Ericsson 3 promises a fight to the finish
Leg 5 Day 33 - 14:57 GMT Wednesday, March 18, 2009. |
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The crew of Ericsson 3 is still marvelling at the fact that they led the whole Volvo fleet past Cape Horn and back into the Atlantic yesterday, claiming top marks at the scoring gate at the same time.
Speaking in a radio interview today, skipper Magnus Olsson said that rounding Cape Horn is a peak in both his career and his life. |
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Media Crew Member Gustav Morin (self portrait) onboard Ericsson 3. Magnus Olsson and his team of Nordic sailors onboard Ericsson 3 rounded the legendary Cape Horn in pole position, gaining maximum points at the scoring gate.
Photo © Gustav Morin / Ericsson 3 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"It is my sixth time," he said. "I am most happy for all the rookies on the boat who have never done it before, because I could see how happy they were. It is a fantastic achievement to go round first, I can hardly believe it."
Olsson also said that whoever dares to challenge Ericsson 3 would have to work for it, promising that his team was going to work harder than ever before to finish the race in pole position.
"We have the motivation and the spirit to fight to the bitter end, that is for sure," he added. |
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Ericsson 4 in rough weather on their approach to Cape Horn, 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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After passing through the Le Maire Strait, the narrow channel between the Isla de los Estados and the eastern end of Tierra del Fuego, the team ran into a light spot and their lead diminished to only five miles.
Ericsson 4 came barrelling in; only to meet a brick wall, which kept them stationary for two hours after Ericsson 3 was set free to build back her lead to around 45 nm. |
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Ericsson 4 celebrate rounding in Cape Horn in second place at 14:48 GMT. Skipper Torben Grael, ticking the box for the second time, said: " Cape Horn for sailors is like climbing Mount Everest."
Photo © Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Now, the leading pack of three, which includes PUMA, is approximately 50 nm west of the Falkland
Islands, and the leader has less than 2,000 miles to run to the finish.
Ian Walker’s Green Dragon, which rounded the Horn early this morning, is the only boat now that has the option of leaving the Falklands to port.
The Dragons had over 30 knots of wind and big waves for their Cape Horn rounding, and the team dropped the spinnaker for two hours to ride out the worst of the storm. In the darkness, they passed 20 miles offshore and saw nothing of the famous Cape. |
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PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (USA), celebrate rounding Cape Horn in third place at 20:46 GMT, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Read, a rookie in this part of the world, gloriously captured the moment in an email to Race HQ. "If the southern most point of South America could talk, it would tell some harrowing tales of tragedy and heroics by sportsman and traders and businessman and adventurists alike, probably more so than any other nautical landmark in history," he said. "For this reason alone, it is a privilege to be let through these gates, entrance to which must be earned and not simply taken.
Photo © Rick Deppe / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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"It feels great to be back in the Atlantic and heading north again," said Walker who planned to celebrate with a special bottle once the boat was in the Le Maire Strait.
Meanwhile, a day or so away from the exit of the Southern Ocean is Telefónica Blue, racing to stay ahead of a chasing storm, which threatens to engulf them with 50-knot winds.
Skipper Bouwe Bekking plans to take the blue boat as close to the rocks as possible. "It’s not only good for an impressive view, but, more important, it cuts the distance to Rio to a minimum," he said. |
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The crew of Irish / Chinese entry Green Dragon celebrate St Patrick's Day in the Southern Ocean while approaching Cape Horn, during 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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Telefónica Blue is still making the most of the Southern Ocean conditions, surfing at a steady 19 knots, while the rest of the fleet is managing around 18. Green Dragon’s average speed has dropped to around 10 knots as she negotiates the light airs at the exit to the Le Maire Strait.
Cape Horn Scoring Gate
(Boat / date / rounding time / gate points)
Ericsson 3: 17.03.09 1222 GMT: 4 points
Ericsson 4: 17.03.09 1448 GMT: 3.5 points
PUMA: 17.03.09 2046 GMT: 3 points
Green Dragon: 18.03.09 0215 GMT 2.5 points |
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Telefonica Blue, about to take a dive on their way to Cape Horn, during 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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Leg 5 Day 33 - 13:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson / SWE) DTF 1872 nm
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) +45
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +171
Green Dragon IRL / CHI (Ian Walker / GBR) +246
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) +772
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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