Five Weeks, Three T-Shirts, No Beer

For the sailors in the Volvo Ocean race, fresh clothes and something more appetizing than re-constituted freeze-dried food are luxuries that are simply sacrificed for speed.

Instead the eight yachts choose to carry a vast wardrobe of sails to power them through every conceivable condition the 7,350-mile first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race to Cape Town can throw at them.

Ninety – seven sailors left Southampton three weeks ago with scarcely more than the clothes they stood in and either shoes or boots to see them through the next five weeks. If it is not practical or an absolute necessity, and that includes more than a few tubes of toothpaste, it stays on the dock.

“With only three shirts and three boxers, one has to choose these moments [to change clothes] carefully to make sure that your last shirt has some life left in it at the end,” explained illbruck’s Richard Clarke.

After a salt water wash in the strong headwinds of the first week, a very humid drying period during ten days in the tropics, including several days of thorough use after dozens of sail changes, plus a few equator crossing antics, clothes and bodies are starting to smell none too pleasant.

“After turning the first corner of this leg, most of us peeled to a fresh shirt and even a few of us went further and donned new boxers [underwear shorts]. This was my last shirt so I am hoping for a quick last portion of this race or the South African authorities might quarantine me due to toxic fumes,” added Clarke.

His thoughts were echoed by ASSA ABLOY’s Richard Mason, although Roy Heiner’s crew made further cut backs with no razors in the inventory. “Clean underwear is also becoming a highly cherished item. We are also becoming incredibly hairy as we are yet to locate a razor on board,” said Mason.

The first meal in Cape Town is also becoming a hot topic of discussion in the rare moment the crews are awake and not focused on deck. “Top of the heap it seems is the barbeque on the dock with fresh hamburgers sizzling away. Also up there is the ever popular pizzas and, of course, some icy cold beers to wash it all down,” reflected illbruck watch leader Stu Bannatyne yesterday on the welcome feast the illbruck team are hoping for in South Africa.

Two hundred miles to the waypoint of Trindade, illbruck has a healthy lead of 31 miles over ASSA ABLOY. John Kostecki’s team will round Trindade sometime tomorrow morning.

SEB was the fastest yacht in the fleet overnight, sailing on average 2.4 knots faster than the leading five yachts, some 325 miles ahead while Amer Sports Too pulled out a two-mile lead on djuice in the fight for seventh position.

Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 22, 10.00hrs GMT

PSYachtLatitude LongitudeDTFCMGSMGTFHRDTLROC ETA PO
1ILBK17 07.92S030 21.28W0285917010.5276000.025 OCT 018
2AART16 40.20S030 36.36W0289017110.42693100.225 OCT 017
3NEWS16 37.72S031 01.16W0290017410.82864100.325 OCT 016
4TYCO16 10.56S030 32.08W0291717310.82775800.725 OCT 015
5AONE15 53.88S030 36.84W0293417110.52777500.525 OCT 014
6TSEB10 39.09S031 49.04W0325717012.627439802.427 OCT 013
7ATOO09 53.24S031 48.24W0330116611.626644201.327 OCT 012
8DJCE09 52.16S031 50.28W0330316711.526444401.027 OCT 011

PS – Position; DTF – Distance to Finish; CMG – Course made good; SMG – Speed made good; TFHR – 24 hours run; DTL – Distance to leader; ROC – Rate of Closure; ETA – Estimated time of arrival; PO – Points

ILBKillbruck Challenge
AONE Amer Sports One
ATOOAmer Sports Two
AARTASSA ABLOY Racing Team
NEWSNews Corporation
TYCOTeam Tyco
TSEBTeam SEB
DJCEdjuice dragons