The banner for the Outimage coverage of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008 - 2009.

transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
Outimage Publications ocean yacht racing coverage of the VOR 2008-2009.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Telefónica Blue makes move as Green Dragon gambles
Leg 5 Day 7 - 15:10 GMT Friday, February 20, 2009.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
Bouwe Bekking / NED is determined to stick to his plan and sail to an imaginary point where he thinks will be the best place to cross the Doldrums on leg five of the Volvo Ocean Race. So far, it seems to be working, and Bekking and his team have snatched fourth place from Ian Walker’s Green Dragon. But Bekking describes Telefónica Blue’s current course as a ‘killer’.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Michael Pammenter during a sail change onboard Telefonica Blue, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.

Michael Pammenter during a sail change onboard Telefonica Blue, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
"There is heaps of water over the deck and it is uncomfortable downstairs; the guys have to crawl around to go from A to B, as otherwise, they get airborne," he said earlier today.

Green Dragon has carried on gaining miles to the east of the leaders Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA) and (PUMA / Ken Read / USA), with now over 200 nm between them. Is this a gamble to get them through the doldrums or is it a calculated risk?
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Telefonica Blue in rough weather, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.

Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.

Telefonica Blue in rough weather, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Photo copyright Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
"If it works, of course we will be heroes, and if not, we will be the ones that took the gamble and failed," said Ian Walker today.

"Either way, the next week will be far more interesting than if we just followed their [the tracks of the other boats] tracks, losing miles on every position report," he said.

The team is beginning to claw back some miles and Ian Walker is a happier man.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Rough weather for Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.

Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.

Rough weather for Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Photo copyright Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
According to Walker, the lighter keel weight of Green Dragon limits their horsepower and the team can do nothing about that. He admits that it has become clear over the last few legs that it is hard for the Green Dragon to live with the big teams in terms of raw boat speed. But they are not letting their heads drop and have to find their edge elsewhere either through teamwork, reliability or strategy and tactics.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Rough weather for Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.

Photo © Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.

Rough weather for Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Photo copyright Guo Chuan / Green Dragon Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
The fleet is still reaching and everything onboard is wet. Driving rain overnight has added to the unpleasant conditions.

"I’ve just come off deck and my hands look like I fell asleep in the bath for 10 hours and my lips feel like I have just eaten an entire bucket of salty popcorn," described Simon Fisher, who returned to the role of helmsman onboard Telefónica Blue for this leg.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Rain clouds approaching Ericsson 4, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.

Rain clouds approaching Ericsson 4, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
At the front of the fleet, the leaders Ericsson 4 and PUMA have carried on the charge to the south with PUMA taking out eight nautical miles on the front-runners in the past 24 hours.

Guy Salter, media crew member (MCM) from Ericsson 4’s international crew has been observing some very strange traits onboard his boat of late. Tony Mutter being the biggest culprit with his aspirations to become a Broadway star.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

PUMA helmsman Casey Smith gets the wheel back on at the helm during Leg 5 from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.

Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.

PUMA helmsman Casey Smith gets the wheel back on at the helm during Leg 5 from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Photo copyright Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
"Tony surprised all today by coming on watch as if he were ready for the final scenes of the stage hit ’Phantom Of The Opera’ as the lead roll. He had the left side of his face covered in his Phantom mask - only his was from baby anti rash cream. It transpired that this was actually due to the prolonged port tack we have been on and the saltwater constant spray is playing havoc with his skin."
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Onboard Ericsson 3, during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.

Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.

Onboard Ericsson 3, during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Photo copyright Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
Third placed Ericsson 3 has gained a massive 45 nm on the leaders overnight, only being pipped by Telefónica Blue for best 24 run, by a mere one nm. Gustav Morin (MCM) from Ericsson 3 told of the crew’s positive mood.

"We are still sailing well, the boat feels good and there haven’t been any big incidents. We are fighting in the backwater of Ericsson 4 and Puma, still within striking distance."
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

Ericsson 3 hit rough weather, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 hit rough weather, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
Leg 5 Day 7 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)

Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) DTF 10,214nm
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +2
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/ SWE) +60
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) +221
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +231

Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bérmudez / ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) DNS

Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for all the latest news!
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
The official website: www.volvooceanrace.org
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic
The icon banner to access the Outimage homepage.
Outimage Publications Homepage
transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic

This page was checked and found to be a valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional webpage by the WC3 organisation.
WC3 validation icon indicating that this page was checked and found to be valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional webpage by WC3 organisation.

transparent 12 by 12 pixel spacer graphic