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Tenacity
Beyond Doubt: Ericsson 3 Scores Well-Earned Points, Re-Stocks
In Qingdao And Starts Leg 5.
10:00 GMT Saturday, February 14, 2009. |
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Magnus Olsson
/ SWE and his crew racing Ericsson 3 were simply not going
to give away points. Retiring after their boat was seriously
damaged in the crossing between Luzon Island in the Philippines
and the northern tip of Taiwan, was not an option for this
team, whose tenacity is beyond doubt.
Four points for finishing in fifth place were on offer
and they belonged to Ericsson 3. |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE), finishes Leg 4, on start Day for
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao, China,
to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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"I think
I’ve done 40 legs in the Whitbread / Volvo and I have
never abandoned a leg," said skipper Magnus Olsson.
"I have always finished and this feels like the best finish
I have ever made. And the reason is our fantastic boat builders
and shore team. They never gave up even when it looked hopeless.
They battled on and wanted us to finish in time for the next
start and we almost made it" he added. |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE), finishes Leg 4, on start Day for
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao, China,
to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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The original
incident where the boat was damaged was a terrifying experience
for the crew who, on day 10 of Volvo Ocean Race leg four
from Singapore to Qingdao in China, discovered the bow compartment
of their boat was full of water and found a four-metre crack
and an open hole in the hull.
As soon as the boat started leaking, Olsson turned the
bow back towards Taiwan where he steered for shelter and
the sanctity of a boat yard that could make assess the
damage. |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE) (pictured), finishes Leg 4 on start
Day for Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao,
China, to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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The damage was
serious. A boat yard was found which could make the repairs
but it required a painful 20-hour trip with a tugboat precariously
towing a rusty barge loaded with Ericsson 3.
Boat builders were flown in from all corners of the globe,
a new piece of bow section was built in Italy and flown
to the new yard and suddenly the impossible looked possible. |
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Ericsson 3’s new bow piece
fitted and the team undertake final repairs before
the boat was re-launched to continue leg 4 from
Taiwan to Qingdao.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| "We have
really worked like maniacs," said 59-year old skipper
Magnus Olsson, the oldest skipper in the race. "The
boat builders and sailors have fought around the clock and
now we’re back on track. I really want to give all
the guys credit for a fantastic job." |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE) (pictured), finishes Leg 4 on start
Day for Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao,
China, to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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On 11 February,
the team returned to the spot where they suspended racing
and restarted leg four at 23:44 GMT. They arrived in Qingdao
at 10:01 GMT or 18:01 local time.
But there was no time for big celebrations for this team.
No rest or relaxation, no prize giving to attend and no
in-port race to take part, when they arrived in China.
Instead, the team was greeted by jubilant friends and family
dockside and an eager shore crew ready to get started.
There was a serious race against time to get the boat loaded
with provisions, a new main sail and equipment for the
longest leg of the race. It only took the well organised
team just over an hour to get back off the dock again. |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE), finishes Leg 4, on start Day for
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao, China,
to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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At 19:50 local
time, (11:50 GMT) Ericsson 3 crossed the start line of leg
five, nearly seven hours after PUMA, Ericsson 4, and Green
Dragon. It will be another 12,300 nautical miles for this
crew until they can relax.
Meanwhile, Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED),
which suffered damage earlier today, just minutes before
the start of leg five, has been hauled out of the water.
A crack has appeared in the keel and the keel bulb has
been damaged.
"That crack shouldn’t have been there, said Bouwe
Bekking. "We have to do it the proper way. We have to be
100 per cent sure. A structural problem would be a major and
then it’s a drama. I don’t even want to think about
that." |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE), finishes Leg 4, on start Day for
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao, China,
to Rio De Janeiro.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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Leg
Four Finishing Order Qingdao
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) 8 points
PUMA (Ken Read / USA) 7 points
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) 6 points
Green Dragon (Ian Walker) 5 points
Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson) 4 points
Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) DNF: 2 points
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez / ESP)DNF: 2 points
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) DNS. |
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Ericsson 3 skippered by Magnus
Olsson (SWE), finishes Leg 4, on start Day for
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao, China,
to Rio De Janeiro. At over 12,000 miles, Leg
5 is the longest leg ever attempted in the history
of the race.
Photo © Dave Kneale/ Volvo Ocean Race.
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Overall
Leaderboard at the end of Leg 4, including Qingdao in-port
race
Ericsson 4: 49 points
Telefónica Blue: 42 points
PUMA: 41 points
Green Dragon: 30 points
Ericsson 3: 28 points
Telefónica Black 21 points
Delta Lloyd: 12 points
Team Russia:10.5 points.
Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for
all the latest news! |
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Team Russia
suspends operations in Singapore |
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| As Team
Russia has suspending its operations after arriving in Singapore,
it hasn’t
ruled out returning to the race at a later date should sponsorship
be found. The team remains unique in the eight boat fleet
in not having any naming or title sponsorship. For anyone
interested in helping out Team Russia with sponsorship so
they can continue to race, more information can be found
on their website at: http://www.teamrussia.org/en/partners/view/become_a_team_sponsor/ |
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Previous
Singapore and Leg 4 Articles. |
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| Green
Dragon arrives in home port of Qingdao after a battering
- 15:02 GMT Sat, Jan 31, 2009. |
| One Step At A Time For Green Dragon - Leg 4 Day 12 - 14:24 GMT Thur, Jan 29, 2009. |
| Unbelievable Effort As Puma Finishes Second In Leg Four - 11:29 GMT Thur, Jan 29, 2009. |
| Ecstatic Win For Telefónica Blue In Leg Four - 10:57 GMT Thursday, January 29, 2009. |
| Thrilling Race for Finish - Leg 4 Day 11 - 14:44 GMT Wednesday, January 28, 2009. |
| Ericsson 4 Crew email Leg 4 Day 11 - 12:16 GMT Wednesday, January 28, 2009. |
| Delta
Lloyd Heads To Taiwan With Structural Damage - 20:32
GMT Tue, Jan 27, 2009. |
| Ericsson
3 Trouble - Conditions Deteriorate East China
Sea -14:40 GMT Tue, Jan 27, 2009. |
| Survival Mode In Angry Seas - Leg 4 Day 9 - 15:04 GMT Monday, January 26, 2009. |
| Commanding
Lead For Telefónica Blue - 14:40
GMT Sunday, January 25, 2009. |
| Storm Conditions Take Their Toll - Leg 4 Day 7 - 15:27 GMT Saturday, January 24, 2009. |
| The Last Day in Paradise - Leg 4 Day 6 - 14:49 GMT Friday, January 23, 2009. |
| Green
Dragon Loses forestay but saves mast - 14:58 GMT Thursday, January 22, 2009. |
| Telefónica
Black Leads Pack Through Marine Minefield - 15:38 GMT
Wed, Jan 21, 2009. |
| A Chance To Gain, Or A Chance To Lose - 14:47 GMT Tuesday, January 20, 2009. |
| A
Soldier’s March - Leg 4 Day 2 14:28 GMT Monday,
January 19th, 2009. |
| The race north begins - By Lucy Harwood, Green Dragon, Sunday January 18, 2009. |
| Ericsson 4 and Puma Lead Start Of Leg Four - 07:11 GMT Sunday, January 18th, 2009. |
| Cold and Dangerous Waters Ahead - 11:05 GMT Friday, January 16, 2009. |
| Ericsson 4 Wins In-Port Race Singapore, 09:57 GMT Saturday, January 10, 2009. |
| Crew List UBS In-Port Race Singapore, 05:29 GMT Saturday, January 10, 2009. |
| All systems go for Singapore In-Port Race - 08:15 GMT January 9, 2009. |
| Team Russia suspends operations in Singapore - 09:48 GMT December 29 2008. |
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| Produced by boats.com Europe, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinion, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors. |
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