Yachting: Team NZ drop to last as fickle winds plague Volvo fleet

Emirates Team New Zealand in action. Photo / Chris Cameron

Team New Zealand have discovered the fickle nature of ocean racing early on in the Volvo round the world race, dropping from first to last place in the space of six hours yesterday.

With the fleet at the mercy of light, shifting winds, the lead changed three times yesterday. But Team New Zealand were the biggest casualties, their hard-fought lead built up over the first two days disintegrating.

The Camper boat is effectively last in the fleet, after Team Sanya were forced to retire from the first leg to Cape Town with extensive hull damage and Abu Dhabi suspended racing to repair a broken mast.

After being slammed aroundthe first 24 hours by winds up to 80km/h, the fleet had the opposite problem yesterday as the wind dropped out and the fleet's progress slowed to an average boat speed just 3-4 knots.

It was the French-flagged entry Groupama, who are sailing closest to the African coast, that surged ahead early on, seizing the lead from Team New Zealand. That prompted the Camper boat to change their course and head east, closer to the coast.

But by late last night it was the two boats further west that were finding the best speed, Team Telefonica steaming in to the lead, and Puma closing in to second place.

Team New Zealand were well off the pace, about 15 nautical miles adrift of Telefonica.

Team Sanya, the Volvo Ocean Race's first Chinese entry, officially retired from Leg 1 yesterday, the damage to the hull of their boat too extensive to be repaired in time to rejoin the race to Cape Town.

Team Sanya will instead be shipped to South Africa where they hope the repairs can be done in time for the in-port racing and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi.

Skipper Mike Sanderson, a two-time winner of the race, said he was disappointed.

"I've never before retired from a Whitbread or Volvo leg so it's a pretty sad moment. We were very comfortable with how we were sailing and so it's extremely disappointing for the guys," the Kiwi sailor said.