Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing navigator Simon Fisher breaks down Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3

Simon Fisher tells Osman Samiuddin what the Azzam crew can expect as they navigate the waters from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China for the Volvo Ocean Race's third leg.

Simon Fisher and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing won the first leg and finished third the second leg of the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race. Photo Courtesy / Volvo Ocean Race

The third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China is comparatively short leg in terms of distance. It is less than 5000 nautical miles but, navigationally, it represents one of the trickiest challenges.

Simon Fisher, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s navigator, tells Osman Samiuddin about the peculiar challenges of this leg, from light winds to zigzagging a way through fishing trawlers and transport vessels.

Starting light

“Getting out of the Arabian Gulf region is going to be tricky for a start. We’ll probably get a good wind getting out of here but when we get to the Straits of Hormuz, it will probably be very, very light, and the decisions we make there might define the first week of sailing.”

A new course

“It is a first for the fleet to be going down to Sri Lanka from here [in the last race the boats were shipped to near the Maldives and began the leg from there]. The Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman is going to be light and tricky so it will be some slow sailing. If you get a split in the fleet here it’s going to be hard to come back. You are basically going to have to pick a coast either towards Iran or towards the UAE and Oman side. The further you get down the harder it is to correct later so a big decision early on.”

Monsoon mania

“We then head into the north-easterly monsoon, down India, which is actually very weak at the moment. That is a little different from the climatological norm so is another different challenge.

“It is a case of deciding whether we go over to the Indian coast and use the sea breeze down there versus doing something offshore. The terrain changes a bit so it goes from bits where the monsoon is stronger to more where it is thermal breeze day and night.

“It’s a lot to think about and potentially you will have to use the coast to get down there. So you could go to the Indian coast to get more reliable wind and then also, maybe set up better for when you get off the south of India.

“Between India and Sri Lanka, you get a really good jet of wind so we might be better placed to use that. It is also extra miles though.”

Rush hour

“The Bay of Bengal and the Malacca Straits is a tactical challenge because it is upwind. The bay especially will be quite tactical with the winds and clouds going, and then going through Malacca gets really, really tricky, with very light winds, quite a lot of thunderstorms. Navigationally also that stretch is very tight, with lots of ships and fishing boats and nets that need to be negotiated.”

China rising

“The last 1000 miles or so is difficult because it is mostly upwind. If one boat does get away from the rest around the Malacca Straits or from Singapore, then there is good potential to hold off towards the end going up to Sanya.”