Cool! In the 0340 UTC (October 19) update, it looks like the VOR…
Cool! In the 0340 UTC (October 19) update, it looks like the VOR fleet is setting up to pass the Cape Verde islands like this:
- Dongfeng definitely appears to be heading to pass between São Nicolau and Sal.
- Vestas and Mapfre have gybed onto port, presumably in order to follow Dongfeng.
- ADOR, Brunel, Alvimedica, and SCA all appear to be heading for the northern route, leaving all the islands to port. Though I guess all of them, especially Alvimedica and SCA, still have time to gybe and head south if they choose to.
The sailors don’t have access to the same information we do. Fans get position updates every 3 hours, shortly after the update times of:
- 0040 UTC
- 0340 UTC
- 0640 UTC
- 0940 UTC
- 1240 UTC
- 1540 UTC
- 1840 UTC
- 2140 UTC
The sailors, meanwhile, get position updates only four times a day, I believe at:
- 0115
- 0715
- 1315
- 1915
Although the boats have satellite Internet connectivity, which the On Board Reporters (OBRs) use to upload their images and videos, I believe they are restricted under the racing rules from using it to access information relating to the race, other than the basic wind and weather information that all the boats use. They don’t get to consult with their shore teams on things like strategy and routing decisions. All that has to be decided on the boat.
The boats each have an Automatic Identification System (AIS), which I believe gives them constant realtime updates of other boats’ positions, but only when the boats are relatively close. There was a mention in one of the videos that the AIS has been helpful during the hours of darkness when the fleet is close together, but that going forward it was likely to become less so as the fleet spreads out.
If my understanding of all this is correct, it means that Vestas and Mapfre, who gybed south between 0300 and 0340 UTC, may have done so in response to seeing Dongfeng heading south in the 0115 position update. Presumably Brunel, and maybe ADOR, were close enough to see them make those gybes via AIS, but I suspect that Alvimedica and SCA will be unaware of what the rest of the fleet is doing until the 0715 update.
Wind speeds in the 0340 update ranged from 13 knots (at the north end of the fleet) to 18 knots (at the south end), with boatspeeds ranging from 14 to 17 knots, so by the next update at 0640 UTC the lead boats should either be through the islands or in the process of passing them, with all their cards on the table, so to speak. The competitors won’t find out what everyone did until the 0715 update.
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1unB9lO.
Tags: vor, volvo ocean race.
