The Velux 5 Oceans – the longest single-handed round-the-world sailing event – has arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, for the start of the 5,800-nautical-mile-third leg from the Kiwi capital to Punta del Este in Uruguay.
Wellington City Council is laying out a host of public activities in celebration of the stopover. The main event, the Velux 5 Oceans Expo, is located in Shed 6 at Queens Wharf on the Wellington Waterfront, about a five minute walk from Te Papa. The expo is open daily until race restart on Sunday, February 6, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance is free.
The four yachts taking part in the race – all Eco 60s – are moored in the Race Harbour alongside the shed. Visitors are welcome to view the Eco 60s in expo opening hours.
The Expo showcases the official Velux 5 Oceans merchandise store, a photographic exhibition, the interactive Maersk Line Climate box and the Velux 5 Oceans grinder. Visitors are welcome to test their strength against the grinder, which simulates the winches used on the race yachts.
The Port Nicholson Yacht Club is hosting a question and answer session with the four skippers – Brad Van Liew (USA, sailing the Le Pingouin), Chris Stanmore-Major (UK, sailing the Spartan), Derek Hatfield (Canada, sailing the Active House) and Zbigniew Gutkowski (Poland, sailing Operon Racing) – on Wednesday evening. The event is for members only.
Wellington is the second Velux 5 Oceans stopover
The prize-giving ceremony for stage two will take place on Thursday at the Te Papa Museum.
Stage 3 of the race begins at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 6. Private yachts and small craft can take part in the send-off. Owners are asked to be considerate of the Velux 5 Oceans racers by keeping their speed down and giving the four Eco 60s room to make their way out of the harbour. Contact Wellington@velux5oceans.com for more information.
Wellington is the second stopover in the 30,000-mile race. The competitors arrived in Wellington from Cape Town, South Africa, having completed the 7,000-nautical-mile second leg, which began on December 16, 2010. The ocean racers crossed through the Indian and then Southern oceans, encountering the worst weather conditions known to man in the Southern Ocean – howling winds, freezing temperatures and mountainous seas. The four racers lived and slept in their soaked thermals for almost two months.
Brad Van Liew won this leg of the race.
Van Liew also won the first leg, a 7,500-nautical-mile sprint from La Rochelle to Cape Town.
In Ocean Sprint 3, the Eco 60s will be heading further south, past Nemo Point – the most remote location on the Earth – and rounding Cape Horn to Punta del Este, a leg of 5,800 nautical miles.
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