Green Dragon Finishes in Cape Town
09:18 GMT Monday, November 3rd, 2008. |
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At 07:12 GMT (09:12 local time) today, Green Dragon crossed the finish line in Cape Town. She is the fourth boat to finish leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race, which was won by Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA).
After being at sea for 22 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes and 35 seconds (22:19:12:35),
skipper Ian Walker said, "It is definitely good to be here. The first 10
days of this leg were easy and then it got tight and tactical with four or five
race leaders right across the leg. Obviously, we were very happy coming first
at the gate and the boys did a great job. Waking up this morning and seeing Table
Mountain was a great feeling." |
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Green Dragon arrives into Cape Town
on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ian Moore - navigator
added, "I've done this leg of the Volvo before, but it
did seem that this leg was windier but easier, but it still
seems like a very long way. I honestly love being back in Cape
Town, it is a very special place. We saw the outline of the
mountain at dawn, with the lion's head, and we always have
a fantastic warm welcome here, there is a special atmosphere.
It was an exciting finish to the leg and I am pleased with
what we have done." |
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Green Dragon arrives into Cape Town
on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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It has been
a harsh opening leg for first-timer Ian Walker. The team found
itself parked for hours off Gibraltar and the good lead they
built up was lost when PUMA and Telefónica Black sailed
right up to them in the dying breeze. In the approach to the
Cape Verde island, Walker played his Stealth card, secretly
sailing Green Dragon straight though the middle of the islands,
but emerging still in fourth place. |
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Green Dragon arrives into Cape Town on
leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Fortunes
turned on day eight and the Dragons, now positioned to the
west, came storming up through the fleet. Navigator Ian Moore
had a smile on his face at last. "I guess we will know
in the next 24 hours if our strategy paid off, "Moore
wrote. "If not, the boys will be very dark." |
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Green Dragon arrives into Cape Town
on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Third place
was good enough as the team contended with the vagaries of
the Doldrums on day nine, but the next day saw them at the
top of the leaderboard, a lead they held until after passing
through the mid-leg scoring gate. But, their position was under
attack and, on day 14, Telefónica Black snatched the
lead. There were just two miles between them, and PUMA was
just 3 nm astern. "We are going to fight tooth and nail" wrote
Walker. |
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Green Dragon arrives into Cape Town on
leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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As the fleet
geared up for the 40-knot gale and the sleigh ride to Cape
Town, Walker predicted that the boats which did not keep up
with the pace, would drop off the back of the weather system
and lose hundreds of miles. "It's our job not to let that
happen to us," he said.
On day 18, Green Dragon was in third
place, and the most southerly yacht in the fleet. For an hour,
the boat averaged 25 knots. "Clearly, doing this for 24-hours
(to chase the record) is another thing altogether and we are
on the edge," he said. |
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Skipper Ian Walker and Green Dragon's
crew dockside in Cape Town after completing leg 1 of
the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Then, the Dragon was wounded, burying her bow so hard that the spinnaker came back and stove in the pulpit and forward stanchions before ripping to pieces. This was followed by a deafening crunch as the boat hit something and came to almost a complete standstill.
"I don't really know where to start as the last 24-hours have been so incident-packed," wrote Walker in his daily blog. As they reached the latitude of 35 degrees south, another spinnaker was shredded as the crew pressed the boat in attempt to catch Ericsson 3. But to no avail. Ericsson eventually finished 27 mm ahead of the Dragons after a long fight. |
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The crew of Green Dragon are treated
to Irish Beef and Cheese on the dockside after completing
leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"There
is only one thing for it in Cape Town and that is to get in
the bar and trade some war stories as sailors love to do. My
story will be of our night time collision and the ensuing panic-stricken
thoughts, and of a multitude of nosedives form which I saw
no escape," Walker said today as the team approached the
finish line. |
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Media Crew Member Guo Chuan and
Skipper Ian Walker dockside in Cape Town after completing
leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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The next boat to finish will be Telefónica Blue at around midday GMT today.
Leg One Finishing Order into Cape Town
1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA)
2. PUMA USA (Ken Read / USA)
3. Ericsson 4 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE)
4. Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR)
Overall Leaderboard (Provisional)
1. Ericsson 4: 14 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 13 points (FINISHED)
3. Green Dragon: 11 points (FINISHED)
4. Telefónica Blue: 6 points (RACING)
5. Telefónica Black: 6 points (RACING)
6. Ericsson 3: 5 points (FINISHED)
7. Delta Lloyd: 2 points (RACING)
8. Team Russia: 1 point (RACING)
Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for
all the latest news!
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