Sunrise Finish For Ericsson 3
06:43 GMT Monday, November 3, 2008. |
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Ericsson 3, skippered by Sweden's Anders Lewander crossed the finish line at 04:08 GMT (06:08 local time) today, after 22 days, 16 hours 08 mins and 50 secs at sea. She is the third boat to arrive in Cape Town at the end of the 6,500 nautical mile leg, which started from Alicante in Spain on October 11. Her stablemate, Ericsson 4, is already in Cape Town and flying the leg winner's flag and leading the race overall.
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into
Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"I am
very proud of the team," said skipper Anders Lewander. "It
is fantastic coming to Cape Town: what an achievement for us.
We have fought really hard and come back with great attitude.
All the hours of preparation were worthwhile. We have had a
lot of hard work, but we've got through and built on our spirit." |
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into
Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3 is sailed by an all-Nordic crew, with one exception. Watch captain Richard Mason from New Zealand, although Mason has lived in Sweden for a number of years. Mason has done this race twice before and his counterpart on the other watch, veteran sailor, Magnus Olsson, is on his sixth lap of the planet. The duo brings vast experience and knowledge to balance the youthful enthusiasm of the rest of the crew, a cocktail that has been clearly proven by the team's outstanding performance on this leg. |
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape
Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Speaking about
the tough conditions the crew faced, watch captain Magnus Olsson
said in his usual upbeat way. "We all love those conditions,
that is the reason we do this. You don't need to sleep, you
can't sleep. It is so fun, you don't know where you are, water
everywhere, the boat is going so fast and you don't know if
you are going to die or survive. It's fantastic." |
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into
Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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At the start
of leg, Ericsson 3 led the fleet, with Ericsson 4, through
the Straits of Gibraltar. Going straight between the middle
of the Cape Verde islands, the Nordic-crewed boat then had
a challenging passage through the Doldrums before having to
stop briefly at the scoring gate in Brazil for a spare part. |
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape
Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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When 40
knot gales were forecast, on day 16, 26 October, Eivind Melleby
the Norwegian helmsman said, "We will have to hold on
tight and keep the crew and equipment in once piece." Navigator
Aksel Magdahl, also a Norwegian, added, "We will just
do it our way and see how good that is. I am sure some of the
more experienced teams will push hard, but we will set our
own pace. We will give it our best." |
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into
Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Day 19 caused
the experienced Richard Mason to exclaim, "The worst watch
of my life. We were in a squall for four hours and it was pitch
black, absolutely no visibility at all. I couldn't see the
waves and no horizon. We had everything from 19 - 46 knots
of wind," he said. "Going with the chute up in that
much breeze on one of these boats, when you can't see a thing,
is as terrifying as it gets. It just doesn't get any harder
than it was tonight. The guys did a great job to get the boat
and ourselves through it in once piece," he said. |
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A double celebration for skipper Anders
Lewnader as he celebrates his birthday.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3
went into battle with the wounded Green Dragon on day 20 (30
October) and finally overhauled them, but the Dragons were
constantly breathing fire. By day 23, the strain was beginning
to show. "Everything is getting to its edge. The situation
feels close and stressful," said MCM Gustav Morin. A couple
of bad sail changes slowed Ericsson 3 down, and a plastic bag
caught around the keel did not help matters. But Nordic team
pressed on and were delighted to finish 27 nm ahead of Ian
Walker and the Green Dragon. |
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Crew of Ericsson 3 get a blast of
champagne in Cape Town.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3 is the third boat to arrive in Cape Town and will score four leg points, taking into account the earlier measurement penalty imposed by the International Jury in October (for racing while her keel was not rule-compliant, see http://noticeboard.volvooceanrace.org/?p=315).
According to the ruling, Ericsson 3 will have two points docked from her leg one score of six. One point was previously deducted from her point total at the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha as well as from the in-port race in Alicante.
On current form, the next boat to finish will be Green Dragon, in approximately 90 minutes.
Leg One Finishing Order into Cape Town
1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA)
2. PUMA USA (Ken Read / USA)
3. Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE)
Overall Leaderboard (Provisional) - following the first three finishes
1. Ericsson 4: 14 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 13 points (FINISHED)
3. Telefónica Blue: 6 points (RACING)
4. Telefónica Black: 6 points (RACING)
5. Green Dragon: 6 points (RACING)
6. Ericsson 3: 5 points (FINISHED)
7. Delta Lloyd: 2 points (RACING)
8. Team Russia: 1 point (RACING)
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