Sports | Monday 20 April, 2015 12:00 am |

No room for complacency on Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race
says ADOR skipper Ian Walker

British comedian Dom Joly to jump from Azzam in Brazil


Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR), the emirate’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR), is maintaining its intense focus on peak performance levels, despite enjoying a seven-point advantage at the top of the overall standings on the eve of the sixth leg of the epic, round-the-world yacht race.

Despite the points cushion, with four legs still to race in the nine-leg global challenge, ADOR skipper Ian Walker said that there was no chance of complacency creeping into the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi)-backed team as they prepared to cast off on Sunday to race from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, USA.

“We have got to where we are in this race by sailing quickly and smartly and minimising the risks,” Walker said. “We aim to maintain that successful strategy and to continue to take the race one leg at a time.”

UAE Olympic sailor Adil Khalid – who re-joins the ADOR line-up after a two-leg absence due to illness – said the mood amongst the sailors was upbeat, but cautious.

“We all know there is still an enormous amount of racing to go in this race,” Khalid said. “We are in a good position but in ocean racing there are lots of things that can go wrong. We will need to be at our very best on this next leg to secure a podium place.”

The 5,010 nautical-mile route through the Atlantic Ocean will see the six-boat fleet head north from Itajaí on their way to one last negotiating of the light winds of the Doldrums before crossing the Equator and returning to the northern hemisphere. On the way to the finish in Newport – one of America’s main sailing hotspots – the crews may be able to use the warm, fast-flowing waters of the Gulf Steam to try to hitch a ride up the east coast of the USA.

According to ADOR navigator Simon Fisher, while Leg 6 is unlikely to deliver the ferocious winds the boats experienced on Leg 5 through the wilds of the Southern Ocean, it will nevertheless have plenty of challenges.

“In a way it’s a reversal of the weather systems we encountered on the opening leg of the race,” Fisher said. “This time we skirt the light winds of the South Atlantic high pressure system, hook into the southeasterly trade winds, slip through the Doldrums, cross the Equator and switch to north-easterly trades to take us north avoiding the light winds of the Azores high. Then, the Gulf Stream could be a big factor for the final section along the US east coast.”

Boosting ADOR’s line-up for the initial inshore section on Sunday will be British comedian and writer Dom Joly, who will be on board Azzam for the start and will jump from the Abu Dhabi yacht before it heads offshore at the Itajaí leaving marker.

Joly is most famous for the anarchic, highly popular hidden camera shows Trigger Happy TV and Fool Britannia and has also written two travel books.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to be a small part of the Volvo Ocean Race and particularly thrilled about being onboard Azzam and joining the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team for a day,” said Joly. “I’ve never done anything like this before – it’s going to be very special.”

The sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean from race from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, USA starts at 1400 local time in Brazil (2100 in Abu Dhabi) and ADOR fans can follow the action live at volvooceanrace.com/live


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ABOUT ABU DHABI TOURISM & CULTURE AUTHORITY

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The authority manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. TCA Abu Dhabi supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key authority role is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.

For more information on the Abu Dhabi VOR Stopover please contact:
Nathan Wilson - ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
d. +971 2 633 4133
e. nathan.wilson@bm.com

For more information on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing please contact:
Justin Chisholm - Communications Officer, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
d. +44 7769 938 722
e. Jchisholm@teamador.com

For more information on Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority please contact:
Matt Ross
e. mross@tcaabudhabi.ae

Arabic enquiries
Medhat Juma - ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
e. medhat.juma@bm.com


For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Jon Bramley - Director, News and Media
Volvo Ocean Race HQ (Spain)
Tel +34 966 011 150
jon.bramley@volvooceanrace.com

Christina Gaither - Media Relations Manager
Tel +34 676 675 931
christina.gaither@volvooceanrace.com

Editors’ Notes
• The next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be the 12th running of the 40-year-old event, which started in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race.
• The race started on October 4, 2014, day of the first In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain, and finish with one last In-Port Race on June 27, 2015 in Gothenburg, the Swedish home of Volvo.
• The 38,739-nautical mile route will also include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Newport, Rhode Island (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France). A 24-hour pit-stop in The Hague is scheduled between France and Sweden.
• The next two editions will be contested in a new high-performance boat, the Volvo Ocean 65, designed by Farr Yacht Design in the United States and built by a consortium of boatyards in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Switzerland.
• The new 65-foot (19.8-metre) monohull racing yachts will be strictly One Design and delivered “ready to sail” for the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. The boats incorporate the latest video, satellite and content production facilities to further enhance the Onboard Reporter programme that has been in place since 2008-09.
• Seven teams are taking part. The all-female Team SCA is the first all-women's team to compete in the race since 2001-02. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is once again skippered Britain's twice Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker. Dongfeng Race Team come from China and is backed by Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle. Team Brunel from the Netherlands is skippered by race veteran Bouwe Bekking. Team Alvimedica, the youth challenge will be led by All American Ocean Racing and carry a double Turkey/USA flag. A Spanish entry, MAPFRE is also taking part, skippered by Iker Martinez but Team Vestas Wind, who started the race in Alicante, ran aground on Leg 2, and is yet to rejoin the race.
• The previous Volvo Ocean Race started in October 2011 in Alicante and was won by Groupama sailing team, skippered by Frenchman Franck Cammas, in July 2012.
• The previous Volvo Ocean Race started in October 2011 in Alicante and was won by Groupama sailing team, skippered by Frenchman Franck Cammas, in July 2012.