Telefónica Blue V Ericsson 4
Leg 3 Day 6 - 14:33 GMT Thursday, December 18, 2008. |
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| The wind filled in, just as it was supposed to, and Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED) was given a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Telefónica Blue’s plan of owning the right-hand side of the course on leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race to Singapore has worked and the team is now back in the game. But just how handsomely the payout will be is yet to be seen and that will depend on the direction in which the wind shifts. |
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One of the many tacks onboard Telefonica
Blue, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to
Singapore. Iker Martinez tailing, Bouwe Bekking at
the pumps together with Xabier Fernandez.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Mark Chisnell explains the possibilities in detail in this morning’s 10:00 ZULU Report which can be found on the Volvo ocean Race website.
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) is breathing down the necks of Telefónica Blue and has closed the deficit to just seven nautical miles. Whether Ericsson 4 will beat the blue boat to the scoring gate can only be determined by the wind Gods.
"We had some nervous moments yesterday as we watched the fleet from our far away right-hand corner," explains navigator Simon Fisher. "We have successfully managed to work our way back into the game and got the shift we were looking for. The shift came not a moment too soon." |
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Brad Jackson watching a storm cloud,
onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race
from India to Singapore.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Bouwe Bekking’s team was separated from the fleet by over 100 miles and just as the crew were starting to discuss a contingency plan to deal with a situation of the windshift failing to materialise, a line appeared on the water to signal its arrival. With it came an expression of relief on faces of the crew.
"Now it is a case of hanging on in there for the last few hundred miles into the entrance of the Straits of Malacca, in order to consolidate a decent position," says Fisher. |
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Stacking onboard Ericsson 3, on leg
3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| Onboard Ericsson 4, the plan is to gain miles on Telefónica Blue, but keep their distance from the rest of the fleet. There are just over 300 miles to run to the scoring gate at Pulau We, at the entrance to the Malacca Strait. |
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Lunch with some jib trimming, onboard
Team Russia, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from
India to Singapore.
Photo © Sergey Bogdanov / Team Russia / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| In a race that has seen the teams slide up and down the leaderboard on almost an hourly basis, Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander / SWE) is in third position today, just 28 nm behind the leader. Two miles behind her is PUMA (Ken Read / USA), who has found her way back in touch. PUMA has Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) two miles behind and Ericsson 3 to weather with both boats in sight. |
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Javier de la Plaza getting soaked onboard
Telefonica Black, in no wind, on leg 3 of the Volvo
Ocean Race from India to Singapore.
Photo © Mikel Pasabant / Telefonica Black / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"It’s very wet and not super-fun," said PUMA’s watch captain Sidney Gavignet in a radio interview this morning. He also explained that four of the crew are stricken with diahorea, which is leaving them with little energy.
Telefónica Black followed by a rather disheartened Green Dragon crew, whose boat is not suited to the current conditions. They at least have a good buffer over Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) and Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez / ESP), both over a 100 nm from the leader. |
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Casey Smith and Michael Muller pack
sails onboard il mostro, at the start of leg 3 of the
Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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This leg has been a big test of patience for the crews. An upwind slog for most of the leg, the ride is bumpy and unpleasant at best.
The eight-strong fleet is currently pounding upwind in 20 knots of wind against a sometimes very nasty seaway, with a little over 850 nm to go to the finish for the leaders. Speeds are averaging around 12 knots. Simon Fisher sums up the leg so far, "It has been described as the beat from hell, but I think that perhaps we are just warming up," he said. |
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Navigator Steve Hayles left and skipper
Ian Walker plan their next move onboard Green Dragon,
on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore.
Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| The next stage of this leg will see the fleet negotiate one of the busiest areas for shipping in the world. The Malacca Strait is the 500 nm channel between Sumatra (Indonesia) to the south and Malaysia to the north, which at its narrowest point is only 1.5 nm wide. There are reportedly masses of fishing boats, some of which may be unlit and all trawling with fishing lines or nets. "Let the fun begin," says Kenny Read, skipper of PUMA when he thinks about this next challenge.
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Bowman Morgan White changing the
sheet on the masthead C-O, on leg 3 of the Volvo
Ocean Race from India to Singapore.
Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Leg 3 Day 6 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) DTF 869 nm
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) +7
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE) +28
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) +30
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +32
Green Dragon IRL / CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +41
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) +104
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez / ESP) +122
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