Clawing back the miles

On day nine of leg one CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has moved to third place and is focused on gaining ground in the approach to the doldrums.

CAMPER has overtaken Groupama and is now 149 miles behind race leader Puma as they head south towards the notoriously fickle doldrum zone.

Skipper Chris Nicholson says that the north east trade winds are expected to become more consistent over the next 24 hours before the variable conditions associated with the doldrums begin to take charge.

“Right now Puma appears to have the best of the breeze be we’d expect the conditions to become more constant across the fleet in the next day.

“If we can pick our entry point into the doldrums well then there is the potential for us to gain some good miles on Puma and Telefonica. The next few days are going to be key in our efforts to improve our placing.

“Our aim is to reduce the deficit as much as possible by Fernando de Noronha and to then be in a strong position to challenge for the lead in the South Atlantic.

“There’s a long way to go in this race yet and we’ll fight hard for every metre of advantage.”

CAMPER at 1500h 14 November NZT is just south of the Cabo Verde Islands averaging 17.9 knots in a 17 knot north easterly.


Pictures of CAMPER, video footage and audio files are available upon request. Further information and race updates will be available on www.etnzblog.com