Abu Dhabi: This weekend’s Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 start from Auckland, New Zealand, has been delayed due to the development of a potential supercyclone.
The six-strong fleet was originally set to depart for the 6,776 nautical-mile voyage to Itajai, Brazil, through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean on Sunday.
But, with forecasts suggesting that a grade five tropical cyclone could hit the area hard, race organisers have taken the step of delaying their exit by at least 24 hours.
As a result, the earliest possible restart would take place on Monday, but this is yet to be confirmed.
“Safety first,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad. “We’re making this decision now because we don’t know the exact track of this tropical cyclone yet.
“It’s unusually big and essentially it’s blocking the road for our sailors, so it’s prudent seamanship from our side to leave them with options.”
The current forecasts suggest that the tropical cyclone, which has already racked up winds of 200km/h and has been named ‘Pam’ by experts, could strengthen further as it heads south.
And, even if the system misses New Zealand, big swells and rough seas could still cause real problems for the fleet.
“Our biggest concern is the sea state, rather than the wind,” continued Frostad. “The boats can handle a lot of wind, but there will be very big waves along the New Zealand coast, with nowhere to hide.
“We are not going to have the boats leaving Auckland before 1400 local time on Monday, but it could also be later. It depends completely on the movement of this tropical cyclone.”
