Weekly Roundup:
Highs and lows as the fleet hit the first scoring gate
Leg 5 Week 3 - Friday, March 6, 2009 at 18:30 GMT |
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Big decisions have plagued the navigators onboard the Volvo Open 70’s in week three of this, the longest leg of the race. Should we pass to the east of the Fiji islands or dash between them? How do we get round this tricky high pressure, south or north of it? These are just two questions, which must have been bandied around the crowded navigation stations by tense crew members.
Telefónica Blue’s (Bouwe Bekking / NED) navigator Tom Addis was the first to take the move to sail through the middle of the two Fijian islands. "Going through the middle did not look ideal by any means, but it was the only option we could see that didn’t involve realising a certain major loss. Lighter breeze, breeze blowing up the narrow channels, rather than across, and the increased amount of manoeuvring through the reefs were all downsides, but there was a glimmer of hope in the form of reduced distance to sail." |
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PUMA Ocean Racing sailing off the North
Coast of Viti Levu, Fiji, as they take the lead on leg
5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Photo © Musket Cove* Fiji / www.musketcovefiji.com.
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PUMA (Ken Read / USA) soon joined them in the dash but unfortunately for both of them it turned out not to be the quicker option. They both lost a position on the scoreboard, with il mostro, the race leader at the time, falling into second, letting overall race leader (Ericsson 4 / Torben Grael) back into pole position; while the blue boat was bumped into fourth.
The conditions settled down soon after passing the islands on day 16 and the crews all got the chance to relax and recharge their internal batteries. The breeze was constant and the yachts raced along at 14 knots on port tack, which allowed thoughts to turn to food, sleep and home. The New Zealanders onboard the boats were all too close to home for comfort.
Green Dragon’s skipper, Ian Walker had to hide his two kiwi crewmates’ passports. "There was already some talk of swimming ashore as we sailed through the islands off the eastern tip of Fiji, so we will have to stay out of swimming range of the New Zealand coast," he said. |
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PUMA Ocean Racing in sight, onboard
Telefonica Blue, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race,
from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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In the previous edition of the race, Wellington, New Zealand was a well-received stopover where all the teams could prepare themselves and their yachts for the Southern Ocean. This year the crews do not have this luxury and have to head into the harsh elements of the southern latitudes after already being at sea for 19 days. Many of the veterans of the race pondered the "what if’s", while first timers began to get anxious of what was ahead.
Rick Deppe, media crew member onboard PUMA, who has been in this position before commented, "The Southern Ocean, it’s why people want to do the race and it’s why people keep coming back. It’s a chance to test themselves against the best sailors in the world in the most extreme sailing conditions."
Whilst Phil Jameson onboard Ericsson 4 ponders his debut on the bow in this ocean, "I really don’t know what to expect. The veterans basically tell me to plan for the worst, so anything better is a bonus." |
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PUMA Ocean Racing heading towards Fiji,
on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio
de Janeiro.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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As the fleet neared the first scoring gate of the leg, the front-runners PUMA, Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 compressed and leapfrogged places, keeping everyone on their toes. Eventually it was overall race leader, Ericsson 4 who took the full four points at 00:21 GMT on 4th March, as the first boat to cross the scoring gate set at latitude 36 degrees south. The team now has 53 points in total and a lead of 8.5 points over Telefónica Blue in second place.
Under an hour later at 00:53 GMT, Ericsson 3 took 3.5 points in second place and decided to make their brave tactical move. They immediately tacked to the north-east, away from all the rest of the fleet. Olsson was officially putting all his trust in his young navigator Aksel Magdahl, who believed that the best course was to the north of the high pressure between them and Cape Horn and not the south. |
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Ericsson 4 hit a big wave, on leg 5
of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Despite PUMA’s (Ken Read / USA) crew pushing flat out towards the gate, they finally crossed the line a mere 10 minutes after the Nordic crew. Next came Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED) followed by the Green Dragon just over an hour behind them at 04:31 GMT.
In the next half a day slowly the boats began to follow Ericsson 3’s line, realising it might not be such a crazy idea as first thought. Bekking was the first to voice his concern about their tactic and was subsequently the last boat to turn south-east in agreement. "So now we are on our way into the Southern Ocean, which looks to be a very tricky affair," he commented. "If that route will win them [Ericsson 3] the leg, they will write history, as up to now in all the legs down south, the south has won." |
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Anders Dahlsjo working on bow for a
sailchange, onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 5 of the Volvo
Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Meanwhile, Ian Walker, Green Dragon’s skipper praised the Nordic crew. "E3 had the guts to make this call earliest and may have stolen a march on the fleet - well done to them if it works out."
Ericsson 3’s fate is still in the balance as the team slowly drops down the scoreboard but this is more due to the fact that they are now the most northerly boat and therefore the furthest from the finish. However, if the predicted weather is to be believed their bottom position could be short lived, as they have the potential to pass over the top of the fleet with good speed.
They say bad luck comes in threes and day 20 saw the crew of Telefónica Blue hit by their third mishap. First, they hit the bottom and damaged the keel at the start of leg five, delaying their start in Qingdao by 17 hours. Then their mainsail started to delaminate, and finally came a broken forestay at 17:40 GMT yesterday. Despite their problems the team’s spirits remain high and positive. |
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Telefonica Blue set about repairing
their damaged mainsail, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean
Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.
Photo © zzz.
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The crew managed to save the mast with their quick thinking and soon had a jury rig set up. They are determined to get to Rio and finish the leg, partly due to New Zealand not being an option because of the weather the would have to face. Bekking commented, "Let’s hope we get some downwind sailing, as there shouldn’t be any problems with that. But tight reaching and upwind will be slow, as we only can hoist a very little jib on separate stay and of course we don’t want to sacrifice the mast in any way."
Simon Fisher (strategist / helmsman) described the mood onboard. "Despite all the adversity thrown into our path, everyone onboard has remained upbeat and optimistic. I think we are all feeling that we have been quite lucky to escape with the mast intact and with the goal of getting to Rio still well within our grasp, even if now it might take a little longer." |
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Arve Roaas holding an squid, onboard
Ericsson 3, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from
Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Leg 5 Scoring Gate 1 positions
1. Ericsson 4: 00:21.09 GMT 04.03.09: 4 points
2. Ericsson 3: 00:53.09 GMT 04.03.09: 3.5 points
3. PUMA: 01:03.24 GMT 04.03.09: 3 points
4. Telefónica Blue: 03:16.22 GMT 04.03.09: 2.5 points
5. Green Dragon: 04:31.49 GMT 04.03.09: 2 points |
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Seabirds soar above 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.
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Leg 5 Day 21 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) DTF 6505 nm
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) + 31
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) +45
Green Dragon IRL / CHI (Ian Walker / GBR) +99
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson / SWE) +186
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! |
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| *Disclosure: The editor,
Peter Andrews, has been a life member of the Musket Cove Yacht
Club, Malolo Lailai, Fiji, since June 23, 1990, Qualification
for life membership is to sail from a foreign port to Musket
Cove, Malolo Island, Fiji. Peter sailed on the 18th century replica
of the Bounty (the ship used in the Mel Gibson version of the
movie about the Muntiny on the Bounty), from Norfolk Island,
Australia. |
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