From boots to shorts
Leg 2 Week 2 summary - 15:23 GMT Friday, November 28th, 2008. |
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Week two began with the fleet sailing in lighter conditions and the big dry-out began. After the harsh times of week one, when damage was widespread and broaches and Chinese gybes commonplace, the crew appreciated the new conditions and took advantage of the warm air to dry out the boats and kit.
"It’s amazing how fast the change from full wet weather gear, fleeces and boots, was to only shorts," commented Gustav Morin MCM onboard Ericsson 3. "All around the boat you can find bits of clothing hung up as everyone tries to get stuff dried out before we begin reaching once more," said Telefónica Blue’s navigator, Simon Fisher. |
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Foul weather gear is laid out to dry
onboard Team Russia, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race,
from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Mark Covell / Team Russia / Volvo Ocean Race.
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On day eight, it was an all-Ericsson affair with Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) in charge of the fleet with Ericsson 3 (Ander Lewander / SWE) just three miles astern, positioned in the north.
Just when everything seemed to be going right for the beleaguered Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED), it all went wrong again on day nine, November 23. The boat was loving the conditions, the crew was pushing hard, slowly, but surely and the team was climbing back up the leader board. Then they heard a big bang and everything had changed.
"We snapped one of our daggerboards, the boards that prevent the boat from slipping sideways," explained Bouwe Bekking. "We destroyed it and had to stop the boat for 45 minutes," he said. Even worse, the little speed they were able to do was on the wrong tack and sailing away from the finish in India. The crew found hammers, chisels and hacksaws to try to cut the board free but, in the end, Pepe Ribes from Spain was lowered into the water to get rid of all the bits so the board could be raised. |
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Pepe Ribes from Spain checking the
broken daggerboard onboard Telefonica Blue.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Meanwhile, the jury was out onboard Green Dragon, as to whether or not an attempt should be made to repair the boom they broke during week one. "When we have the mainsail set up [and] it looks good," said skipper Ian Walker. "The problems are when we need to react quickly to shifts, or gusts, as we have about four sheets hanging off it," he said.
By day 10, the fleet had reached the southeast trade winds and were clicking off the miles towards the finish. The helmets and goggles were back on as the waves crashed over the boat, but the motion was better and the water warmer.
The direct route to Cochin was blocked by a windless area the size of Spain. Some would go east (Telefónica Blue and Telefónica Black), Kosatka Team Russia chose the western route and the rest of the fleet stuck together to barge straight through, or so they thought. |
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The crew of Green Dragon stack their
broken Boom, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from
Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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As the fleet compressed, the stress levels for the navigators went up a notch. On day 12, November 25, Ericsson 4 made her move. She made a massive gain thanks to a well-positioned rain shower and disappeared as if in ‘stealth’ mode, only to reappear from her early bath 45 nautical miles ahead.
The rest of the fleet was spitting. Torben Grael and his men were sailing almost twice as fast as their nearest opponents, but this was the Doldrums and to play poker with them is at your peril. The water temperature was up to 31 degrees and the wind speed was 1.3 knots from everywhere and nowhere. The chasing pack wallowed helplessly in the wake of Ericsson 4.
In the vagaries of the Doldrums, the fleet changed order. Green Dragon moved into third place behind Ericsson 3, and Team Russia and Delta Lloyd swapped places at the back of the fleet.
By day 13, the crews had renewed hope and energy as the end of the Doldrums appeared to be in sight and with Ericsson 4 long gone, the race for the other podium placed heated up. Ericsson 4 was now 62 nm ahead. Telefónica Blue had moved up to fourth place and was only a mile behind Green Dragon and Ericsson 3 who were fighting for second. Delta Lloyd was still going well and was in touch, just six miles astern of Telefónica Blue, but PUMA had dropped two places. |
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Dave Endean, Brad Jackson and Joao
Signorini onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 2 of the Volvo
Ocean Race, from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin,
India.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"I was told this Doldrums’ place could be a real killer, but I had no idea it could be this bad," exclaimed PUMA’s skipper, Ken Read. "Believe me, we aren’t trying to sail in the bad clouds, just the opposite. We are in a virtual pinball machine of bad clouds," he said.
Today day 14 and just when the teams were in the closing, all hopes of an early arrival evaporated as the wind died. Such conditions were leaving the crews frustrated, tired and anxious to just get ashore. However overnight, it was more doom and gloom for most of the fleet, as for Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) and Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED), life is looking pretty rosy.
Both teams have made more gains and Telefónica Blue stole a march to move up to second place, 111 nautical miles behind Ericsson 4, but with Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander / SWE) a safe 119 nm astern.
"All of a sudden, we are in second place," exclaimed Bouwe Bekking. "The guys in the east parked up badly and we take the glory for the time being, but I am holding my breath, especially as during the last couple of hundred miles, everything can happen." |
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Navigator Andrew Cape and crew
changing sails onboard PUMA Ocean Racing's il mostro,
on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cape Town, South
Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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For Ericsson 3 and the rest of the pack in the centre lane; Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR), Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez / ESP), PUMA (Ken Read / USA); the racing is difficult and frustrating.
"An anticlimax, that’s what this is. We have been racing hard in strong winds and rough seas for over a week and now there is a restart again," said Gustav Morin MCM on Ericsson 3. "We have a really nice team with a bunch of open and easy-going guys who are always up for a laugh. But even so, I can now really feel this negative energy onboard," he explained. He says that the crew on watch are trying to steer and trim as efficiently as possible and those that are off watch are trying to get some sleep in the sauna below. Others are trying to find something that needs repairing or listing to their IPods.
Last night, Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez / ESP) who is right up in the hunt in fifth place, hardly moved at all. Stuck and bobbing like a cork, but with three boats in sight - Ericsson 3, Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR) and PUMA (Ken Read / USA). On Delta Lloyd, the atmosphere is more positive. "Considering our slow pace, it is exciting racing out here," wrote navigator Matt Gregory from the USA early this morning. "Every zephyr moved us forward a couple of metres at a time and each metre was a gain on the others. We keep chipping away, little by little." But it was a night of metres and not miles which made Cochin, about 500 miles ahead, seem like a far off land. |
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Day 11, hardly andy waves for a long
time. Delta lloyd cruising into the Doldrums, defending
their 6th place, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race,
from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Onboard Green Dragon, the crew is beginning to consider their food and diesel supplies. Without diesel, they cannot make water. The team has provisioned for 19 days, but the wind is dropping to nothing again and the forecast is for worse.
Ian Walker and his team are considering their options; which vary from the ultimately professional attitude of staying patient, fighting for every inch and maintaining the intensity in desperately trying circumstances; to jokingly, switching on the engine and heading for a cool beer and fresh food in the Maldives. "We are still focussed on the professional approach, but I suspect that in a week’s time when we are still stuck out here, option two will look pretty good," he said wryly.
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Skipper Anders Lewander helming Ericsson
3, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cape Town,
South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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At 13:00 GMT today, Ericsson 4 holds a substantial lead of 111 nm over Telefónica Blue. Ericsson 3 is a further 119 nm behind in third place. But there is no time to relax on Ericsson 3. Green Dragon is snapping at her heels, just 10 miles behind and Delta Lloyd is putting the pressure on the Dragons just two miles astern. PUMA is in sixth position, five miles behind Delta Lloyd and 242 nm behind the leaders. But the gap widens to Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) who has had a string of breakages and now trails the leader by 274 nm.
It seems as if a windless area of the century is developing ahead of Team Russia, out to the east. "At the moment, we are sticking to our easterly option as the latest sched showed the same light airs in the west, just from a different direction," writes skipper Andreas Hanakamp / AUT. "It is just so easy to accept gains and so terribly hard to accept losses," he said. The team now trails the leaders by 355 nm.
With just 335 nm to go to the finish, computer routing software is predicting an early Sunday morning finish for Ericsson 4. But the wind is forecast to drop and this may well slip back. |
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Maciel Cicchetti peeling a sail onboard
Telefonica Black, on leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race,
from Cape Town, South Africa to Cochin, India.
Photo © Mikel Pasabant / Telefonica Black / Volvo Ocean
Race.
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Leg 2 Day 14 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) DTF 335 nm
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) +111
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE) +230
Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +240
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez / ESP) +242
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +247
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) +274
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) +355
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