Surviving the Southern
Ocean
December 31, 201708:35 UTC
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 12, on board team AkzoNobel. British navigator
Jules Salter takes a second of rest to soak in the rays. 21 December, 2017.
James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race
Here are 25 of the best pictures from Leg 3 of the Volvo
Ocean Race showing seven teams, 56 sailors and a 6,500 nautical mile race
across the treacherous Southern Ocean.
Famous for freezing temperatures, giant waves and epic
sailing conditions, the remote Southern Ocean is the heart and soul of the
Volvo Ocean Race.
At times during this leg, the crews were closer to the
International Space Station than to any population centre on earth, making
sailing across this part of the world one of the last real human
adventures.
With regular wipe-outs in relentless, boat-breaking
conditions, Dongfeng Race Team Skipper Charles Caudrelier described it best:
Leg 3 was the 'toughest leg of his career'.
The race took a toll on the sailors both mentally and
physically but despite being cold, wet, and occasionally scared, for days on
end, the Southern Ocean remains every offshore sailor's ideal playground and we
have the pictures to prove it.
For the 2017-18 edition, the Volvo Ocean Race has
introduced up to three times more Southern Ocean sailing than in recent races -
with the trans-ocean legs counting for double points.
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 01, Windy and bumpy conditions at the beginning of
this leg. Liu Xue, also known as ‘Black’ is lost in thought onboard Dongfeng
Race Team. 10 December, 2017.
Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 04. Volvo Ocean Race legend Stu Bannatyne grinds
though the waves onboard Dongfeng Race Team. 10 December, 2017.
Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 4, on board team AkzoNobel. Danish sailor Nicolai
Sehested shows the wear and tear of offshore sailing. 13 December, 2017.
James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 04, afternoon on board Turn the Tide on Plastic.
Beginning of the low pressure starts to take place, the wind picks up and Welsh
sailor Bleddyn Mon dodges a massive wave sweeping over the deck. 13 December,
2017.
Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 05, on board Dongfeng. Rough sailing conditions
close to the ice gate. Free ice shower for everybody on deck. 14 December, 2017
Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3, Cape
Town to Melbourne, day 06, on board Brunel, the Onboard Reporter struggles to
stay put during extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean. 15 December, 2017.
Ugo Fonolla/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 06, Southern Ocean, Tamara Echegoyen, Louis
Sinclair and Pablo Arrarte sailing through the chaos of the Southern Ocean
onboard MAPFRE. 15 December, 2017.
Jen Edney/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 06, a classic capture of the Southern Ocean waves.
Australian Tom Clout catching the next wave onboard Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. 15
December, 2017.
Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race
© James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race
© Jen Edney/Volvo Ocean Race
© Sam Greenfield/Volvo Ocean Race
Sam Greenfield/Volvo Ocean Race
© Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race
© Jen Edney/Volvo Ocean Race
© Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© James Blake/Volvo Ocean Race
© Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race
© Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race
© Jeremie Lecaudey/Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3,
Cape Town to Melbourne, day 15, on board Dongfeng. French skipper Charles
Caudrelier under pressure as he loses his lead to Spanish rivals MAPFRE. 24
December, 2017.
Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race