Dutch entry Team Brunel, who had both started the final leg in an effective points tie with the Chinese team.

Team AkzoNobel led the seven-boat Volvo Ocean Race fleet out of Gothenburg on the afternoon of Thursday June 21 but dropped to fifth in the standings by the time the boats rounded a turning marker close to the Norwegian coast shortly after midnight on the first night at sea.

The crew was still in fifth when the fleet rounded a turning mark in the inner harbour of the Danish city of Aarhus on the afternoon of Friday June 22 but began to make significant gains as the course led the fleet back north.

In the morning on Saturday June 23, within hours of rounding the penultimate turning mark of the circa 1,000 nautical-mile (1,852-kilometer) course – a virtual waypoint east of the northern tip of Denmark – team AkzoNobel overhauled Team Brunel to move into fourth place.

Then as the wind ramped up to over 30 knots on the final night at sea, the team AkzoNobel crew went on a charge, replicating the potent “triple-head” sail setup that had earned them the 24-hour distance record on transatlantic Leg 9, to power into the Leg 11 lead by sunrise on the morning of the final day.

The fight for the overall Volvo Ocean Race trophy had become more intense when Mapfre joined team AkzoNobel and Team Brunel on an offshore approach to the finish, leaving the third title contender – Dongfeng Race Team – to take an inshore route past the mass of exclusion zones blocking the direct route to The Hague.

Despite the resulting huge separation between the top boats the advantage between them ebbed and flowed throughout the final day. While the three western crews duelled their way downwind in a flurry of gybes towards The Hague, Dongfeng Race Team made steady gains as they sailed a longer but faster and more direct route to the finish line.

In the end it was Dongfeng Race Team sailors who emerged ahead to take their first leg win of the race and the overall Volvo Ocean Race title. Behind them team AkzoNobel got the upper hand in a final gybing match with Mapfre to slip around the last marker buoy ahead and cross the finish line in second place.

“It was an incredibly hard leg and none of us have really slept for days,” said boat captain Nicolai Sehested (DEN). “That’s what you have to do in these kind of sprint legs when you are competing against teams that are sailing to win the overall race.

“We have been trying so hard to win this final leg and almost all the way to the end we thought we had it. Congratulations though to Dongfeng Race Team for a fantastic move and well done to them for taking the overall trophy.”

Helmsman and sail trimmer Justin Ferris said the crew was happy that they had sailed the boat well and had at times experimented with some new setups to improve their performance in certain conditions.

“We tried things on this leg that we have been nervous about previously,” Ferris said. “There was nothing to lose so we pushed the boat a bit harder and went well in some conditions we have previously struggled with.

“Coming in second is a nice way to finish and if Dongfeng hadn’t snuck through down the coastline then we would have been here first. But congratulations to them, they have done a fantastic job and been consistent throughout the whole race.”

Although all of the ocean legs of the Volvo Ocean Race are now completed the team AkzoNobel sailors have two further competitive engagements while they are in The Hague.

On Wednesday June 27 team AkzoNobel will take on Dutch rivals Team Brunel in pro-am exhibition match race series. Then on Saturday June 30 the crew will race together for the very last time in the final heat of the Volvo Ocean Race in port race series.

In brief:

– Second place in The Hague after hard fought passage from Gothenburg

– Sixth podium result from 11 legs around the world

– Fourth place in the overall Volvo Ocean Race standings

– Exhibition match race with Team Brunel coming up on Wednesday

– Final in port race series heat on Saturday

Team AkzoNobel crew list for Leg 11 Gothenburg to The Hague

Simeon Tienpont (NED) - skipper
Brad Farrand (NZL)
Justin Ferris (NZL)
Martine Grael (BRA)
Luke Molloy (AUS)
Emily Nagel (BER)
Chris Nicholson (AUS)
Jules Salter (GBR)
Nicolai Sehested (DEN)

Results of Leg 11 Gothenburg, Sweden to The Hague in the Netherlands

1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN) – 3 days 3 hours 22 minutes 32 seconds
2. team AkzoNobel (NED) – 3 days 3 hours 38 minutes 31 seconds
3. Mapfre (ESP) – 3 days 3 hours 39 minutes 25 seconds
4. Team Brunel (NED) – 3 days 3 hours 45 minutes 52 seconds
5. Turn the Tide on Plastic (UN) – 3 days 3 hours 56 minutes 56 seconds
6. Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (HKG) – 3 days 4 hours 1 minute 32 seconds
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA) – 3 days 5 hours 4 minutes 36 seconds

Final overall standings after 11 legs completed

1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN) – 73 points
2. Mapfre (ESP) – 70 points
3. Team Brunel (NED) – 69 points
4. team AkzoNobel (NED) – 59 points
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA) – 39 points
6. Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (HKG) – 32 points *
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (UN) – 32 points *

* Tie to be decided by result of overall in port race series

Leg 11 Day 3 boat feed – despite some setbacks team AkzoNobel is still pushing for the win

Video diary on Day 2 of Leg 11 from team AkzoNobel boat captain Nicolai Sehested (DEN)

Video diary on Day 3 of Leg 11 from team AkzoNobel boat captain Nicolai Sehested (DEN)

Video diary on Day 4 of Leg 11 from team AkzoNobel boat captain Nicolai Sehested (DEN)

Leg 11 Day 4 – team AkzoNobel leads the Volvo Ocean race fleet towards the finish line in The Hague