Leg 4 Week
1 Summary: Last Day In Paradise
22:36 GMT Saturday, January 24, 2009. |
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Leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao in China was slated as being one of the hardest sections of this edition of the race. Before the finish in China, it was expected that the fleet would face difficult upwind conditions, freezing temperatures and boat-breaking sea states caused by fierce currents. Nothing short of the truth.
When the start gun fired last Sunday, 18 January, seven teams - Team Russia is sitting this leg out due to lack of funding - lined up to take on the challenge of the South China Seas. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) and PUMA (Ken Read / USA) led the charge off the line. |
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The start of leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean
Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China. In the background
are some of the vast number of ships anchored outside
this busy global maritime crossroad.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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On day two, the fleet was formation sailing, following in each other’s tracks and enjoying the sailing, knowing harder times were ahead. PUMA had swapped places with Ericsson 4, but the fleet was close together with no tactical options.
But bad weather was on its way and the race committee took precautions. A decision was taken to modify the course to include a waypoint at South Rock Light.
Positioned near to Manila in the Philippines, this waypoint would keep the fleet to the east of the South China Sea and in the lee of the Philippine islands to provide shelter from the approaching storm. |
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New crew member Klaes Nylof onboard
Ericsson 3 on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Directly in the path of the fleet were the notorious Spratly Islands. The fleet sped headlong towards them, weaving and ducking uncharted shoals, reefs and atolls. Highlighting the navigational difficulies, the Admiralty Sailing Directions described the area as ‘badly charted’ and ‘possibly in error by many miles’.
"It was a nervous few minutes as we passed through the worst of, watching the depth sounder drop to just a few metres several times over," wrote Telefónica Blue’s navigator, Simon Fisher. Fisher poured a few drops of Sangria, sneaked onboard by the shore crew to celebrate his 31st birthday, into the water to appease King Neptune and ensure he would watch over them as they sailed across the 200-mile Luzon Strait towards Taiwan. The other teams had no gifts for Neptune and paid the price four days later. |
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A tense time for navigator Simon Fisher
front, skipper Bouwe Bekking centre and meteorologist
Tom Addis back, onboard telefonica Blue during leg 4
of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) became the new leader as the fleet continued on day four, to pick its way through the marine minefield. The teams still had 30 hours to run until they reached the weather waypoint and became spread over an inshore/offshore divide of 91 nautical miles.
On day five, 22 January, Neptune claimed his first victim. Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR) broke her forestay. The team was in fourth place and the mast was saved from going over the side by some quick thinking by the crew, who jury rigged the stay and carried on. But it was a bitter disappointment for Walker and his crew. PUMA regained the lead and surprisingly, Ericsson 4 was in last place, a new position for Torben Grael and his men. |
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Anders Dahlsjo wrapping the staysail
onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race
from Singapore to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Day six was the last day in paradise before the teams descended into Hell. A storm was approaching the fleet, timed perfectly to sweep over the fleet just as it popped out from the shelter of Luzon Island, the most northerly of the Philippines. Bekking said at the time that the storm could decide the outcome of the race. How right he was.
As the fleet converged on South Rock Light, it was Telefónica Black in the lead from PUMA and Telefónica Blue. The teams then short-tacked up the shore of Luzon Island as the wind began to build. Mainsails were reefed and smaller headsails hoisted as the seas became confused. |
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Navigator Roger Nilsson and skipper
Fernando Echavarri plan their strategy, when they on
leading boat Telefonica Black, on leg 4 of the Volvo
Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Mikel Pasabant / Telefonica Black / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Magnus Olsson / SWE, standing in as skipper for Anders Lewander on Ericsson 3, caught his thumb in a runner block and an ‘onboard’ operation had to be carried out to remove the crushed nail. He was lucky as it could have been so much worse.
Then came the storm.
It brought out the pure seamanship of the fleet rather than the hard racing ability of the seven crews. Data off the boats indicated top wind speeds near 50 knots and maximum wave heights of 14 metres. The high waves were caused by the wind blowing against the prevailing current to produce a sharp, steep swells. |
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PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken
Read (USA), breaks their boom in over 50 knots of wind
and 20 feet high waves, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean
Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"We have been sheltering behind Luzon Island for most of the day after trying to go upwind in 45+ knots," wrote Guy Salter, MCM onboard Ericsson 4.
"All I can say is that it was far from pleasant. We ended up sailing the last few hours under storm jib only, slowly creeping our way closer to the top of the Philippines before waiting for an ease in pressure to attempt the crossing over to Taiwan and through some very tidal seas, which could be boat-wreckers to say the least," he added. |
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Ericsson 4 in 50 knots of wind, on leg
4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao,
China.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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His words seemed prophetic, as some of those ahead who ventured out into the Luzon Strait, found it didn’t take long for the challenging conditions to exact a toll.
At 02:00 GMT, PUMA (Ken Read / USA) turned south while in the lead and headed downwind. The have now anchored in a bay. Ken Read said, "We’re busted and we are in a harbour. It’s pretty disappointing. Quite a devastating day for us. We have broken our boom in half. At the time, there was 50 knots of breeze and 20-foot seas, with waves breaking over the top of the boat." |
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At 07:15 GMT, Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez
/ ESP pictured) turns back from the Luzon Strait for
the calmer waters of the coast to repair a damaged steering
wheel, ripped mainsail and a damaged mast track.
Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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At 05:30 GMT, the new leaders Telefónica Black, who had been sailing conservatively under storm sails, pulled off the racecourse to investigate a crack in the hull.
By 10:00 GMT, the team was back at sea, beginning their dash across the Luzon Strait behind sistership Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED), the new leader, but the crew was worried about the damage to the hull and at 11:30 GMT, they turned back again to the coast to assess the damage further.
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez / ESP) also turned back from the Luzon Strait for the calmer waters of the coast to repair a damaged steering wheel, ripped mainsail and a damaged mast track. The team suspended racing at 10:10 GMT, (under race rules for a minimum of 12 hours), and anchored in a bay just north of Vigan.
Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR), already nursing a damaged rig, followed Delta Lloyd’s lead and headed inshore. The boat suffered damage to the forward ring frame. |
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Andrew McLean carefully mixing resin
for repairs on Green Dragon, on leg 4 of the Volvo
Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"Our intention is to make some repairs and get underway," Ian Walker in a radio interview. The forward ring frame had disintegrated, so the crew had to try to reinforce it and re-bond it to the hull.
"We have some materials and some know-how, and we will use a bit of ingenuity," Walker said.
For the teams making repairs, the timing was critical. According to Walker, there was a three or four-day window to get to Qingdao before the weather turned bad there, so the teams would have to leave their safe havens when it was probably still rough, in order to get to China before the weather closed in. |
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Sunrise as PUMA Ocean Racing prepare
to leave safe anchorage of the Philippines to continue
racing leg 4 to Qingdao, China.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Telefónica Blue pressed on out into the Luzon Strait. Bekking said, "This will be a case of ‘survival’ now, for the next 36 hours or so. We are going to take it easy, there is too much at stake," he said.
Leg 4 Day 7 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
1. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) DTF 1022 nm
2. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson / SWE) +78
3. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) +79
4. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) +80
5. Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +107
6. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +125
7. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bérmudez / ESP) SUS
8. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) DNS
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