The start of this leg was madness. The number of boats on the water watching, the starting line pinned up against the rocks, the crowd of people on the rocks watching, the conditions- which went completely flat half way up the first beat. Then…THE COLLISION. T-Blue with THE ROCK. Enough to make you sick to your stomach watching. A grotesque sight that you never want to see or be part of.

We were following about 10 boat lengths behind T-Blue in second place heading south when it happened. Capey was sitting next to me and saying that we were going to have to come up or down in the near future. We were going about 13 knots. And then…BANG. Their entire transom came out of the water right in front of us. I said to Capey, “UP OR DOWN!!!!!” to which he said UP!!! We climbed off of the stricken boat by about three lengths and made it through.

Bottom line is that no one wants to see something like that happen and for sure we are thrilled that no one was hurt. We hope they get back in the race by Stockholm. It just isn’t the same without the entire fleet together for the finish in St Petersburg.

That’s it for now. More of a report of the racing later.

Kenny

I don’t know where to start. Many people have asked if I could write a book about this around the world adventure and the truth is I could write a book about this leg only! It has been an amazing ride- and to think it has ONLY FOUR AND A HALF DAYS!!!

Without getting into the gory details of the entire leg, let me re-start from yesterday when I wrote one of the most depressing blogs of my Volvo career. Trying to sound upbeat was hard. WE WERE DARK. We were wondering how we got into the mess we were in, and we had to split from the fleet- certainly not something we wished to do. But we also had a plan B and we were going to execute it come hell or high water. Capey was on his game and WE HAD A PLAN.

The low pressure center was clearly positioned more east than we thought it was, and that was the way it gobbled us up. So in looking back on it, this was also the reason we could escape to the west quickly as well. Two hours of near drifting in the middle and the most horrible three hour position report possible with the entire fleet putting something like 35 miles on us. Well, IT was only to get worse because I think it was the same for the next three scheds as well.

Next came THE GALE. Yup, 40 knots upwind again while reading the reports that the rest of the fleet was having a lovely sail to Sweden. This was the price we had to pay to get to the northerlies that would eventually catapult us BACK INTO THE GAME, and came they did- the high side of the low where the wind died to 20 knots and we had a roaring reach back to the fleet while it was their turn to sit in the middle of the center of the low. But the final spot was still quite unclear.

Now we needed a final BIT OF LUCK, and finally lady luck was on our side. We were well positioned offshore the north side of Denmark to get into more breeze, hopefully. But we didn’t expect a 20 knot squall that shot us down the coast on a reach while the rest of the fleet was inshore beating off the beach. JACKPOT!!! We had our chance and took it. The next sched we were back in third and knew that we had a bit of reaching to go and we had an outside chance at the Dragons in that stuff.

And reach we did. Right through another rain squall and when it lifted, there was the Dragon about 100 meters to leeward- scared the heck out of the group on deck! We got over the top of them and defended to the most improbably SECOND PLACE FINISH I have ever seen or been a part of. And I know I keep saying that, but I mean it, and it is driving us crazy that we can’t just sail normally. The toll it takes both physically and mentally is unreal. Tonight’s sleep will be a good one.

Finally, a couple comments about this team- especially ANDREW CAPE. We all had a chance to quit on this one. Things looked bleak. Our broken spinnaker turned into an unlucky mistake and things looked really bad. REALLY BAD. But Capey said we could follow them all in, or we could go get our ass kicked by Mother Nature and have a shot at them. I agreed of course and off we went. Not a complaint in the bunch. We went for it and were rewarded. I can’t thank this sailing team enough for their determination and desire. I am very proud of this team. VERY PROUD.

Now off to bed. I think we have to do this again really soon. Maybe some day before the end of this adventure we will just do something normal. I doubt it.

- Kenny

We have been in a heavy-weight prize fight for days now. Today we sailed back into third and then amazingly blew up our big spinnaker when sailing downwind just after the Rotterdam loop. Following that, a chain reaction occurred and the culmination of it all is that we have made a complete split from the fleet and we are left hoping beyond hope that this new tactic works.

After the chute exploded we had to put up smaller sails and in turn we had to sail a higher course than the rest of the fleet. We aren’t allowed to carry extra big spinnakers and so when that sail goes you are in trouble. It just broke, right below the head patch, with absolutely no warning. So, we simply lost touch with the rest of the fleet by sailing higher. We worked the boat all morning as hard as we could to stay in touch with the small storm spinnaker. Then all of a sudden the wind started to lighten. You’d think a quick jibe to sail out of the light air and then you’d be back into the pressure right? No problem, still plenty of wind? And actually a good shift to jibe on. Wrong. It got lighter…then lighter…and before you knew it we were drifting. The center of the low had engulfed us. Unreal.

So now our best hope is to try and punch through the center of the low and wait for the rest of the group to hit their light air eventually. We simply can’t get back to where the rest of the fleet is so drastic action unfortunately is required. It may work, it may not. We will keep fighting though…

It is interesting how many times the most obvious tactical move may not be made by a certain boat, and almost always there is a good explanation as to how or why the decision was made. And most often that decision is because there was something out of the ordinary that happened that simply changed the way you had to play the game. We have had our fair share of tough breaks on this boat and they have routinely occurred at some pretty inopportune times. And the team always rallies to make the best of all situations and we typically have our best legs at that time.

We will just try to take it in our stride. It just hurts because this is exactly what we didn’t want to do. We had Telefonica Blue at the back of the fleet and we were making ground toward the front. Ouch.

We have to try and make the best of this. Sure, the team is down right now but all realize that we can’t quit and need to press on. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Today may have been one of those days for us, as time will only tell.

-Kenny

I think I want to move to Ireland.

It is always sunny (at least when we were there). The golf is amazing. The people couldn’t be nicer. You can get a pint of beer just about anywhere you turn. All we did was win races when we were there. And people wanted us to sign autographs and take photos with them all hours of the day. Hmmmm. What’s not to like about all of that?!?!

The “Lets do it Galway” group set up a program that could become the model for Volvo stops in the future. They got the ball rolling and the people of the region took the ball and ran with it- huge congratulations to all involved. It was our extreme pleasure to be a part of your community for a couple weeks and you can bet your last dollar that I will be back. Long before the Volvo comes back. Golf anyone?

And the weather to leave was amazing as well. Not exactly warm and sunny, but windy and really fast!

In this race, when leaving port, we have typically had either a storm or drifted. Rarely have we had a solid breeze to get down the track like we did over the last 17 hours. Some amazing sailing and some pretty hairy moments as well.

After the send off the fleet settled down and started a drag race down the coast. The Dragons were the only one to split offshore and sure enough they gained a couple miles on us all when we came together. Then came the fun part! A 38 knot squall just when we needed to jibe with our masthead chute up! Yikes!!! Along with a big shift, we decided to drop the kite and switch to the jib and jib-reach for a bit until the squall passed. Good plan, bad execution. Full gear up in 38.7 true is pretty touch and go. Just getting the kite down is touch and go- especially when it pops up and over the top of the mainsail and jams in the shive. Did I mention it was blowing 38 during all of this?

We finally got the halyard to run and the boat jibed. The Dragons were the only boat to jibe before the big breeze and gained a few miles. Last time I saw E4 they were laying on there side blowing out to sea. They finally jibed about 10 minutes after we did. And sure enough, once we rounded the bottom corner of Ireland and beam reached at an average of 27 knots across to Fastnet Rock, all of us were within a few miles again. Magnets, these boats are, we just can’t get away from each other.

Now we are officially entering the English Channel. Just passed Lands End, and got here in 17 hours which has to be some sort of unofficial record by water. Fast all night and now the breeze is easing and coming aft and we should be running down the Channel in moderate to light breeze for most of the day. E4 is about two miles to leeward, T-Blue about two miles behind and E3 about a mile behind them. Again the wild card is the Dragons who sagged well off toward the French side of the Channel and may come out well ahead again when this is all said and done. Not sure, and honestly we have to keep a close eye on our T-Blue friends anyway. Not that we don’t want to win the leg but we do have a job in hand and that is to try and put points on T-Blue.

The normal first day blues are rubbing off and we will quickly get back in synch. We were just talking about the high speed night we just had and all are smiling now that the spray isn’t pummeling us every second. Man these boats are fast and WET! Glad PUMA took it upon themselves to make the best foul weather gear we have ever worn. It is surely getting tested!

- Kenny

For all of you addicted to the three hour position reports, I write to you now because we are about to go Stealth and disappear for the next 12 hours or so. Why? Because after our rudder fiasco we have battled back to be at least in the hunt and the next key part of this race is critical- the final jibe in to Galway expecting a wind shift to the south. When we all time our jibes will make or break the leg (probably shouldn’t use the word break right now but it was appropriate). And my guess is that you have seen the last of the fleet for a while. E3 is already Stealth and I would put a dollar on the entire fleet going stealth at about the same time for the first time this race.

So does this build up the suspense for all of you, or is like turning off the lights so you can’t actually see the seventh inning of a baseball game?

Does it give you a reprieve so you don’t have to rush to your phone or computer every three hours? Does it allow you to sleep through the night and not get up to check in on your favorite boat for at least one evening?

Or does it really tick you off that you have followed closely this entire race to be literally put in the dark for maybe the most critical tactical call of the race?

I have mixed feelings on the Stealthplay. A lot of it would depend on your answer to the above questions. As a fan, I think I would want to see what was happening at this critical juncture. As a competitor, I think the three hour reports are really tight together and for sure they give us way more anxiety aboard, but they also seem to keep the fleet together as there is little opportunity to make a break with three hour scheds. Stealth mode really is a blast back to the past when there were no position reports. Folks I have spoken to from the first Whitbread Races tell stories of not knowing how you did until the boat got into the harbor and saw who was tied up to the dock. Now that is the ultimate Stealthplay! But honestly, I could take or leave Stealthplay. In the end it is pretty overrated in my book.

So goodbye for now. Hopefully when you see us again we will have closed the distance to the group that is to the northwest of us. Although I believe the distance to the finish shows differently right now, I believe that most of the group to the northwest is actually ahead of us when we all jibe, and we still have plenty of catching up to do. So let’s hope we get this next play right. See you in 12 hours. Sleep well knowing that you don’t have to get up to see our scheds.

- Kenny

Why can’t we catch a break! We get ourselves into first and sail the boat hard only for a catastrophe to rear its ugly head again. This time in the form of our rudder – or lack thereof!

Sailing on starboard tack at about 1800 GMT we had about 28 knots of wind and were going pretty quick with an A-zero and full mainsail. The sea state was quite awkward. A ton of water was coming over the deck with each wave but it was no big deal. All of a sudden we got a pretty nasty puff and we were off. We were a bit on the edge and did a small spin out. I heard a bang at the back of the boat and hoped like hell that it was the runner block hitting the boom or something. It wasn’t. When the boat sat on its side with the sails flopping and there was nothing that we could do to get it back down away from the wind, it was clear that the leeward rudder had snapped off. We quickly got the boat going downwind again by using the sails to steer, and finally heeled the boat to windward so the weather rudder would control the boat while we assessed damage. Then we had to literally stop the boat and take down the sails and fit our emergency rudder to proceed to Ireland. We’ll race as best we can. Our emergency rudder system is pretty slick. Time will tell if we have more rudder problems. We are all certainly a bit concerned right now.

However, we can leave it to Capey [Andrew Cape, AUS] to lighten up the situation and get everybody back into the swing of things…. Here we are in the North Atlantic about halfway to Ireland and there is a loud bang and it is full stop onboard. Everyone is a bit pissed off. Capey comes out of the hatch comes with his duffel bag over his shoulder, and says “last time I was here I heard the same noise and then it was time to get off”. [He was talking about when the keel system broke on movistar in the last race and they sadly had to abandon ship. Eventually the boat was lost. It happened eerily close to our position here tonight when the rudder snapped off.] After a good laugh, the team onboard went to work and now we are back sailing again. I guess it is all in a days work. I just hate to go to work on days like this.

- Kenny

THREE BOAT LENGTHS! That was the difference between first and second at the scoring gate. T-Blue just nipped us out, sailing a really good last 12 hours and having just a touch of speed on us in the lighter air. Believe me, we tried to push them back but to no avail. They actually did a really nice job.

For sure it was the closest racing amongst a larger number of boats that we have had to date. I didn’t think the racing could get closer. And all to get to a scoring gate that is in essence a random longitude line chosen by the race organizers. Why they didn’t use the bottom corner of the ice exclusion zone is beyond me? The thing is, the longitude line came before the bottom of the ice gate we now have to beat for 180 miles to get south around the exclusion zone, and all that hard work to get to the scoring gate first. Upon crossing the scoring gate we had to tack immediately or be disqualified for going into the ice exclusion zone. T-Blue and PUMA immediately went from first and second to fifth and sixth. It’s like playing a good golf on a bad golf course. Good golfers always refer to good courses as ones that reward good shots. This course did not reward a good shot. There is a bunker in the middle of the fairway and our drive that was right down the middle is in the trap.

So now we have to play catch up- completely different mentality! The mood on board is quite up beat as we needed a good result at that gate to get some of our momentum back. Momentum has not been our friend the last month or so, and it is time to grab it by the throat.

And finally the temperature is getting a bit warmer- the fog is even clearing. Have to thank all of our friends at PUMA for the gear one more time. I had six layers on for two days straight and was comfy warm. New boots are glamour by the way. We still have dry feet as well which is a wonderful thing. Ah the little things in life…

As we beat around the exclusion zone, all eyes will be out for ice as well as the competition. We don’t need to find an iceberg right about now. We came within about 10 feet of a really angry whale this morning and that is as close as we need to be to something that can damage our craft.

- Kenny

The competition out here is ridiculous. The speed differences are so close in certain conditions you would swear that this is actually one design racing. We just got a position report and when we calculate it to the corner where the ice gate meets the scoring gate it goes like this: First place il mostro, second place Ericsson 3, (a whopping three tenths of a mile back!!), third place Ericsson 4, (we are killing them as they are almost five tenths of a mile astern!!) fourth place Telefonica Blue, 1.2 miles back. (I mean, I don’t know why they even continue they are so far off the pace!!! Unreal!!!), fifth place Telefonica Black is only 3.5 miles back as well. So, if you were aboard il mostro you would be saying all is good right? Not so fast….not only is the distance between the boats ridiculously close, it is impossible to cover anyone. The fog is so thick that you can barely see the bow of the boat, never mind the competition. The radar, which sits on the front of the mast doesn’t see behind the boat, only forward, as there is a big carbon pole blocking the view to the rear. So, after each position report we have no idea where everyone is going for the next three hours.

It makes for a tough game when a lead is so precarious. On board the mood is anxious and optimistic. Last night was a very interesting night to sail, though a bit chilly. When I was driving it felt like we were in a video game. With 18 knots of wind at the top of the mast, the boat was heeled over 25 degrees, but there was literally no wind on the water, a perfectly smooth glassy ocean with not one bit of visibility. You had to concentrate on the instruments with a real intensity because if you started to wander there was nothing visually to help get back on track. It was very odd, but really cool night to sail, both literally and figuratively!

- Kenny

How do you start a note like this when you feel like you have to thank a million people? The Boston stopover was none other than a dream come true for me. The Volvo Ocean Race coming to Boston, and the entire region responding with such amazing enthusiasm that it is hard to even describe.

I am sure others have chronicled the day to day activities so I will spare you the gory details, but I have to tell you about the start.

After the traditional send off parade we set out into the harbor with a couple interested observers. il mostro’s godmother Salma Hayek and her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault. They snuck down to the boat and got aboard with as little fan fare as they could get away with. After getting the sails up, Salma took the wheel and told me that she had learned to sail at a young age but with a tiller. The steering wheel came naturally but she was a bit timid within about a 1/4 mile of any other boat- which wasn’t easy because the inner harbor was quickly filling up with spectators.

As we got our game faces on and had to begin to prepare for the start we said our goodbyes and off they went into our RIB. Time to get ready! Lets see…a channel about 3/4 of a mile wide, hundreds of spectator boats, a starting line 300 yards long with one end being Fan Pier with thousands of screaming fans hanging out, and a 1.5 mile windward leeward course with seven 70 foot boats all cramming for position. Hmmmm…what could go wrong?

After a split start which saw half of us on port and the other half on starboard, we crossed the middle of the channel in third. One small problem, a fog bank rolling in which was just what we needed- another obstacle. We were preparing to round the weather mark and all of a sudden out of the fog, right over the top of the mast a 737 airliner roared out of the fog with no warning whatsoever, landing on the runway of Logan Airport just to our left, scaring the you know what out of us! I remember thinking at the time, what else could happen here? This is unreal…

A long one tack run back through the starting line and a quick dive inside Green Dragon at the leeward mark to get buoy room and we were off. We were third out of the harbor with a ton of old friends, new friends and family all waving goodbye. It was very sad but thrilling all at the same time- simply amazing.

When we started this campaign and Boston was considered one of the stopover ports, there were four of us in a small office right on the harbor wondering what the next step would be. Tony (Antonio) Bertone has always been the cornerstone of this program as PUMA’s chief marketing guru. None of this would have happened without his support, but I believe at that meeting one of the people in the room mentioned a guy named Joe Fallon. He owned a little piece of property called Fan Pier. “That place could be perfect” it was concluded. Well- Joe, you had no idea at the time that your name was being bantered about for a project like this and from all of us involved in the Volvo Race and sailing in North America- we owe you one big time.

- Kenny

Almost two years ago to the day, we announced our PUMA Ocean Racing team program and our intention to compete in this race, here in Boston. Almost exactly one year ago to the day, award winning actress Salma Hayek was here to christen our boat il mostro right here at the dock, and finally, this weekend we’re actually going to race here, in the waters of Boston. It’s been such a long journey to get to where we are, but we’re really looking forward to going out and doing what we do best, right here in Boston. It’s like home to us, with one of PUMA’s headquarters based just down the road; we hope we can put on a good show for all of Beantown this weekend.”

In terms of points,Telefonica Blue and Ericsson 4 are our two closest rivals, for sure we always have our eyes out on those two guys, but on Saturday we’ll be racing against the whole fleet – round the cans out there anything can happen.

- Ken Read