Points and
Glory in the making
Leg 6 Day 16 - 14:39 GMT Sunday, April 26, 2009. |
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| Now in the closing stages of the 4,900 nm leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race from Rio de Janeiro to Boson, USA, the intensity onboard at least the first four boats in the fleet is almost unbearable. |
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Chasing down Ericsson 4, onboard Ericsson
3, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro
to Boston.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Having led the fleet for the majority of the leg, Bouwe Bekking’s Telefónica Blue relinquished her position two days ago to Ericsson 4, who at 13:00 GMT today had just 67 miles to go to the finish line.
Only 18 miles separate the first four boats; the points and the glory are there for the taking, but it will be a huge fight to the finish now and the order on the podium is by no means certain. |
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Telefonica Blue currently in third
position, is chaesd by PUMA Ocean Racing, approximately
80 miles from the finish of leg 6 in Boston.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| Summing up the feeling in the fleet, Ericsson 3’s navigator, Aksel Magdahl said, "I think that every mistake we make may cost us a place, and I do not want to be at the finish knowing we could have done better without a small mistake. That is a terrible feeling, so better do our absolute maximum out here." |
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Askel Magdahl at the navigation station,
on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro
to Boston.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Currently, Ericsson 4 leads the pack and is averaging a respectable 13.3 knots towards the finish. Seven miles behind, but two knots slower is Ericsson 3.
Former leader, Telefónica Blue currently holds third place but is also averaging around 11 knots of boatspeed. |
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Ericsson 4 leading the fleet, approximately
80 miles from the finish of leg 6 in Boston.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Only two miles behind is PUMA, making a challenge for the third podium position, a result that would be all the more sweeter as Boston is the team’s home port.
Based on current speeds the first boat is expected to cross the finish in Boston at around 1900 GMT (14:00 local time). |
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PUMA Ocean Racing currently in 4th
place, chases Telefonica Blue, approximately 80 miles
from the finish of leg 6 in Boston.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Scoring Gate Results Fernando de Noronha
1. Telefónica Blue - 19:58:56 GMT 16.04.09 - 4 Points
2. Ericsson 4 - 22:55:36 GMT 16.04.09 - 3.5 Points
3. Delta Lloyd - 23:28:32 GMT 16.04.09 - 3 Points
4. Puma - 23:29:31 GMT 16.04.09 - 2.5 Points
5. Telefónica Black - 23:42:20 GMT 16.04.09 - 2 Points
6. Ericsson 3 - 00:14:28 GMT 17.04.09 - 1.5 Points
7. Green Dragon - 01:27:26 GMT 17.04.09 - 1 Point |
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Ericsson 4 in mid gybe, on leg 6
of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Leg 6 Day 16 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) DTF 67 nm
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson / SWE) +7 nm
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) +16 nm
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +18 nm
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermúdez / ESP) +96 nm
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) 114 nm
Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +125 nm
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) DNS
Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for
all the latest news! |
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