The 54 sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race set sail for Auckland on 7th February 2018 from Hong Kong. This sixth leg, which is over 6,000 miles long, is currently marked by a steady 18 to 25 knot NNW'ly wind, which is enabling them to go very fast.
An uncomfortable situation, because very wet as Kiwi Blair Tuke explained it "The sea woke up, there's a lot of water on deck, it's probably the most water I've ever seen." A statement shared by Dee Caffari, skipper aboard Turn the Tide on Plastic. " We've got water all over the deck, everyone's wet, as well as the whole inside of the boat, but nobody's complaining as we know it's not going to last, and that it's going to make us swallow a lot of miles. Plus the water's warm, 19 degrees, which is the temperature outside."
Dongfeng Race Team has decided to make fun of the situation with a short slow motion video that shows a completely soaked crew. "If you're not underwater, it's because you're not wearing enough canvas. If you're not over-canvasted, you're not under sail." laughs Kevin Escoffier, team coxswain. With no cockpit, protected and like all the other teams, there are cascades of hot water breaking over the red and white boat.
"We sail a lot in underwater mode." explains Carolijn Brouwer, the female crew member on board. "But it's a lot of fun because we're right next to MAPFRE and we're sailing neck and neck..."
