They may have just passed through a part of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Doldrums, but Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR) skipper Ian Walker is anything but downbeat.
It has been a decent few days for ADOR, who are once again leading the opening leg of the Volvo Ocean Race after a tough decision when approaching the Cape Verde Islands eventually paid off.
They chose to travel north of the islands, rather than take the easier option of sailing between them, and they came through the nervous period at the front of the fleet.
After that came the unpredictable area known as the Doldrums – where the Atlantic and Pacific are affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the Equator where the prevailing winds are calm.
The Doldrums are noted for calm periods when the winds disappear altogether, sometimes trapping sail-powered boats for periods of days or weeks.
It’s something Azzam skipper Walker has experienced before.
“I’m hoping we’ll be in them for no more than 24 hours,” said Walker, when speaking to Sport360° via the boat’s satellite phone earlier this week.
“I have been stuck in them for three days before,” added the two-time Olympic silver medallist.
Azzam entered the Doldrums about 12 hours prior to the phone call at around 15:00 UAE time on Tuesday afternoon.
“There are lots of clouds about so it depends whether the clouds move south or north by themselves. We need a bit of luck and hope for a touch of wind to help us get a jump on the competitors.
“The Doldrums present us with notoriously light winds, which are obviously no good for sailing.
“We need to wrestle to get out of them, treading from cloud to cloud, so hopefully we’ll pop out into the south sooner rather than later.
“By this time tomorrow we hope to be on our way to Fernando de Noronha (the waypoint) and catch some south east winds.”
Asked if the Cape Verde decision and the spell in the Doldrums feels like the race is really only now beginning, Walker said: “Sure, the first few days was a tactical battle, but we made a brave call on the Cape Verde Islands and it seems as if we got that right.
“In the next 24 hours I expect us and Team Brunel to get a bit of a jump on the fleet.”
The seven boats are nearing the halfway point from Alicante to Cape Town and the heat is now on – and not just because of the proximity to the Equator.
“There has been a step up in the last few days, time is passing quickly,” said Walker.
“We’ve taken no risks though and we’ve been in the top three consistently but with different teams around us.
“Of course, the leg could all be decided in the last mile but it’s always important to be near the front. I’m happy with the race so far.
“We’re stronger when it’s windy it seems, which is probably a factor of our tough training, so it’s pleasing.”
What about the best and worst bits of the voyage so far?
“I’m really pleased with the calmness of the crew. They’ve been very strong and I feel, if we can stay in touch, we can grind other teams down that might be ahead of us.”
He chuckled when asked about the worst part.
“I’m fed up of freeze dried food.”
He added: “It’s also getting very hot as we get closer to the Equator, so the next few days will be very warm, which is already making it difficult to sleep.
“We’ve had one really windy night but, ultimately, we’re crossing off the miles and closing in on Cape Town.”
