[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand today announced a crew change ahead of Leg 7. Bowman Mike Pammenter will step down for the leg due to a prolapsed disc in his back. Mike sustained the injury during the sixth leg from Itajai to Miami. Reserve crew member Nick Burridge will move into the role for the transatlantic leg from Miami to Lisbon starting on May 20th.

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson says that the decision to rest Mike for the leg was made after a full medical assessment.

“Our team physio Paul Wilson has carried out a full assessment of Mike, and as with any injury of this nature the biggest issue can be time, so we are keen to make sure he has the opprotunity to rest and recover so that he can rejoin the team as soon as possible.

“While Mike is obviously disappointed to miss this leg it will be a great opportunity for Nick. As our reserve crew member, Nick has been with the sailing team since day one. While his day to day duties are within the rigging area on the shore side, he still joins us at every fitness session and for training on the water so he is very much a part of the team and we look forward to having him out there.”

Emirates Team New Zealand Physiotherapist and Medical Advisor Paul Wilson, “Due to the amount of heavy lifting onboard, lower back injuries are common in this sport. I am confident that with effective treatment and rest he will make a full recovery, but it is important he has a few weeks on land to allow the disc to heal. We hope to see him back onboard CAMPER in Lisbon for the remainder of the race.”

[Source: Camper] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finish line in Miami earlier today, happy with their performance and the 25 points won for the second place. They completed the 4800-mile leg from Itajai in Brasil to Miami in Florida in 17days 2 hours 21 minutes and 24 seconds.

In a leg that has seen an oceanic match race more or less from start to finish, skipper Chris Nicholson and his crew were comfortable with their performance although an outright leg victory would have been a sweet reward for all their hard work.

“It was good, especially after the last leg, which was tough for us. We are very happy with the way the whole team pulled together in itajai and got us here in good shape. You are always frustrated not to win as that is why you do it but there was a lot of close racing and we had a lot of sail area up in a lot of breeze just wondering who would crack first,” commented Nicholson dockside in Miami.

“It is like a lot of the skippers have said – this race will be close. I am hoping it comes down to the wire in Galway,” he concluded.

Given the closeness of the race, excellent crew work and smart decisions by both navigator and skipper all played a crucial part in the final result. CAMPER navigator Will Oxley only managed some 20 minutes of sleep on the final day of the leg but was generous in his praise of Puma.

“They sailed a very good race, but we were there all the way and did not make it easy for them. But the most important thing is that the boats ahead of us on the leaderboard are behind us on the water. We deserve to be in the top two, that is for sure. Our decision to go in between the islands was one that we had mapped out well before the start of the leg so we knew what we were doing. But this leg was not won by one critical maneouvre, there were some 50 places that it could have gone wrong,” commented a tired but elated Will Oxley.

Daryl Wislang, bowman spoke of the determination onboard the Hispanic-New Zealand entry: “We were never going to give up right until Puma finished. We have been pushing as hard as we have been all leg. But this race is anyone’s game and there are four boats that are going to be pretty close at the end of this leg. “

CAMPER now has eight days to prepare for the ProAm Race on the 18th May. While the sailing team take some well earned time off, the CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand shore team will be ensuring that CAMPER is race fit and ready ahead of the start weekend in mid May.

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has split away from the fleet and headed west in search of better wind.

The bold call to head in close to the Caribbean Islands has seen CAMPER strike out on its own with Puma in first place and Telefonica in third both opting to take a more easterly offshore route.

The decision to split from the fleet was made necessary by a large trough of low pressure blocking the fleet’s way and bringing light and variable conditions across the race course.

CAMPER’s tactical gamble appears to have paid off for the time being with the team enjoying the strongest breeze of any of the boats for the last 12 hours, and with both Puma and Telefonica deciding to also pursue a more westerly line in recent hours.

However, with over 1000 nautical miles of light wind sailing remaining to the finish line in Miami it promises to be a stressful time for all the boats in the fleet as they wait to see who can make the most of the flukey conditions.

CAMPER navigator Will Oxley says that’s it’s going to be a trying final few days for the team.

“It looks like a very slow final 1300 miles with lots of potential landmines. Here is hoping we can avoid stepping on one.

“It’s a pretty interesting time in the race and although it’s a bit risky heading inshore the models are showing more breeze in here. It’s going to be a nerve-wracking few days that’s for sure.

“But we need to back our calls and right now we’re pretty happy with the decision to head west – let’s see how it plays out.”

CAMPER in the latest position report at 1400h 5 May NZT is in second place with the best boat speed and wind speed across the fleet sailing at 14.6 knots in a 14.6 knot south easterly.

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] There are tricky times ahead for CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand as the fleet transition from classic trade wind sailing conditions to a large light airs zone.

After several days of fast and furious sailing, conditions are expected to become light and variable over the next 24 hours and remain that way for the 1300 nautical miles (nm) left to Miami.

With just 17 nm separating the top three boats and Abu Dhabi and Groupama not much further behind the tricky conditions will present plenty of opportunities for a leaderboard reshuffle, and for the trailing boats to get back into the game.

The breeze is predicted to stay under 10 knots for the rest of the leg and at times drop away to just three or four knots. The latest estimated time of arrival into Miami is early evening May 9 local time (mid-morning May 10 NZT).

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson says that the team are determined to continue pushing hard for the lead in the light conditions.

“When we look back through the race, whenever it’s been light and tricky we have fared pretty well.

“We’re going to end up with an area of breeze where a certain amount of luck will come into play and we’re prepared for that.

“We’ve been able to stay pretty strong this whole leg so far. Some conditions have suited us, some haven’t, yet we’re still here. We’re not going anywhere. We’re planning on being here right to the death on this one.

“The trades served us nicely and we’re in a competitive spot as we head into the light stuff.

“It’s going to be pretty funky though over the next few days as the breeze dies off and there’s going to be some big decision required that will probably decide the race.

“We just need to make sure we get those decisions right.”

[Source: Camper]  With around 2,000 miles to the Leg Six finish in Miami, the crew of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand is pulling no punches as it engages in hand-to-hand combat with two of its Volvo Ocean Race rivals in the Atlantic Ocean.

At 1200 UTC today (Tuesday) the latest position report revealed less than 11 nautical miles separates the leading trio with leg leader Puma followed closely by CAMPER in second place and Telefonica in third. The three boats are continually within sight of each other in a compelling tussle, and the crews are closely monitoring every weather update to decide on sail combinations.

CAMPER has avoided the worst of the Doldrums’ wind holes to overtake Telefonica and cut Puma’s leg lead to just 6.5 nm in an amazing burst of speed in challenging conditions that surpassed all expectations.

“Somewhat bizarrely our best 24-hour run for this leg maybe across the Doldrums; so far we have done 428 in the last 24 hours. Here’s hoping it lasts until we get through into the trades again,” said CAMPER navigator Will Oxley.

However, with average wind speeds dramatically dropping to below four knots, the progress of the leading trio has stalled and the game of cat-and-mouse is set to continue.

Oxley insisted his team would not be too distracted by the close attention of Puma and Telefonica and would very much be focusing on themselves and their own performances.

“At this point all you can do is sail the course that you believe in, we’re not trying to cover any of the other boats. We just trying to stay on a course that will get us there as quick as possible,” he said.

Oxley said he was delighted to be challenging near the front as they look to win a leg for the first time in this race.“Thankfully we are having conditions in which the boat is really strong, and that’s great,” he said.

Media crew member Hamish Hooper predicted a long night ahead as CAMPER looks to pounce on Puma.
“Our fingers are most firmly crossed that we can make it through these Doldrums and into the trade winds again unscathed and in front,”he said. “For this to happen it will be a long night for the guys spotting clouds, and squalls, changing sails and maximising speed whenever we can. 

At the 1300 UTC report the gap between the top three is a mere 2.8nm.

01/05/12 1300 UTC report
1) Puma – 2317 nm DTF
2) CAMPER + 1.8nm
3) Telefonica +2.8nm
4) Abu Dhabi + 81.1nm
5) Groupama + 93.7 nm

Volvo Ocean Race – Leg 6 – Day 8: A battle of strategy

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has closed in on leg leader Puma overnight more than halving their lead to just over eight nautical miles.

As the fleet heads for the north eastern tip of Brazil both CAMPER and Telefonica have placed Puma under sustained pressure in the light conditions and narrowed up the game considerably.

The consistent trade winds are still yet to kick in and are not predicted to become reliable until after Recife meaning that the consolidation of the fleet is likely to continue.

Despite a charge from Telefonica overnight CAMPER has fought hard to hold onto its second place and is looking well positioned to make further gains on Puma over the next 24 hours.

It's all concentration aboard the kiwi boat. Photo copyright Hamish Hooper / Camper

CAMPER navigator Will Oxley says that the in the light conditions the smallest of details could determine who leads around the north east corner of Brazil.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how all this plays out. It’s beautiful conditions but some very subtle differences could make a big difference.

“It’s going to be the smallest of details whether it’s a cloud or whatever and a bit of luck that will determine who gets around the corner first.

“Once we’re past Recife the breeze will go behind us and we should be sailing deeper angles which is really our strong point so we should be in good shape.

“All in all we’re quite nicely positioned at the moment. Conventionally being to the west like we are is far from idea but these aren’t conventional conditions, so we are sailing to what we have around us.”

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has taken the lead 24 hours into Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

After falling off the pace in tight reaching conditions just after the start CAMPER made the most of light downwind conditions overnight and slipped in front just after daybreak.

Competition for the number one spot remains fierce however with just 10 nautical miles (nm) separating the five boats. The tricky conditions are set to continue with the south easterly breeze forecast to soften and become variable over the next few days.

Successfully navigating the tactical minefield presented by the light airs transition zone ahead will be crucial as the first team to reach the trade winds (currently around three days sailing away) will gain a significant advantage.

After almost a month of solitary sailing CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson says that the team are enjoying being back in close quarters ocean racing.

Camper takes the lead in Leg 6. Photo copyright Hamish Hooper / Camper

“We’ve probably been in a 1000-metre radius of Abu Dhabi for twelve hours so it’s pretty tight. We’re dead equal speed with those guys. We’ve traded places about five times so it’s good.

“I think both us and Abu Dhabi are really enjoying having another boat alongside pushing us to sail that bit harder, so it’s nice to see the two of us out front.

“The next four or five days are shaping up to be very, very tricky. It’s going to be light and shifty with potential for big changes on the leaderboard. It could be that for a long time any boat in the west looks better, but long term it looks like an easterly set up should pay.

“So in a perfect world we will be looking to get further east but for the time being we’re look alright where we are. There’s a few thunderstorms brewing in the next few hours and they could shape up to be either very good or very bad for us so it’s going to be an interesting night.”

CAMPER in the latest position report at 1600h 23 April local time is sailing at 11.8 knots in a 10.7 knot south easterly.