Telefónica Blue Steals a March
Leg 2 Day 14 - 13:41 GMT Friday, November 28th, 2008. |
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Just when the teams racing in the closing stages of leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cape Town to Cochin, all hopes of an early arrival evaporated as the wind died. Such conditions were leaving the crews frustrated, tired and anxious to just get ashore. And while it has been doom and gloom for most of the fleet, life has been looking pretty rosy for Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) and Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED).
Overnight, both teams made more gains and Telefónica Blue stole a march to move up into second place, 111 nautical miles behind Ericsson 4, but with Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander / SWE) a safe 119 nm astern. |
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Crew members wearing helmets to stop
the spary hitting their faces, onboard Telefonica Blue
on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cape Town, South
Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"All of a sudden, we are in second place," exclaimed Bouwe Bekking. "The guys in the east parked up badly and we take the glory for the time being. But I am holding my breath, especially as during the last couple of hundred miles, everything can happen."
For Ericsson 3 and the rest of the pack in the centre lane; Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR), Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez / ESP), PUMA (Ken Read / USA); the racing is difficult and frustrating.
"An anticlimax, that’s what this is. We have been racing hard in strong winds and rough seas for over a week and now there is a restart again," said Gustav Morin MCM on Ericsson 3. "We have a really nice team, with a bunch of open and easy-going guys who are always up for a laugh. But even so, I can now really feel this negative energy onboard," he explained. He says that the crew on watch are trying to steer and trim as efficiently as possible and those that are off watch are trying to get some sleep in the sauna below. Others are trying to find something that needs repairing or listing to their IPods. |
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Martin Krite changing sails in light
shitfy breeze just before the Doldrums, on leg 2 of
the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cape Town, South Africa
to Cochin, India.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Last night, Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez / ESP) who is right up in the hunt in fifth place, hardly moved at all. Stuck and bobbing like a cork, but with three boats in sight - Ericsson 3, Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR) and PUMA (Ken Read / USA). On Delta Lloyd, the atmosphere is more positive.
"Considering our slow pace, it is exciting racing out here," wrote navigator Matt Gregory from the USA early this morning. "Every zephyr moved us forward a couple of metres at a time, and each metre was a gain on the others. We keep chipping away, little by little." But it was a night of metres and not miles which made Cochin, about 500 miles ahead, seem like a far off land. |
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Martin Watts and skipper Chuny check
the masthead C-0 trimm, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean
Race, from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Onboard Green Dragon, the crew is beginning to consider their food and diesel supplies. Without diesel, they cannot make water. The team has provisioned for 19 days, but the wind is dropping to nothing again and the forecast is for worse.
Ian Walker and his team are considering their options; which vary from the ultimately professional attitude of staying patient, fighting for every inch and maintaining the intensity in desperately trying circumstances; to, jokingly, switching on the engine and heading for a cool beer and fresh food in the Maldives. "We are still focussed on the professional approach, but I suspect that in a week’s time when we are still stuck out here, option two will look pretty good," he said wryly.
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Tom Braidwood and skipper Ian Walker
get sight of PUMA Ocean Racing in the Doldrums, on
leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cape Town, South
Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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At 13:00 GMT today, Ericsson 4 holds a substantial lead of 111 nm over Telefónica Blue. Ericsson 3 is a further 119 nm behind in third place. But there is no time to relax on Ericsson 3. Green Dragon is snapping at her heels just 10 miles behind and Delta Lloyd is putting the pressure on the Dragons, just another two miles astern.
PUMA is in sixth position, five miles behind Delta Lloyd and 242 nm behind the leaders. But the gap widens to Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP), who has had a string of breakages and now trails the leader by 274 nm. |
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Dave Endean and Phil Jameson onboard
Ericsson 4, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from
Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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It seems as if a windless area of the century is developing ahead of Team Russia, out to the east. "At the moment, we are sticking to our easterly option as the latest sched showed the same light airs in the west, just from a different direction," writes skipper Andreas Hanakamp / AUT. "It is just so easy to accept gains and so terribly hard to accept losses," he said. The team now trails the leaders by 355 nm.
With just 335 nm to go to the finish, computer routing software is predicting an early Sunday morning finish for Ericsson 4. But the wind is forecast to drop and this may well slip back. |
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On Team Russia as they prepare for
rough weather, earlier on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean
Race, from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Mark Covell / Team Russia / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Leg 2 Day 14 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) DTF 335 nm
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) +111
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE) +230
Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +240
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez / ESP) +242
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +247
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) +274
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +355
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