Volvo Ocean Race | Fastnet update, Day 2

We're following Team SCA and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the Fastnet Race, as two teams who will be rivals again in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 vie for early bragging rights. As of 1700 local time, Team SCA are ahead of the Abu Dhabi boat after rounding the northern edge of the Isles of Scilly.

Cameron Dueck/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

Update at 1700 BST:

The two Volvo Ocean Race teams are now just less than 100 miles away from Fastnet Rock, with SCA leading Abu Dhabi by 4.45 miles.

Both teams are sailing upwind in 13 knots of northwesterly wind, behind the two leading boats in the class, the larger ICAP Leopard and Esimit Europa 2.

Earlier today Walker estimated a rounding time of the rock around 0600 or 0700 tomorrow morning, with bumpy conditions but light wind.

It will be an upwind night across the Celtic Sea for all the boats.

Update at 1200 BST:
The two Volvo Open 70s are behind Esimit Europa 2 and ICAP Leopard, the leading boats in the IRC Z and CK class.

“From now on it’s a dead beat upwind all the way to the Fastnet Rock in 12 to 18 knots of north-westerly wind,” said Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker on the phone at 1000 BST. "We should round it around 0600 or 0700 tomorrow morning if the wind holds.

“It’s a little bit bumpy right now and even though everybody is doing a good job, it’s quite different having 16 people on the boat. It’s a lot of people and sailing upwind with all the sails down below is not particularly enjoyable right now but the conditions are very nice on deck.

“We are not even half way yet, so there are lots of miles left! Let’s see what happens on the run back after the rock. It’s good to be back on Azzam. If we had some windy racing reaching, it would be even better… But the truth is, these are very, very nice sailing conditions.

“If I had to guess an ETA in Plymouth, I’d say Wednesday morning or lunchtime. It depends if the wind holds.”

Update at 0700 BST:
Team SCA and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are heading towards the Isles of Scilly before they reach Fastnet Rock, with SCA enjoying a slender lead. In these light conditions, both Volvo Open 70s are behind the IRC Z and CK leaders Esimit Europa 2 and ICAP Leopard.

Abu Dhabi's Azzam is leeward of the Team SCA crew this morning, sailing in around 15 knots of northwesterly wind at 12 knots of boat speed. SCA, who will have an all-female team for the Volvo Ocean Race, have five confirmed crew members on board along with four candidates, plus three male coaches, including skipper Brad Jackson.

There are 420 miles left to the finish in Plymouth, with a Tuesday afternoon ETA for the fastest monohulls.

Both teams will be pleased to have successfully negotiated Sunday's start, when they were fighting their way through a 335-strong fleet.

“We had a really good start,” Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker reported from Azzam. “The biggest thing is avoiding all these smaller boats right now; we need to keep our wits about us to avoid a collision.”

Who from Team SCA and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing will tack first to sail north of the Isles of Scilly before heading for Fastnet rock?

We will call our teams while at sea and bring you the latest news on volvooceanrace.com. Check back here for updates during the day!