The third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race is underway, but the fleet was shrouded in a dense fog as it waved goodbye to Abu Dhabi and headed 4,670 nautical miles east to China.
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Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing may not have had the dream arrival into their home port, as they finished third behind Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team, but Ian Walker’s charges stormed out of the Corniche and into a very early lead at 14:00 UAE time.
The departure from the Gulf was hardly ideal though, with the desert sun failing to burn through the thick fog as the crews were waved off from the race village.
ADOR skipper Walker said that although conditions were not ideal, his crew were itching to get back out on the open water following another successful in-port race yesterday in which Azzam finished third, recording their third straight podium finish.
“We’re raring to go. We are pretty confident going into this. There’s a bit more energy in us compared to when we left Cape Town,” said Walker.
“We felt really good yesterday in the in-port race, we actually sailed very well yesterday.”
Despite being back where they belong, it can sometimes take a while to get back into life on the high seas, although Walker warned that no team will be able to afford a slow start here.
“It can take a few days to get back into it, it depends on the situation,” said the 44 year old.
“Sometimes if you know it’s going to be a long way and there’s going to be some park ups and it can take a while to get going, it was a bit like that in Cape Town.
“However, sometimes the early bit of the leg is the crucial bit. There’s a lot of intensity. Here I think the first week could decide the leg.
“We can’t afford to do anything other than get straight into it. Having said that, there will be very light winds the first week.”
Maintaining their steady consistency remains the aim for Walker.
“Right now we’re in a great place,” he said.
“We’re leading the in-port series, we’re tied for the lead in the race and other teams have got their difficulties.
“We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing and, as the race goes on, increasingly pay attention to the boats that are closest to us overall.”
