OBR Raw Content
VolvoOceanRace.com
Team Brunel
http://vor.jbcsystems.com/team/brunel
Team Brunel
crew
Abby Ehler
,
Alberto Bolzan
,
Andrew Cape
,
Annie Lush
,
Bouwe Bekking
,
Carlo Huisman
,
Jens Dolmer
,
Kyle Langford
,
Louis Balcaen
,
Maciel Cicchetti
,
Nina Curtis
,
Peter Burling
,
Rome Kirby
,
Sally Barkow
,
Sam Newton
and
Thomas Rouxel
![Nicolai on the helm. MAPFRE and Brunel in their wake. Nicho: You're in the lead, but they're so close it's not really. Gotta sail as fast as we can, mode the boat, hopefully that will be enough. But it's going to be on, all day; here we go. Hasn't' been much sleep the last few days. Carlo talks to Jules below: Where's the Dongers? Jules explains how they went inside. "Could pay off for them; could not. Models aren't particularly clear." Nav screen shows them entering the little gap in the exclusion zone. He stands in the hatch and shows Simeon the route on a tablet. Simeon: Pretty good. [He sounds half asleep.] "Good feeling to be in home waters." Shots of Brunel and MAPFRE behind them. Nicho: Stress. You can cut it with a knife back there between those two boats. Still have Dongfeng... not as strong a position tactically, but can't tell. He talks about the exciting day ahead.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2e5LPBy9xr0/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Black and white. Night. Abby works the pit. It's super loud as they surf on starboard; some maneuver is going on. Water cascades into the cockpit. Abby coils. Below, Peter, from his bunk, asks Capey about the sched. Capey: It's half and half; could go either way. Looks like they're going inshore. [Talking about MAPFRE and Dongfeng, I assume.] Peter, in his bunk, explains to Sam: Just peeled to the J0. "So we go the J1 off, which is always nice. AkzoNobel seems to be going pretty quick with the J1, Vestas is down to leeward, a little bit behind. We're not very sure if MAPFRE and Dongfeng are going inside or outside; we're obviously going outside. Hope to find some good speed with the J0 and get to Holland."](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kZCoDTsXkbM/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Slomo of Brunel sailing a half mile away on their port quarter. Justin, to Jules: He's still got a zero [J0] up. Jules looks. Furled. Brad: Good to get past Brunel; we've been battling with them all day. Jules nailed the layline, and they screwed it up and had to do another gybe, and that was our passing maneuver. Slomo of Martine grinding with Brunel behind them.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tgW-SKTcJhs/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Louis grabbing his gear below. Sam: What's going on, buddy? Louis: The boats ahead of us got a header, and they have tacked. So we've gotta tack as well. Stacking on deck. Bouwe: Just got a big windshift; basically a 90-degree windshift. Sunset. Bouwe talks about the tricky conditions, clouds and big shifts. MAPFRE has done the best. Abby below. Peter in a bunk. Peter talks about being hurt by a shift to the left; hoping for a knock back to the right. 'This update brought to you by...' Sam to Capey: You want any coffee? Capey: Oh yes please that would be good. Sam hands the cup to Abby, who fills it, then he gives it back to Capey. Sam: So what's the dinnertime update. Capey, raising his hand to the lens: No camera... [I think this is a running gag based on that Pascal meme.] No; lot of racing to go... Drone shot. Capey: Dongfeng are doing good. Leading right now. AIS screen. Drone shot of Brunel sailing against the sunset. Bouwe on the helm. Drone shot.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X6iE5vsSKaA/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Prestart with 5-minute horn. Rob: About 40 seconds sailing, a minute sailing back, below layline. Start with Dongfeng, TTToP to weather, Tacking below AkzoNobel and Brunel to make the pin end of the line. Behind the other boats. Slomo spray. Jumper jumping. Slomo of Neti hiking. Going past the daymarker/tower. Pablo's upset on the wheel: Fucking hell mate. Rob: Yeah. Might have to just press through. [Looks like he's upset about TTToP right on their bow; chooses to dive below them.] Slomo of Brunel crossing them, TTToP crossing them. Pablo on the helm. Sophie: We got a bad start, weren't in line with the pin, and had to tack, and had to give Brunel room. Last over the line. We've tacked out now, and we're above everybody, so hopefully we can gain back on them. Plenty of opportunities, so we'll see what we can do.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i8zEHSx7OTg/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Dockout. Witty: Feeling pretty good. We've been sailing well. Haven't been getting the result, so we're due for one. Got the boss driving... [Seng Huang Lee, I guess?] The minute you start trying not to run last, you run last. We're not having that conversation. Libby: Bit of a battle on, you realize that an epic journey is coming to an end. Does play on your mind a bit. But ultimately it's gonna be a fast and furious two and a bit days. Alex previews the leg. Sounds excited. Parko: The non-sleeping Olympics. We'll get to Norway around midnight, and next mark a couple of hours after that. Start. Owner actually is driving the boat, though he's not mentioned in the official site's Crew page. Witty tells him where to point the boat. Parko: These legs are pretty special. Finishing the race for Fish, that's pretty special in itself. Might be the last time we get to sail with the same crew. These are the moments in our sport that don't come around too often. Shots of the owner on the helm. TTToP to port. Dongfeng ahead nad to leeward of them. Trystan and Ben on the foredeck. Owner is gripping the wheel like someone's trying to steal it. Owner: It's very exciting. I haven't sailed in two years, so it's good fun. Always good to spend time with the crew. I'm a little bit of the monotony after ten legs. Looking foward to spending a few days with everyone. [Now I'm wondering if he had to go through the certification all the other racers did. Sounds like he didn't.]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e8MRW3VDjX4/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Slomo of helicopter hovering off their stern. Washing machine. MAPFRE is visible a few miles behind them, barely. Below, Peter empties the pee bottle out the hatch. Sam: What's going on, Pete? Peter: That was a refreshing piss I just took. Apparently Norway's somewhere down there (points to port). Quite gray and raining. Can still see MAPFRE; they're 1.2 miles behind. A lot better than 1.2 miles in the front. Sam: How far to go, and how confident are you about keeping them behind you? Peter: No idea how far in miles, but Capey assures me it's about 8 hours, which means I'm not going to get any more sleep... Pretty good. Sam asks him about how he just sends it in the last few hours. Peter: The leg finishes seem to be quite tricky for us. End up in a park up. Hopefully this one won't. There always tricky; heaps of peels, coming back closer to land, and lots of trimming, stacking. Generally means we're awake. Sam: Yeah, but generally your more wired than usual. Peter: Well, you're coming close to the finish, mate. Getting back to land, have a shower, not that the food program's not great on board but you get to have some different food. [Looking forward, presumably at someone prepping a meal.] Sorry. [Continues.] You're finishing the leg. It's exciting. What more do I have to say? It's exciting, Greenie! Sam: So you're admitting that you become like a coiled spring, like a meercat, at the end every single leg. Peter: I feel like everyone is a coiled spring. Very coiled. Later, Peter talks to Capey at the nav station before going on deck. Peter: Do we want to be punchy here, or...? [I guess, making a change they've been discussing quickly rather than slowly.] Capey: Not super punchy. But let's have it in our minds that it could be... [snaps his fingers] Peter goes on deck. Crew in the cockpit in the gray light.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FqN4nE1tC6Q/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Night. Capey is getting his boots on (or off?) below. Sam: What's going on, Capey? Capey: Sail-change time. Sam: You were just sleeping pretty soundly... You pretty excited to go on deck? Capey: Yup. Capey at the nav station. Chart screen, which shows their position and other boats via AIS: even with Dongfeng and a few miles short of MAPFRE. Wind strength symbols appear to show them in a building wind, currently at 25 knots. Louis, getting ready below: Wish me luck, Sam. Sam: It's not easy, right? Louis: It's a very difficult peel. Lowering the jib in 25 knots. Whew. Wish me luck. Abby in the pit hoists the J2. Crew (Peter, and presumably Carlo on the bow) goes forward and the J1 starts coming down. Sam loses his balance in the hatch and falls. Sam, under his breath: "Fuck!" He gets the camera back on the crew on the foredeck. Looks like there are at least 4 people gathering in the J1. Stacking the J1 aft. Abby working in the pit. Peter, in the cockpit: Allright; J3 to deply in 2 [maybe? for double-heading?]. Grinding as the sail deploys.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vaEU7ndXhsA/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Kyle, in the hatch: We've just rounded the north of Scotland. We've got Dongfeng a mile under our bow here. Turn the Tide and Akzo just behind us, MAPFRE about 10 [?] miles in front of us. Waiting for the breeze to build. It's natural when you have good moments, bad moments, that the mood's kind of up and down, and obviously we're up at the moment. We've had a pretty good 6-8 hours, and managed to work our way through the fleet, so we're almost to the front. Sam: You guys still see a chance of winning this thing? Kyle: Like we've seen in every leg, it's not over till you cross the finish line. And we were on the bad end of that in Newport, where we lost the lead with 30 seconds to go. Need to keep a positive attitude. Sam: Any chance of a park up at the finish? Kyle: Looks pretty straightforward all the way from here to the finish. Breeze is gonna build. In the high-speed reaching and downwind, we know that that's our strength; saw that in the Southern Ocean and in the trans-Atlantic.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7qcwWe3GgM4/maxresdefault.jpg)
![HIgh-wind reaching past a Scottish island. Carlo, in the cockpit: We've been making nice gains on the others. Dongfeng, maybe 1.5 miles [ahead]. We're going around the top of Britain, setting course for the bottom of Norway. It's gonna be pretty windy soon. We'll be peeling to the J2 [from the J1, presumably] pretty soon. Sam: What's the morale on board in the last 12 hours? Carlo: Always good. Intense. Happy. Slightly tired. Nice sailing conditions. Sam: You've put boats behind you. Carlo: You can barely see them, but I think it's Turn the Tide and AkzoNobel. Disappearing quickly. Carlo on the foredeck (witih the J1 up). Bouwe: Top of England, with one more island to go. Got current with us, 3 knots. Sam: What's the intensity like right now? Bouwe: We've got the two red boats ahead of us, we're pushing hard. But Akzo and Turn the Tide about 4 miles behind us. We've done quite nicely in the last 7 or 8 hours. Grinding in the cockpit.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GdvJmCflYJQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Washing machine shots from the cabin. Capey at the nav station: Here we are off the Island of Lewis. In a bit of a puff, had to harden up. MAPFRE has a nice lead about 9 or 10 miles, Dongfeng about 5 miles out. AkzoNobel just to leeward. Turn the Tide to the north, about 3 miles away. So as we go across the top of Scotland it will get a little lighter, and will start to head by the Orkney Islands. By this evening heading south toward Norway. And that's all you get! Sam: How are you feeling right now? Capey: I could be feeling better. But I'm feeling okay. [Not sure if that's due to seasickness or injury.] Rough conditions out the cabin hatch.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q6b6qvE_noA/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Tacking with MAPFRE behind them. Three boats inshore of them. Bouwe on the helm. Stacking aft. Capey at the nav station: MAPFRE's planning to go between the two [islands]. Peter, from his bunk: Gonna be quite close with us. Capey studies the screen. You can feel Sam wanting to talk to him, but not doing it because Capey is visibly thinking. Capey keeps glancing up at one screen, then down at the other. He blinks in surprise at something. Peter gets out of his bunk. Capey: Fuck. He gets up. Sam follows him. Capey talks to Bouwe in the cockpit. Peter gets his foulies on, goes up. MAPFRE crosses them on starboard just ahead. Dongfeng and another boat is visible beyond them. Peter is confused: Akzo appears to be goose-winging the jib. Or maybe he's on the other tack; can't really tell. Vestas is parked up here. (We see Vestas.) Alberto: Tricky situation; there's a couple of big islands. We just lost a couple of dozens of meters to MAPFRE and Dongfeng, but I think we have a good opportunity to gain again. Capey and Peter look to port. Peter: Should we go here? Capey goes to the nav station. Capey agrees. Peter: Go now! He starts shifting the stack. Bouwe seems to be letting them make the call. Tack. Abby and Louis grinding in the pit. Nina talks about there being a fishing farm that's not on our maps, so it adds a little stress to the afternoon. Fish farm nets as they sail past. Three boats ahead of them in the afternoon light. Waves on a headland to starboard. Bouwe's face on the helm. Slomo shots of islands, another boat as they sail upwind with the J1. Slomo of Alberto trimming. Sunset. Kyle explains. They had a parkup, then Turn the Tide took off. We didn't do the best job in the islands; kind of got spat out the back. Akzo, MAPFRE, Dongfeng, and Vestas are all ahead of us now; Turn the tide is behind us. We were in a good position, but now our position isn't too good. But going upwind, with some good opportunities, some good splits.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iMQ7SsNXHN4/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Capey looks at his tablet on deck, talks about Dongfeng and Vestas. Boats on the horizon behind them. Flock of 7 alcids (murres?). Bouwe: Just got passed by a flock of ducks. That says something about our boatspeed. Capey eats. Nina: Do you want me up Kyle? Capey: Yup; starting to move now. Bouwe, on the helm: Looks like it's filling in more and more. Capey and Peter talk with Bouwe about gybing. Peter looks like he just woke up: Looks like the best breeze up here (looks to port). A motoring sailboat passes a boatlength behind them. Peter: Pretty light in front. Peter's lobbying for a tack onto starboard. Bouwe: Tacking! Capey (under his breath): I think it's not the right thing, but... Kyle: Dongfeng's parked up at the moment... Better pressure at the moment. Drone shot goes under a bridge in a gorge. Capey: Just coming into the new breeze, the northerly. The quicker we get into that the faster we'll be off. Dongfeng's stuck, going backwards, hope for the best. Not doing that great out here either. But sort of going the right way. High drone shot. Peter: Got some wind. [Looks aft.] Other boats pointing odd directions. Sam: Any other boat who's position yo'd rather be in? Peter (after discussing Scallywag). No. Peter: We might have just taken the lead. Peter puts a hand in the camera: "Not on camera." [looks exactly like Pascal in that video from the end of Leg 9, though without the middle finger.] Peter: We're imitating Dongfeng. We're very open with our OBRs. Louis: have to say it in French or English. 'No camera.'](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2vq7a3mNqBI/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Drone shot of AkzoNobel sailing in misty conditions. Brunel on their starboard beam. Jules talks about how it was unlucky we went into 7 knots of wind... Justin interrupts: It's not unlucky it's just [bleep] light. Simeon looks at Brunel through binoculars and talks about their sail combination. Jules: Trying to defend our lead, which is very slim at the moment. Slomo crew work: Grinding, foredeck, steering, stacking. Jules: Still with 350 miles to go you don't wanna get too involved in a straight match race. You don't want to give them free reins to sail past. Staying with him, minimizing the risk, but also sailing the plan to get there as quickly as possible. Slomo crew work: Hoisting a sail. Drone shot.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iNDldplGEUI/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Kyle, in his bunk: Capey got is in a good spot in the trades when we left Brazil, and we managed to get a few clouds and wiggle our way into the lead. Tradewind sailing, so it's pretty straightforward, so Capey's getting some rest. Getting caught up on Netflix. Title: 1300 Position Report. Capey gets gingerly out of his bunk. Settles into nav station. Pulls up position report. Sam: Is it one thumbs up or two thumbs up. Cape gestures. Title: That's 2 thumbs up. Kyle: He's monitoring our angle. Capey to the cockpit: Nice to work down a bit. Another degree down, if we could... Dongfeng's going shitty, but lower. [He shakes his head.] They lost 5. Kyle: He's taking it kind of easy now. In the next few days as we're approaching Newport he'll be busy. Bouwe talks about doing well. It's a competitive advantage having a mental coach. In the last race, we were doing poorly, and she helped us work on our communication and trust. It's an advantage, especially as the race goes on. Slomo shot of washing machine in the cockpit. Carlo working on the bow to hoist a new sail. Crew grinding in the cockpit. Peter: Reckon he's an 8 or 9 (on a scale of 1-10) in terms of being detail-oriented. Carlo: He likes to play around with all the leads when we're triple-headed. Playing around with the leads on the J2, J3. Perfect... everything. Perfect bowl of food, perfect sleeping setup. All about the details.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KfLWniWi_M4/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Sam, to Capey: What's the race report. Capey: Good. We're winning the Volvo. The leg. For right now at least... [To Sam]: Are you the admiral? Sam: What? Capey: Admirals and assholes. Do you know that one?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jmz_IiOy7Uw/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Very high drone shot. Peter, shirtless below: Had a pretty good night last night. Can see the boats in front of us, Vestas and Dongfeng. Bouwe: How's the morning? Little clouds, a little rain. Shot of a gybe. Other boat to port. Nina: I have the craziest dreams offshore. I think it's because your sleep is broken up, all the gybing. They're really real. Sam asks Bouwe: When you're offshore, what do you dream about? Bouwe: Sex, with my wife. [To Capey: Isn't that true?] Capey, eating: I don't dream of sex with your wife. Nina: I had this really strange dream in the Southern Ocean. That the Volvo Ocean Race wasn't real; it was a coverup for a drug-smuggling operation... We're in an escape plane, and a missile is coming, and a tracker was in my bag... Sam asks Abby: How long is it until Neptune comes? Abby: Less than 24 hours. Bouwe: Three. Here, here, and here. (He demonstrates a triple reverse mohawk.) Abby: I dream about my kid. I think when you get so tired you start to hallucinate. She asks Bouwe what his dreams are about, and he repeats the "sex with my wife" line. Abby laughs. "That was honest." Low drone shot circling the boat under clouds. Abby, at night in black and white: We are either just passing or about to pass Turn the Tide on Plastic. Shot of them to port. Carlo: The other day I had a nightmare. I went to this fishing farm, where they were breeding salmon. I went inside and I was being chased by the fishermen that were working in there. But they had fish skin and it was melting. It was really strange. Peter on the helm. Carlo: Just lost a little bit on them. Louis: I've had many crazy dreams, but they're too crazy to share. Peter: I'm always pretty tired for some reason. Shot of Kyle sleeping below with the engine running.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NzGr0s9sBmc/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Alberto, in the cockpit, explains that they had a very bad night, and lost a lot of distance on TTToP and Vestas. Bouwe, on the wheel: Turn the Tide and Vestas made a very nice move and gained 20 miles on everybody... Just keep trying, trying to improve, sail against numbers... And hope soon we can crack the sheet a little. Below, Louis talks about trying to improve. In the cockpit, Alberto: The secret to going faster is a good engine and a lot of fuel. But don't tell anyone; it's a secret. Awesome low-altittude drone shots, slomo, from in front with a competitor behind them. Kyle, below: Today is ANZAC day. Nina: A good day to catch up wiht friends and family, have a few drinks. (She waves.) Peter: It's our biggest wartime memorial we have every year. Obviously a long way from both NZ and Europe, but definitely thoughts with them. Shot from the stern as they prepare for a maneuver. Drone shot with competitor behind. Kyle: King Neptune is coming to the yacht to visit Nina. Alberto: Nina's the one who's very excited. Nina: Can't even deal. The torment, with the equator and King Neptune, it's started already. It's gonna be three or four days. They're too excited about it. I'm very nervous. Bouwe looking serious as night falls. Peter: She reckons we could sell the hair we're gonna get off her head. Or donate it, to kids. It's up to her to decide. Nina: I don't think anyone will want it anymore [after all this offshore yacht racing]. Someone calls down below for a peel. Abby: Too many. Crew comes up, they hoist the new sail. (MH0?) Slomo of sunset. Nina: I wanted to say to Caitlan, that I'm really sorry if I don't have any hair when I'm maid of honor at her wedding. Maybe if Caitlin also pays to King Neptune, maybe he'll take only half the hair, or an eyebrow... Sorry Caitlin. Night time shot of stars.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8z3Wh31hw-M/maxresdefault.jpg)
![Bouwe trims the mainsheet on the stern. He looks astern. "It's the little French/Chinese bus [?]. The red bus. Dongfeng." Bouwe talks about Thomas: "He's an old Dongfeng team member, and I'm sure he'd like to beat Charles very badly." Thomas, on the helm: "Yes. I'm 100% 120%. To beat my old friends." Slomo spray.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6nNXN-0BlIo/maxresdefault.jpg)
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![Shifting sails to leeward for a tack. Crew working on the foredeck with a hovering helicopter ahead of them. Slomo of Frederico grinding with Brunel and a New Zealand headland in the background. Bianca, below, talks about sailing away from New Zealand. Awesome going into the Southern Ocean again, going around the Horn. Thanks Auckland for the support, spectators, especially her family and friends. Frederico (I think?) in his bunk. Liz, in her bunk, recaps that they've sailed upwind a couple hundred miles from Auckland to East Cape, tacking, peels. Not much sleep; a lot of stacking. Went pretty quick. More slomo with Brunel in the background. Liz: On the southern highway, straight to the ice gate for us. About 48 hours... Way too wired to go to sleep. (She mimes going to sleep.) Bianca spills up spilled rice in the galley. "I want my mum." I haven't exactly found my sea legs yet. Lucas: It's not as bad as the time I spilled shit everywhere. That was a lot worse. Bianca asks Sam, "Were you on that leg? It was a full explosion." Lucas: "Nah; he was on another boat. Getting _ridden_." Lucas, brushing his teeth, talks about lack of sleep: You think everything's funny. You think everything's shit, or you think everything's funny. Bianca: Just let me clean up my shit... in peace. Lucas: She hasn't got to the funny part yet. [They laugh.] They keep talking (with Liz commenting in the background) as we see a drone shot circling TTToP sailing upwind under J0/J3. [Favoriting mostly for Sam's cool slice-of-life on board. Really feels like being part of the crew.]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mStdfT02JBY/maxresdefault.jpg)
![One word: Louis: Disappointment. Peter: Brutal. Kyle: Difficult. Carlo: Very disappointing. Sally: Risk? Alberto: I'm sad. I don't even know what to say. Everybody's disappointed. [He shrugs.]. Sunset. Capey at the nav station. Someone eating in the red light of their headlamp. Instruments. Kyle: We're still fighting. Stranger things have happened. Looks unlikely. Performance seems like it's been better this leg, but slipping away from us. It's tough. Sunrise. [Favoriting this because I just think Yann does a really good job with narrative, and his videos really work for me on an emotional level. I've felt this since the last edition of the race: His videos aren't just videos; they're powerful short films. All the awards for Yann.]](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m114045_13-06-180226-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Peter: Bonjour. We're in France. [Yann chuckles.] France is just over here, 50 miles apparently, can't see it. Bouwe: Here we are in stealth mode. Is quite light. Have to punch through the light air. Below, closeups of the engine (?), galley stove burner, tea kettle, someone sleeping as loud hydraulics noises can be heard. Peter talks about using earplugs to sleep. How easing the runner is so loud. Sally: Ear-piercing. Alberto, on the helm, talks about how loud it is. Closeup of the runner being eased slowly. Sally, in her bunk with earbuds, tries to sleep. Peter talks about how loud the runner is. Also the engine. Closeups of cranking. Peter listens to it below. Pedestal grinding. Alberto tries to sleep in the bow. Flopping at night with the sound of the sail filling. Sound of rain on deck.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m113817_13-06-180223-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Carlo wears the Peter Gabriel cam on the foredeck. In the cockpit, Kyle says, "I hate it. It's the worst place on the yacht." Peter: "Occasionally you get absolutely soaked." Kyle: You're gonna get hammered. Have to have all your kit on, or just know you're gonna get cold and wet. Carlo, on the PG-cam, checks the hanks on the J1. Back on the stern, he talks about being the bowman. "I didn't really choose it, but we started as a team, and the position was open, and Bouwe just sort of pushed me into it. I had no experience on the bow at all. And through a lot of mistakes and patience of my teammates, I think I've got a pretty good grasp on it now." Bouwe, below: I think all great sailors have been a bowman at some point. People come on the boat and get stuck there, and strangely it's a key position. If you make a mistake it affects everyone. Carlo: I like it. Slightly dangerous, but I guess that makes it a bit more fun as well. Carlo on teh bow in the PG cam in slowmo. Peter: I don't think Carlo has a substitute for his role up there. Kyle: It's a bit of a Mexican standoff to see who's going to be the other one to go forward and help him. It's usually Pete, Louis, and myself who go forward to help him. And Capey. It'd be nice if he was a bit more independent, and didn't require so much help. [He grins at Carlo, on the helm behind him.] Bouwe, below: He's taken a job, a responsibility, and he does't make mistakes anymore. PG cam footage of Carlo on the bow gathering in the J1. Capey, below: I was a bowman once, about 35 years ago. I know what goes on up there. Bouwe: I could probably do the bow again on a small boat, a 30-footer. Capey: That's a job for young fellows. Fit young fellows. Carlo takes off the helmet cam and hands it back to Yann.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m113347_13-06-180218-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Crew in shorts working the cockpit in the half light. Drone shots with big rain cloud behind Brunel. Capey at the nav station. "We've just crossed the equator. Our next obstacle is to get out of the doldrums." Solomons coming up. Disappointing evening with the westerly boats making huge gains on us. We didn't get the wind. Hoping it would be the other way around. It was a choice I made. At the Solomons there will be another shutdown and compression, and we'll make the most of that. Have to take the good with the bad. Forecast and history, and a bit of luck. A bit of a cloud lottery here, the way they build and move. There is a bit of luck. But there's also skill in placing yourself in the right place. Next 10 days likely to be slow. Bouwe on the helm. Shifting the stack on deck, below. Mastcam view of washing machine in the cockpit. Sailing through rain. Washing machine. Mastcam view forward. Capey, from below, calls up about a good sched. "We took 50 miles out of MAPFRE... Only gained 20 on Turn the Tide. [Kyle asks how far behind they are.] Must be 50."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m113284_13-06-180217-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![A little skit. Louis, on deck: Are you sure we're headed for Auckland? Pablo, on the helm: We cannot be wrong. [Points over his shoulder.] They're following us. [We see Brunel and Dongfeng sailing behind them.] Blair (pointing): "Pablo, I'm pretty sure New Zealand is that way. Southeast. It's my home mate, I know." Pablo [spinning the wheel briefly to starboard], "Okay; I take you home." Blair (in the background): "I'm joking."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m112604_13-06-180210-mpf-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Yann, below, explains that he's going to try to fly the drone, even though there's a bit of water on deck and it's pretty windy (about 18-20 knots). There's a reef to windward, and he's going to try to get the reef in the drone shots. (Not sure who's videoing this, but you can see their shadow in the shot.) He's getting everything ready there, then he'll give the drone to Jens, who will take the drone to the stern and launch it. Yann stands in the hatchway, being filmed as he talks to someone on the stern. "Whenever you think it looks okay you come and pick it up, with the camera looking... this side [he gestures toward the stern] so that it doesn't get any spray on the lens." Jens comes and takes the drone; carries it aft through the cockpit. From the mast cam we see him take it onto the stern. Then we see Yann's GoPro (really Garmin) head-mounted camera view as he walks toward the stern with the drone controls. We get a shot over Yann's shoulder as he talks to Jens. We see the drone launched, then see the launch again in slomo, then see the drone's view as Jens releases it and salutes it as it flies away. We see the GoPro (Yann-cam) view of the person videoing him, who I think might be Kyle? Yann: "Now it's just a matter of doing some, uh, nice picture... Shouldn't be too dangerous if I don't get too close to the boat." Shots of Yann on the stern operating the drone controls. Drone shots circling the boat. Yann: "We can maybe stop for a while, saving the battery for landing... I don't see it [the reef]... Where is it?... Now I'm making pictures, actually... Sally [who's driving], if you feel you are going in a big surf you tell me before?" Cool drone shot from just ahead of the bowsprit. Drone view as it approaches them from astern. "Okay Jens... A bit more to leeward if you can." Jens, with goggles and a protective glove, catches the drone. Slomo shot of Jens catching the drone, then a mastcam view of the same thing. Below, Yann debriefs: "Just finished with this little drone flight in the morning. We did not see the reef, but we got some nice pictures, so it was not for nothing. It was worth it."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m111593_13-04-180115-bnl-boatfeed-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Sally is below. She's dressed kind of warmly, and they seem to be sailing fast, so I think this is footage from earlier in the leg. Sally: "I don't know the answer to that. You want one word for each?" Abby: "Three words?" Carlo: stares blankly. Bouwe: "For this leg or what?" Yann: "For this leg." Carlo: stares blankly. Abby: Stares into space, thinking. Sally: "What I like the most? Probably the teamwork. Bouwe: "I like the most? The teamwork." Sam: "Leaving Port Phillip Bay." There's a competitor barely visible behind them; if this is the afternoon of the first day, as I'm guessing it is, that would probably be TTToP. Jens: "Getting started again." Carlo: "Nice downwind sailing." Sam: "Dislike the most? I'm not sure." Bouwe: "I dislike the most that we're behind." Abby: "I dislike the position we're in." Sally: "Staying on one tack for so long. It gets a little bit boring." Jens: "Bad first 24 hours." Carlo: "Nasty freeze-dried. The food." Sam: "I don't know. It's all good." Kyle: "If anything it's gotta be sailing with Sam Newton. This guy here." [He points and laughs.] Sam lies in his bunk, looking at an iPod/mobile device. On deck in the dusk, Carlo trims the headsail sheet. Bouwe steers. Slatting in the dark. Sunrise as they sail in light conditions. Looking up the J0 in light winds. Sally, in a balaclava: "Hot!" Abby hands out a white chocolate macadamia cookie. Drone shot of them drifting in glassy conditions. People sleeping in the bow. Sam: "Better on deck than below... It's an oven there." Low-altitude drone shot of Brunel drifting in glassy conditions, the hot sun behind the boat.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m110915_13-04-180109-bnl-ynr-boatfeed_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Dee, motoring out on the helm, talks about how their problem is they start well, then lose out, then maintain. So they just need to eliminate that part where they lose out. Brian [Thompson, navigator], referring to handwritten notes, talks to the crew in the cockpit about the start of the leg. Sailing past other boats in the prestart. Sailing upwind after the start. On the rail, Annalise recaps the start: at the committee boat, a little conservative, but other boats messed up, so pretty nice. "So far so good! [makes a thumbs up] A long way to go, though." Elodie, with a scopolamine patch behind her ear, talks about the start, their current situation. Dongfeng sailing close to them. Francesca trims, talks about Brunel.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m110171_13-04-180102-ttt-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Below, Bouwe discusses the latest sched. Happy because even though they [Vestas, presumably] are still ahead of them, they've closed the range a lot. So maybe still a chance to catch them. He explains the effect of the counter-clockwise windshift in favoring the boat on the left (Dongfeng).](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m109657_13-03-171224-bnl-00002_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Night time crash cam/stern cam. Brunel is on starboard with lots of spray. It looks like they broach; person [Carlo, it turns out] moves forward from the aft pedestal to free the headsail sheet. Easing headsail; sails flapping. More crew move forward. Grinding the headsail back in. Below, Peter watches the crash cam video on a tablet. Peter: "That's us broaching now." Carlo looks at the video, laughs. Peter: "Yeah. I was, uh, driving last night and probably pushing a little too hard into a squall. Wiped out at about 30, high 20s, quite lucky, because it got up to about 40 later once we got it under control... Generally it happens when the bow gets stuck in a wave at the wrong time, and you can't bear away. Lose the rudders... Done it a fair few times now, so everyone knows pretty well what to do. Not too dangerous for anyone; just a bit risky for the FR0... Have to push the boat hard. Everyone else is pushing the boat hard... Definitely prefer to go that way than the other way." Carlo: "I'm the guy on the aft pedestal, grinding for the main. We start to broach, so I go forward to the pirmary where the FR0 sheet's connected to. I dump 3 or 4 meters of sheet... It's pretty difficult, you can tell by the video that it's not that easy, there's water in your eyes, water everywhere, your orientation is a bit messed up. At the same time you don't wnat to wash off the boat as well, because at the time I wasn't that secure. [Rewatching, I think he was not, in fact, clipped in.] With the heel of the boat as well, it's quite a challenge to actually get there and do the work. But it's nice to see that. I'm actually pretty happy with it... We came out of that pretty well."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m109516_13-03-171222-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Annie, with no foulies on below, puts her foot down and holds on, wincing, as she slowly adjusts her position to get out of her bunk. She says something to Abby, next to her. Lying down, she describes getting pushed into the guy wire against the back of the boat. Big pain in her right side, couldn't move her right leg. Couldn't stand up, couldn't crawl. Ice gate was coming up; guys had to drag her along the deck and put her in the bunk. Shot of them taking her foulies off as she describes the pain. "It's like a burning pain." Bouwe: "Suggest the only thing is get the gear off now, and get her in the sleeping bag." Later, as she's lying down, she describes the pain to them: "It's like a 6 most of the time. And then sometimes it's a shooting pain that's more like an 8." Bouwe: "Most important thing is get her down, even if the ice gate is coming up... Security first. Before any medication I just made a quick call... Because if there's any internal bleeding then of course you can do wrong things." Every 4 hours she's getting [something; presumably painkillers]. "But she's a tough cookie." Shot of Bouwe on the phone at the nav station, writing notes, crew pawing through bag for medicine. Bouwe talking to Annie in her bunk. I think they're talking about where the pain is. Bouwe: "It's basically on the [bum?], yeah? That's good, because I was worried at the time [something]." Annie: "It's my lower back." Bouwe pats her on the shoulder. Annie, in her bunk: "Since then for the last 24 hours I've been in my bunk. Bouwe called Spike [?] yesterday, I've been on painkillers, I've just emailed him a few hours ago to see if he knows what it might be and if there's any way to fast-track getting me back on deck. At the moment we're going along the ice gate and we're gybing a lot and I feel very bad that I can't help everyone with the stacking and gybing. It's hard to stack myself. The goal is to get back on deck as soon as I can. We're not even halfway through the leg yet, so, yeah. I really need to recover quickly." Carlo, below with Sudocrem (?) on his lower face, goes through a bag labeled "First Aid". Louis: "It's one pair of hands less on deck, so it's obviously much harder, there's much more work to do. So if you're with four persons on deck there's always one who can rest. So now it's 4 hours full on, grinding, trimming, driving. So then you suddenly realize how much Annie does. I really miss her in my watch for sure."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m109074_13-03-171217-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Annie, in the galley, talks about washing the mugs. She pours some hot chocolate. "You're giving away my special recipe here. Top secret stuff." Richard: "At what point does it become dangerous, Annie?" Annie [laughing]: "You'll see in a minute when I start pouring the boiling water." She pours in hot water, mixes the mug. Annie: "I think we're 25 to 30 degrees of heel, and it's quite choppy, being thrown forwards and backwards... It's taking me about 20 minutes to make 4 drinks." With her foulies on, she carries the four drinks up. Someone on deck: "Coffee time!" Annie: "Coffee time!" Shot of spray coming over the bow.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m107256_13-02-171120-bnl-00004_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Abby works the pit in the washing machine. Annie, below, out of breath: "Classic Portuguese coast weather. Quite breezy, and the wave state is pretty big right now. Fun downwind sailing, big waves, lots of water coming over the bow." Abby, below: "We knew it was coming. You've got it in your mind that you know what you're going into... But I think when it happens, it's always, yeah, that first night, it's a baptism of fire, like going straight into the deep end. [She looks out the hatch.] It's daylight now, so it makes it a little bit easier to see the waves." Maciel, below, eating: "A windy night. Wet. [He gestures at his bowl.] First meal from Lisbon. Trying to get some rest, and back on deck in three hours." Abby digging through the stack below. Capey crawling around and shifting the navigation panel to the port-side configuration. Abby putting her gasketed foulies on. Shots of winches, Maciel in the cockpit washing machine, Peter stacking on deck and then on the helm.](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m105814_13-02-171106-bnl-00001_00002_1280x720.jpg)
![Abby, below: "One thing I'm most looking forward to tomorrow when we get off this boat is a shower." Martin: "That's it?" Abby: "Well, it's a long list. But shower's at the top of the list. Food, fresh food, and sleep." Peter: "What I want the most tomorrow in Lisbon is to try to finish off this leg well... Some nice food would be good too. Freeze-dried is not too good... Burger, steak; whatever." Annie: "I think in Lisbon the most I want is a shower and a hair wash. Look at this [undoes her bun]. I've got disaster hair." Bouwe: "When I arrive? A better place than we're in right now. We're dead donkeys, so that's not very good. But then I have a second one, called my family." Carlo: "Pancakes. Banana/bacon pancakes. With some maple syrup." Alberto: "A big steak. The biggest possible. And then some good sleep."](https://volvooceanrace-2017-18.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/cropped/thumb/m105166_13-01-171027-bnl-00002_00002_1280x720.jpg)
