Severe seas threaten Volvo Ocean Race stage


SANYA, China (AP) -- Severe conditions in the South China Sea have raised the prospect of the first delayed start in the Volvo Ocean Race's 39-year history.

The fourth leg of the race from Sanya in China to Auckland, New Zealand, is due to start Sunday but forecasts of waves up to 10 meters and 50-knot winds have led some to urge a delay to as late as Wednesday.

"We're heading into hell," said Iker Martinez, the World Sailor of the Year and skipper of race leaders Telefonica. "I know that a delayed start is an option organizers are looking at and that seems like a good idea to me. No one's going to win the race here but you could definitely lose it on this start."

With only six boats contesting this year's race, organizers can ill afford a repeat of the last edition of the race when three boats suffered breakages in their passage through the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan.

"Our sailors are used to taking on treacherous conditions in all weathers but what we're looking at here is beyond reasonable," said Race CEO Knut Frostad, who added that the decision would be left until the last minute. "We're looking at waves like liquid mountain ranges and they can split a boat in two in a heartbeat."

The costs of a delay would be considerable, with organizers estimating a total bill of at least $500,000 if the start is put back to Wednesday.

Spain's Telefonica leads by 15 points from Team New Zealand, with France's Groupama in third.

The next points scoring opportunity will be on Saturday when the teams contest the Sanya in-port race. Leg four is due to take around 18 days, while the race itself will finish in Galway, Ireland, in July.



1. Telefonica (Spain) 95 points, 2. Camper/ETNZ (Spain/NZ) 80, 3. Groupama (France) 71, 4. Puma (U.S.) 48, 5. Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.) 39, 6. Sanya (China) 16