The seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race has got underway, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker refusing to believe his team are on the cusp of victory.
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ADOR lead the overall series by six points from Dongfeng Race Team and two-time Olympic silver medallist Walker says he not thinking at all about the title being on the horizon for his team.
The 45-year-old admits that a total of 12 podium places in six legs and seven in-port races so far shows that ADOR are strong, but he points out that there is still a third of the race to come in the final six weeks.
“I don’t even think about it,” said Walker on the dock in Newport minutes before Azzam were about to set sail for Lisbon yesterday when asked if the VOR title feels within his team’s reach.
“Finishing on the podium 12 times out of 13 shows we’re strong but we’ve got to maintain that consistency and hold on until the very end.”
Dongfeng will once again be Walker’s main concern as the fleet cross the Atlantic over the course of leg seven. Charles Caudrellier’s men recovered from failing to finish the fifth leg from Auckland to Itajai, due to a broken mast near Cape Horn, to storm back and win the sixth leg from Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island, on America’s east coast.
Asked if he feels another podium place will mean one hand can be put on the trophy, Walker added: “Mathematically, no. If we’re on the podium at the end of this leg and ahead of Dongfeng we’ll be in good shape, but until it’s mathematically impossible for us to be caught we’ll just keep going.”
The crews left Newport at 22:00 UAE time on Sunday for the last time as a sextet, with Team Vestas Wind set to make a welcome return to the race in Lisbon’s in-port race in early June.
Although he is preaching caution, as always, Walker believes a return to the top of the in-port race standings on Saturday following a third-place finish in the Newport in-port race could be significant.
“The in-port race was vitally important,” said Walker, whose team came home behind winners Mapfre home town crew Team Alvimedica.
Team Brunel finished fifth, which saw ADOR leapfrog them into first place by a point, while Dongfeng were last.
“With us finishing third and going back to the top, and with Dongfeng finishing last it’s almost like another point for us in the overall race,” said Walker.
Whereas most legs start slowly, the fleet is set for early action as they will cross the Gulf Stream on Monday or Tuesday, which Walker said will be the first obstacle of leg seven.
“There’ll be big winds and a big sea state, then it’ll be quite straightforward before a big decision arrives in whether to go north or south towards the middle of the leg,” he said.
