Final In-Port
Race on Sunday in Stockholm
13:36 GMT Saturday, June 20, 2009. |
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| The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will take to the waters off Stockholm on Sunday afternoon for the seventh and final in-port race day of the event, and like many of the others, the forecast is for light winds. |
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The end of the City Sprint from Sandhamn,
the finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| The teams are racing on a body of water called Kanholmsfjärden, about 25 miles from the race village in Stockholm. That will make for an early start for the sailors; the fleet will leave the dock in Stockholm by 07:30 local time to get to the race area in time. Racing is scheduled to start at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), with two races on the cards. |
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The City Sprint from Sandhamn, the
finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| While Ericsson 4 has mathematically locked up the overall race title, the battle for second place is still alive. PUMA has built a seven-point margin over Telefónica Blue, after the Blue boat ran aground and finished in last place in leg nine. But with 12 points still available between now and the race finish in St. Petersburg, the battle is still alive. |
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Prince Carl Philip of Sweden joins
race winners Ericsson 4 for the City Sprint from Sandhamn,
the finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| Telefónica Blue has the best record of all the teams in the in-port race series, including wins in Rio de Janeiro and Boston, along with second place in Galway. But the winner in Ireland was PUMA. So, with the leaderboard the way it is, Telefónica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking is expecting some special attention from PUMA. |
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Telefonica Blue passing Hamlet Castle,
on leg 9 from Marstrand to Stockholm.
Photo © Gabriele Olivo / Telefonica Blue / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| "We will see. They will probably try and sail us to the back of the fleet, but they are so comfortable (with the seven-point lead)," he said. "We are just trying to win and see where we end up. If they want to make it a match race, it is still very tricky with other boats around." |
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Telefonica Blue finally finishes leg
9 in Sandhamn in seventh place after hitting a rock
at the start of the leg in Marstrand and suspending
racing to undertake repairs.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| The forecast is for light winds in the morning, with a sea breeze forecast to build near 10 knots by race time. Bekking says anything between five and 15 knots is possible on the day. |
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PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken
Read (USA) during the City Sprint from Sandhamn,
the finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| It will be a special race day for the two Ericsson boats as well, sailing in home waters. Ericsson 4 is sailing with the same 11 core crewmembers it has used for every leg and in-port race to this point. And, for Ericsson 3’s Nordic crew, the opportunity to sail in front of a home crowd is sure to be inspiring. |
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The end of the City Sprint from Sandhamn,
the finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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There will be full coverage of the Stockholm in-port race available on www.volvooceanrace.org, including a race blog and live audio commentary. And if you would like to see the action, there’s live web TV on www.volvooceanrace.tv.
Both audio and video live coverage begins at 12:45 local time, 10:45 GMT. |
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The end of the City Sprint from Sandhamn,
the finish line of leg 9, to the city of Stockholm.
Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Overall Leaderboard
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael / BRA): 108 points
PUMA (Ken Read / USA): 95.0 points
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking / NED): 88.0 points
Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson / SWE): 71.5 points
Green Dragon (Ian Walker / GBR): 63.0 points
Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri / ESP): 47.0
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermúdez / ESP): 38.0 points
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT): 10.5 points
Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for
all the latest news! |
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