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Iker Martínez: “The third leg was tricky in terms of the meteorology, but this leg is even more unpredictable”

Three hours after crossing the Equator, Iker Martínez found a moment to sit down in front of the computer and write an update whilst checking out the latest met forecasts with navigator Andrew Cape. The last 2,500 miles of racing on this leg throw up a lot of question marks and there a multiple strategic options on the table for the Spanish team to shuffle as they take on the Southern Hemisphere on this fourth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race.

“We're still here close hauling”, is how Iker Martínez began his message, reminding us that: “The third leg was tricky in terms of the meteorology, but this leg is proving to be even more unpredictable”.

Fortunately, according to the Basque sailor, the uncertainty of the met information has meant that the situation has taken a significant turn: “a few days ago we were convinced that we didn't have many chances open to us and that it would be a pure horse race down to New Zealand. Now things are getting more tricky, the headwinds are shifting much more than predicted and we don't know if we'll enter the top of the Solomon Islands or if we'll have to start tacking. The current is boxing us in increasingly and we need the breeze to get back to its original position or of not it will be much more difficult for everyone, and it would be much to our advantage if we can make the most of it. There are some other more risky options too, but we've been pushing around various theories in our heads for the past 30 hours or so but our more conservative side has won out against our spirit of adventure so far”.

Decisions: as a team and with a dash of humour

That's why taking decisions requires more implication than ever from the crew in the Spanish team. “Yesterday we had to call an emergency meeting on board to evaluate a possible course of action. We got together, but we all decided that the risk to be taken was too big so we decided to stick with our Plan A”.

Team work seems to be a strength of the crew on board “Telefónica”, both through the good times and the bad. “I think that there are people out there who think that because we're not in front we're all in a bad mood, or something like that... On board we're all well patiently waiting for an opportunity, but in general we have all tried to laugh at our own errors and to deal with everything with good humour”.

However, the double Olympic-medallist is well aware of “Telefónica”'s ability, and in the toughest of conditions the boat continues to give its all. “The boat helps us. We've got a great machine here and it inspires our trust. You could say that time is on your side when you've got as an all-round boat as ours”.

Stories from on board...

Iker Martínez also took the opportunity to describe the situation among the crew and the mood on board the racing yacht: “We are all well. Neal took a hit the other day, but he's a tough guy and he's recovered perfectly”.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the happiest person on the boat is Joca Signorini. Iker Martínez describes him: “Joca has a permanent smile on his face since his little girl was born and he's so pleased that everything went well and that his wife is fine”.

The “Telefónica” skipper continued with a smile saying: “everything else is as it always is... Capey's happy as long as he's got his chocolates and it's hard to get your hands on a slice of ham or cheese because the greedy guts on the boat have always got there first... And we still don't know whose cereals went flying the other day as we were crashing around with the waves as the person disappeared leaving most of the evidence stuck here, there and everywhere. I don't know why, but the toilet seems to be working at two hundred percent on this leg. The doctor must have put something in our food or in the supplements we take because sometimes you can see some of the guys surging towards the bow trying to take off their heavy weather gear as fast as they can. With all the nerves the other day Pablo even broke some of the rubber on his gear...”.

Thinking of dry land

On board “Telefónica” the crew don't only receive weather forecasts and position reports. Sometimes they even get some news from the shore, as Iker tells us: “As if the whole logistics side of things wasn't complex enough, the company taking care of transportation for us has loaded one of our containers onto the wrong ship... What a mess! It left Abu Dhabi and instead of heading for New Zealand, it's going to I don't know where! Now Horacio's making another cradle for the yacht as fast as he can so that we can get the boat off the water in Auckland, because if not, it would have to stay on the water until the next leg”.

“If it's not one thing, it's another... and it's always a race against time, and this regatta really is quite an adventure across the board”, concluded Iker Martínez.