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Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR), the professional yacht racing team backed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) that willcontest the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, will take on four other Volvo Ocean Race teams in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race which starts from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on Monday, August 11.
Run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC),the 1800-mile race,which will see a fleet of 32 yachts set off on a circumnavigation of the British Isles, is amongst the toughest in the world.
All eyes will be on the Volvo Ocean 65 class, which comprises ADOR, the all-women crew Team SCA from Sweden, the Turkish-backed Team Alvimedica, China’s Dongfeng Race Team, and Team Campos from Spain. Depending on the weather they encounter along the way, the VO65s are expected to complete the non-stop race in seven days.
On Thursday, ADOR had a confidence boosting victory in the VO65 class at the Artemis Challenge charity race Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week aided by Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon and #One4Azzam Facebook competition winner, American Paralympic sailor, Keith Burhans.
ADOR navigator Simon Fisher says he and the rest of the crew, led by double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, are braced for their toughest challenge yet.
“It’s going to be very demanding and particularly tough on the crew because there are lots of corners to turn,” Fisher said. “That means lots of sail changes and not much sleep.”
As navigator, Fisher will bear the brunt of the sleep deprivation as he plots Azzam’s course safely around Britain and Ireland’s rocky coastlines.
“It will be non-stop from a navigational point of view,” he confirmed. “There are lots of decisions to be made as we track around the British and Irish coast. It’s going to be about calculating optimum angles as the weather constantly changes.”
The race, initially set to begin today from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line off Cowes in the Solent (the narrow straits between the English south coast and the Isle of Wight), was rescheduled for August 11 due to adverse weather conditions, including the remnants of Hurricane Bertha.
Fisher said the ADOR crew isexcited at the prospect of racing four other Volvo Ocean Race teams for real for the first time.
“It’s a big part of getting us battle ready,” he said. “It’s our only chance to get some real experience of close racing against the other teams before the Volvo starts. We expect to learn a great deal.”
The yachts the Volvo Ocean Race teams will be racing are identical in every way - from the hulls and sails right down to the buckets they use to bail out seawater. This, Fisher says, means we can expect the closest of races between the five crews.
“It’s five top class teams who have all been training hard,” he said. “There is very little difference in the yachts’ performances and I’m expecting the fleet to stay tightly packed all the way around.
“There will be no let up on Azzam until we cross the finish line in a week’s time,” Fisher concluded.
ADOR fans can follow the crew’s progress in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race on the official race tracker: http://roundbritainandireland.rorc.org/2014-fleet-tracking.html
The crew will also be posting regularly to the ADOR Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiOceanRacing and on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ADORlog
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