Short stopover in Australia
After a indian Ocean particularly harrowing (3rd leg between Cape Town and Melbourne), the seven crews took advantage of a rest of more or less short duration. Indeed, this stage had several particularities, including an interstage time determined by the classification at the finish. MAPFRE having won this stage (another victory for the race favourite), its crew was able to enjoy eight days on site (the Spaniards arrived in Australia on 24 December 2018). Whereas the Dutch crew of AkzoNobel, seventh in the third stage, only benefited from five short days of rest.
Another peculiarity was that only two members of the technical team could intervene on the boat, which had been rough handled in this harsh Indian Ocean. Difficult, knowing that the crews still have a long 6,000 nautical mile leg full of unknowns for most of the crews, as there is very little traffic in race conditions.
Change for crews
This is the first time since the start of the race that there have been so many changes in the teams. 19 in total in six teams for family or medical reasons. Only MAPFRE, who leads in the general standings, keeps his team as it is.
So we find new navigators in several teams: Franck Cammas on Dongfeng Race Team, Libby Greenhalgh on Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, Brian Thompspon on Turn the Tide on Plastic, and even a new skipper within Vestas 11th Hour Racing. Mark Towill having taken over from Charlie Enright for one leg.
In total there are 64 crew members, including 17 women - 9 on six boats, 10 on Turn the Tide on Plastic, not forgetting the 7 "on board reporters" who took the start of this 4th edition e step.
Straight into the bath
The fleet set sail the day after New Year's Day with invigorating conditions as a westerly breeze of around 25 knots awaited them as they left Port Phillip Bay. A start led by Vestas 11th Hour Racing in Bass Strait, followed by MAPFRE and Team Brunel. The Spaniards had got off to the best start before being overtaken by the American-Danish team.
Dongfeng Race Team was forced to do a penalty lap on itself and started at the back of the pack before gradually catching up with the leaders.
This leg promises to be very intense once again, especially from a strategic point of view, with changing weather conditions in the Coral Sea along the east coast of Australia, the passage to the east of the Solomon Islands, a Doldrums to be crossed in a south-north direction before a long tack heading north-west towards Hong Kong where the first boats are expected around 20-21 January.
"This is going to be a very difficult stage and there are going to be many options." MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernandez predicted as he left the dock in Melbourne, while Australian Phil Harmer, one of the crew members of Vestas 11th Hour Racing, added: "It's going to be another tight race, in contact. There will always be someone next to you at all times..."
