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The fleet is complete again following "Sanya"'s arrival at Miami yesterday, one and a half months after pulling out of the fourth leg

Since yesterday afternoon the entire Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 has been reunited in Miami, from where next Sunday the fleet will be setting off for the old continent. Before they do that there is much to be done: it is time for some serious work on shore.    

"We lifted the yacht off the water on the 10th and it'll be back on the water tomorrow (Monday)", said the team's technical director, Horacio Carabelli.

"The idea is to begin with some intensive training sessions, every day. We want to improve as much as we can and to make some adjustments to the communication among the crew, as well as to adapt some of the in-port racing manoeuvres".

Maintenance work in a sauna
"Telefónica" can now be found right next to the imposing Miami Heat stadium, the local team kicking off the second round of the NBA play-offs today.

After the tough conditions of the Southern Ocean on the previous leg, Carabelli admitted that the recently finished leg  was very calm in terms of conditions, "with very little breeze", so in terms of preparing the boat, and although they might have finished one or two days later than expected, "there aren't many jobs to be done on the boat, which came in with very few problems. We are carrying out the routine tasks and tuning what we've got. It's gone very well so far and I hope that continues", he added.

The ten days of in depth checks at Itajai (Brazil) also made an impact, which was very positive in this case and has made a big difference: "The main part was done in Itajai and we made a lot of progress, which made things much easier here in Miami", where work is focussing on the routine checks carried out on the yacht. However, these are being done under the intense heat, the humidity and the sudden tropical storms over the past few days in Miami. Below deck has become nothing short of a sauna with Team Telefónica trying to do the work at times when the temperatures are lower.

There is also some work being done on the mast, focussing mainly on maintenance, as the rigging being used by "Telefónica" was installed in Brazil. Another important aspect of the work being carried out is in the Team Telefónica sails department in Miami, where improvements to sail development are being made.

Fortunately for the Spanish damage was negligible for this leg, as the head of the shore crew pointed out: "The sail structure was very good and we only had a rip in the Code Zero. It's a small 'seven' which is being repaired, but there's no big damage. Everything is going really well in that department".

Atlantic crossing in sight
The crew headed up by Iker Martínez know that they have a difficult leg ahead of them: it's time to cross the Atlantic again, where strong winds are always on the cards, although, as Horacio Carabelli explains, this crossing might be a bit different to previous editions: "We're not setting off from Boston like we did in other editions, but from Miami. We're also going to Lisbon, which is a bit further south than where we usually stop off, so there may be less breeze. However there can always be a front moving in and we mustn't forget that we're crossing the Atlantic and that must always be respected".

That's why the work taking place recently on shore is so important for the future and for keeping the boat and crew in one piece. With only 23 days of racing left it's important not to underestimate any of the legs ahead. "It's a very important leg for us as the difference points-wise with the other teams has narrowed and we have to try to win, as we have been up until here. The crew have done a great job up until now and I hope we can continue to do so and maintain the lead in Lisbon", concluded Carabelli.

Weekly Programme
Monday 14: "Telefónica" back on the water.
Tuesday 15: First Miami training session.
Thursday 17: Official Training Race.
Friday 18: ProAm Race.
Saturday 19: In-shore race.
Sunday 20: Start of Leg 7 (Miami - Lisbon).