May 6, 2006, Annapolis, Maryland – When the starting gun goes tomorrow, instead of settling in for a marathon leg, the fleet of seven Volvo Open 70’s, competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, will be sprinting to New York.

Leg six is the shortest leg of the race at just 400 nautical miles and sees the teams heading down the Chesapeake Bay, passing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and then turning north towards New York.

The current forecast is for a light wind start which should then pick up during the afternoon and build throughout the night.

Race Meteorologist Chris Bedford explains: “With such a short leg the boats will never be far from shore which will make the tactical options somewhat limited but there will still be plenty to contend with as coastal sailing will mean more variable winds and currents.”

Bouwe Bekking, skipper of in-port race winner movistar, commented: “I think this leg will actually be quite crucial. If we sail well and have a good score at the end, then we have a better chance of being on the podium. If we beat ABN [AMRO ONE] we are still in the hunt and if ABN [AMRO ONE] beats us, then it might be getting a little bit trickier for the overall win so it will be a good leg and we are very much looking forward to it.

I am feeling quite confident about it. At the beginning of all the legs we have either been in the lead or in second place so that gives us a lot of confidence.”

With ABN AMRO TWO holding the fastest 24 hour speed record, clocking up 563 nautical miles, it is within the realms of possibility that they could reach New York within 24 hours of departing Annapolis. However, with the current forecast, a more likely scenario is for them to arrive late into the evening of Monday 8 May or in the early hours the following day.

The one thing that is guaranteed is that the fleet will be racing hard right up until the finish and there could be some last minute position swapping as the boats sail the last part of the course from the Narrows, past the Statue of Liberty, and into the Hudson River. In these more restricted waters, current, local traffic and fluky winds from the urban environment will make for challenging sailing.

The first boat into New York will be awarded the maximum seven points and once docked, the teams will be governed by the pit-stop rules which state that nothing can go off or on the boats and all the maintenance work must be carried out by the crew members. An infringement of this rule incurs a two hour time penalty at the start of leg seven.

The pit-stop rules mean that the team has a tough decision deciding in Annapolis which sails and equipment they want on the boat for the Transatlantic crossing, departing on May 11, to Portsmouth, England.

Today saw the teams complete their last-minute preparations and the seven skippers made their final farewells to Annapolis, leaving a lasting impression on the city in the form of a clay footprint, which will be made into a permanent fixture in a sailing hall of fame.

The fleet will be blessed on their way by The Reverend Mamie Alethia Williams before making their way out to the starting line to the east of Thomas Point for a 13:00 EDT (18:00 BST) start.

All the action from the restart will be broadcast live on www.volvooceanrace.org. Listeners can tune into the voice behind Volvo Ocean Race radio Guy Swindells who will be joined by yachting commentator and author Rob Mundle from 12:45 EDT (17:45 BST).

Share or bookmark this story: