27. März 2002
„illbruck“ Zweiter in Miami – „Segeln ist manchmal ungerecht“
Gesamtführung ausgebaut / „Assa Abloy“ gewinnt / Kein Protest gegen „SEB“
Miami – Im spiegelglatten Wasser funkelten die hellbeleuchteten
Wolkenkratzer von Downtown Miami. Es war wieder mitten in der Nacht und
wieder überhaupt kein Wind, als die Segelwelt am Donnerstag nach 18 Tagen
gespannt auf den Zieleinlauf der fünften Etappe des Volvo Ocean Race
wartete. Nach schier endlosem Dahindriften im starken Golfstrom, der die
Boote schon nach Norden an der Ziellinie vorbeigesetzt hatte, wurde es der
zweite Sieg der „Assa Abloy“ gut eine Stunde vor der Leverkusener Yacht
„illbruck“, die „Tyco“ (Bermudas) mit kaum 13 Minuten auf Rang drei
verwies. Die Crew um Skipper John Kostecki mit dem Münchner Tony Kolb an
Bord baute damit ihre Führung in der Gesamtwertung der härtesteten
Hochseeregatta der Welt auf acht Punkte jetzt vor „Assa Abloy“ aus. Die
„SEB“ (Schweden) wurde Vierter vor „News Corp“ (Australien) und der
enttäuschenden „Amer Sports One“ (Finnland/Italien), die auf Rang drei des
Gesamtklassements abrutschte.
„Segeln ist manchmal ungerecht“, meinte Tony Kolb nach exakt 17 Tagen, 14
Stunden, 21 Minuten und 52 Sekunden und mochte seine Enttäuschung nicht
verhehlen. Denn den Etappensieg schnappten die Schweden dem deutschen
Boot, das weit mehr als die Hälfte der 4.450 Seemeilen geführt hatte, nach
einem Flautenpoker erst wenige Seemeilen vor dem Ziel weg. „’Assa’ kam
besser in den Golfstrom hinein und auch besser wieder heraus, nachdem wir
beide zuvor nebeneinander in sehr leichtem Wind hingen“, erklärte John
Kostecki. Das war nur zehn Seemeilen vor der Küste Floridas, als die Brise
hinter einer Gewitterfront vollständig einschlief. Ein kleiner, schmaler
Böenstrich entschied letztlich über das lange Teilstück von Rio de Janeiro
in Brasilien über den Äquator bis nach Miami.
Die Grenze zwischen Glück und Pech auf der einen sowie Können und
Unvermögen auf der anderen Seite war fließend. „Wir lernen auch aus dieser
Situation, um sie das nächste Mal besser zu meistern“, sagte der
perfektionistische Navigator Juan Vila, ohne es ganz von der Hand zu
weisen, das Fortuna ihre mit im Spiel gehabt habe. Selbst Neil McDonald,
Skipper der „Assa Abloy“, sah seine Mannschaft eher als glückliche, denn
als überlegene Gewinner: „Ich wusste kaum noch, was passieren wird, denn
das Wetter war wirklich nicht vorherzusagen.“
So spielte es dann teilweise Katz und Maus mit den Weltumseglern. „20
Seemeilen vor dem Ziel mussten wir uns bei der Regattaleitung telefonisch
melden“, erzählte Tony Kolb, „doch danach sind wir rückwärts getrieben und
waren plötzlich wieder weiter weg.“ Besonders kurios war die Richtung, aus
der die drei ersten Boote zum Ziel kamen. Statt aus Südosten, wie es der
Kurs vorgegeben hatte, steuerten sie Miami entlang des Strands aus Norden
an; soweit hatte sie der Golfstrom ungewollt vertrieben. „Wir hatten
einfach nicht genug Bootsspeed, um ihn rechtzeitig zu durchkreuzen“, so
Juan Vila. Der drei Tage zuvor geplatzte und verlorene Spinnaker habe
dabei jedoch keine Rolle gespielt, höchstens bei der erfolgreichen
Aufholjagd der „Assa“, die „illbruck’s“ Vorsprung von mehr als 30
Seemeilen egalisierte.
Was für die Segler an Bord nochmals nervenaufreibend wurde, war für die
Landmannschaft nicht minder angespannt. Johanna und Wolfgang Kolb, die
Eltern des Vorschiffsmanns, waren eigens aus München angereist. „Doch wenn
ich das nächste mal den Tony besuche, komme ich zum Start der Etappe, der
ist wenigstens pünktlich“, beschloss die erleichterte Mutter. An Land gab
es für den 25-Jährigen als Erstes ein Bier mit dem Vater, und ein paar
herzlichen Worte im berühmten O-Ton Süd, es wurde Bayrisch gesprochen.
„Es war heiß, sch...heiß“, erinnerte sich Tony Kolb sofort an die größten
Strapazen der Etappe. Und an den aufregendsten Moment auch, der bereits
wenige Stunden nach dem Start passierte, als die „SEB“ die „illbruck“
rammte, anstatt ihr Vorfahrt zu gewähren. Der gelernte Bootsbauer Kolb
musste ein faustgroßes Loch in der Bordkante und eine herausgebrochene
Relingstütze am Heck reparieren. Das hatte die „illbruck“ gleich zu Beginn
auf den letzten Platz zurückgeworfen.
Dennoch verzichtete illbruck Challenge in Miami auf einen Protest gegen
die „SEB“, die ihren Fehler auf dem Wasser direkt mit einer doppelten
Strafkringel (720-Grad-Drehung) zugegeben hatte. „illbruck“ hätte der Jury
nach dem Regelwerk einen Nachteil durch die Kollision bei der
Endplatzierung nachweisen müssen, um eine Wiedergutmachung zu bekommen.
Und das sollte angesichts eines Rückstands von am Ende einer Stunde nicht
überstrapaziert werden. „Wir gewinnen das Rennen auf der Regattabahn und
nicht am grünen Tisch“, lautet die Devise von Skipper John Kostecki.
Eine weitere Schrecksekunde gab es vier Tage vor dem Ziel. Die „illbruck“
geriet in genau das selbe schwere Gewitter, das beim bis dahin härtesten
Verfolger in der Gesamtwertung, „Amer Sports One“, schwere Schäden bei den
Instrumenten verursachte. „Auch uns hat der Blitz getroffen“; berichtete
Steuermann und Segeltrimmer Noel Drennan, „obwohl er etwa 20 Meter neben
uns ins Wasser einschlug.“ Die Antenneneinheit im Mast musste
ausgewechselt werden, verletzt wurde jedoch niemand. Drennan hatte zuvor
seine Äquatortaufe überstanden, als „König Neptun“ ihn mit allerlei Farbe
und Kleber auf Haut und Haaren sowie einem fürchterlichen Gebräu aus
Undefinierbarem für seine „Sünden“ bestrafte und in der Kreis der großen
Seefahrer aufnahm.
Mit acht Zählern Vorsprung wird die „illbruck“ nun auch die sechste Etappe
von Miami nach Baltimore/Annapolis im US-Bundesstaat Maryland (Start 14.
April) als Gesamtführende beenden. Der 875-Seemeilen-Sprint über drei Tage
lässt die Konkurrenten höchstens sieben Zähler aufrücken. „Dann haben wir
aber immer noch das Transatlantik-Rennen und zwei weitere kurze Etappen zu
segeln“, warnte Kostecki vor verfrühten Vorschusslorbeeren. „Die Gegner
haben ihren Rückstand in der Vorbereitung aufgeholt und sind jetzt genauso
schnell wie wir. Das heißt, wir müssen nochmals an unserer Taktik feilen,
um weiter vorne zu bleiben.“
Das Volvo Ocean Race führt über insgesamt 32.700 Seemeilen in neun Etappen
einmal rund um die Welt. Die weiteren Stationen nach Annapolis sind La
Rochelle/Frankreich und Göteburg/Schweden. Ziel ist am 9. Juni 2002 Kiel
an der Ostsee. Alle Etappe werden nach Punkten gleich hoch bewertet; der
Sieger bekommt acht Zähler, der Zweite sieben usw.
Slow progress to America
While the bulk of the Fleet are celebrating their arrival in the US of A,
Djuice Dragons and Amer Sports Too are making very slow progress in an
average of six knots of breeze, towards Miami and the finish line.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 2158 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AART 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 05:49 28
2 ILBK 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 06:51 36
3 TYCO 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 07:04 24
4 TSEB 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 09:46 17
5 NEWS 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 10:56 23
6 AONE 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 13:17 25
7 DJCE 25 49.92N 078 13.00W 105 269 5.7 123 105 0 28/03/02 11:54 19
8 ATOO 25 52.48N 078 03.04W 113 249 5.7 117 113 +1 28/03/02 13:00 8
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 1600 GMT
Long Way To Go
Djuice and Amer Sports Too are slowly moving along in very light winds
after clearing the Providence Channel. The fresh breeze is supposed to
fill in from the north over the next few hours, enabling them to finish by
tomorrow lunchtime. As there are still some parking lots in front, the
eight mile lead djuice now has got over Amer Sports Too is anything else
than comfortable. This was clearly shown the last 24 hours by the other
yachts. Both teams will stay on high alert to secure two points for
seventh place.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 1600 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
7 DJCE 25 51.48N 077 50.68W 124 233 3.5 164 124 0 28/03/02 12:33 19
8 ATOO 25 58.36N 077 40.80W 132 296 1.8 160 132 +2 28/03/02 13:54 8
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 1430 GMT
Disappointed Amer Sports One finishes sixth in Miami
Although the second fastest sailing time over all five legs, Grant
Dalton’s Amer Sports One had to surrender second place overall to ASSA
ABLOY after the disappointing sixth place, the worst result so far. Grant
Dalton had to face several new experiences on this leg, being last for
some time and even longer sailing behind Amer Sports Too.
Last but not least lightning struck the boat when sailing along the
Caribbean islands. The dark cloud not only delivered the lightning and
took out all the electronics of the boat, it also covered the boat in a
deadly calm. This incident sealed the fate of Amer Sports One as News Corp
sailed away in better breeze.
Certainly Grant Dalton will develop with a comeback-plan, as there are
four legs and 32 points left in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 1330 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
7 DJCE 25 56.76N 077 42.76W 130 313 2.1 188 130 -128 28/03/02 11:08 19
8 ATOO 25 56.36N 077 36.28W 136 304 1.5 186 136 -128 28/03/02 12:04 8
Overall position after five legs pending protests
PS Yacht Leg 5 points Arrival Time Elapsed Time Combined Time PO Overall
Pos.
1 AART 8 27 MAR 02 05:49:57 017d 13h 19m 57s 107d 08h 16m 04s 28 2
2 ILBK 7 27 MAR 02 06:51:52 017d 14h 21m 52s 103d 06h 55m 30s 36 1
3 TYCO 6 27 MAR 02 07:04:15 017d 14h 34m 15s DNF leg 2 24 4
4 TSEB 5 27 MAR 02 09:46:20 017d 17h 16m 20s DNF leg 3 & 4 17 7
5 NEWS 4 27 MAR 02 10:56:28 017d 18h 26m 28s 106d 14h 31m 18s 23 5
6 AONE 3 27 MAR 02 13:17:40 017d 20h 47m 40s 104d 05h 28m 49s 25 3
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 0815 GMT
News Corp to accept another fifth
“Look out for some blood, sweat and tears as we battle to a close finish
in Miami. Just heard that we have pulled in some more distance on SEB.
They are in our sights well and truly now!” were the words Jez Fanstone
wrote last night while sailing the last miles toward the finish line.
Shortly later they have caught SEB and put a mile on the green Swedish
yacht. The luck left them quickly when parked in no wind while SEB picked
up the fresh breeze. There was not much left to do for News Corp than
follow to the finish line.
Early in the leg, News Corp showed once again that they make very
individual decisions and stick to it, when splitting from the fleet and
sailing close to the Brazilian coast while everybody else went offshore.
Up to Brazil’s east cape they were sailing in fourth position until they
opted for an offshore route. From then on they never really found the pace
to get in content with the leaders again.
After two fifth and a sixth place in the last three legs, News Corp wasn’t
able to sustain the good performance they showed in the first two legs.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 1115 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
6 AONE 25 46.88N 079 46.08W 18 281 6.5 192 18 -20 27/03/02 13:40 25
7 DJCE 25 50.16N 077 36.52W 137 296 7.3 209 137 -21 28/03/02 09:53 19
8 ATOO 25 50.20N 077 29.36W 143 299 6.3 204 143 -19 28/03/02 10:53 8
Overall position after five legs pending protests
PS Yacht Leg 5 points Arrival Time Elapsed Time Combined Time PO Overall
Pos.
1 AART 8 27 MAR 02 05:49:57 017d 13h 19m 57s 107d 08h 16m 04s 28 2
2 ILBK 7 27 MAR 02 06:51:52 017d 14h 21m 52s 103d 06h 55m 30s 36 1
3 TYCO 6 27 MAR 02 07:04:15 017d 14h 34m 15s DNF leg 2 24 4
4 TSEB 5 27 MAR 02 09:46:20 017d 17h 16m 20s DNF leg 3 & 4 17 7
5 NEWS 4 27 MAR 02 10:56:28 017d 18h 26m 28s 106d 14h 31m 18s 23 5
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 1006 GMT
SEB finishes fourth with protest still looming
SEB’s leg five started with the embarrassing experience of hitting a
right-of-way yacht, just hours into the race. They have chosen to take an
immediate 720-degree penalty and sailed on, for the first few days not
very lucky at the tail end of the fleet. After choosing a more westerly
course, they split from what was called the B-group of yachts and moved
into a solid position between the leading and the trailing group of
yachts.
Meanwhile the discussion went on, whether the 720-degree penalty was
enough to exonerate SEB from her collision and the whole variety of
opinions was discussed in the public.
During the last days in this leg, News Corp showed a strong performance,
culminating in overtaking SEB last night until running into light air. SEB
got going first and secured fourth place. In the overall standings, they
are 19 points behind illbruck after the rudder failure on leg three and
the broken mast on leg four.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 1006 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AART 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 05:49 28
2 ILBK 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 06:51 36
3 TYCO 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 07:04 24
4 TSEB 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 09:46 17
5 NEWS 25 47.08N 079 59.80W 5 287 9.4 196 5 -8 27/03/02 10:30 23
6 AONE 25 45.48N 079 37.76W 25 284 6.3 196 25 -5 27/03/02 14:11 25
7 DJCE 25 46.44N 077 28.04W 145 284 7.6 213 145 -5 28/03/02 10:04 19
8 ATOO 25 46.96N 077 22.88W 149 308 6.6 209 149 -4 28/03/02 10:51 8
Overall position after five legs pending protests
PS Yacht Leg 5 points Arrival Time Elapsed Time Combined Time PO Overall
Pos.
1 AART 8 27 MAR 02 05:49:57 017d 13h 19m 57s 107d 08h 16m 04s 28 2
2 ILBK 7 27 MAR 02 06:51:52 017d 14h 21m 52s 103d 06h 55m 30s 36 1
3 TYCO 6 27 MAR 02 07:04:15 017d 14h 34m 15s DNF leg 2 24 4
4 TSEB 5 27 MAR 02 09:46:20 017d 17h 16m 20s DNF leg 3 & 4 17 7
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 0815 GMT
Illbruck Increases Overall Lead
Tyco Moved To Top Four
Leg five was an emotional roller coaster trip for the favourite illbruck
team. Soon after the start in Rio they were hit by competitor SEB in a
port/starboard collision leaving them trailing the fleet. Over the next
few days they sailed through the whole fleet to reclaim a position in the
top three. For more than a week, illbruck, ASSA ABLOY and Tyco sailed
within sight of each other, constantly swapping positions. Next skipper
John Kostecki and his crew had to learn, that the project that should
succeed the Volvo Ocean Race, competing for Germany in the Americas Cup
was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship. In spite of the disappointment,
they kept the motivation high and managed to leave their two closest
rivals behind a week before the finish. Three days ago they lost an
all-essential light air spinnaker overboard and had finally to surrender
leg victory to ASSA ABLOY.
Tyco sailed a constant leg with good speed and clever tactics. Relying on
their strengths, they were never in the need of taking chances and could
afford to stay with the other top teams. This is their third top three
result in a row, proofing a consistency that was only broken up by the
rudder damage on leg two. With this result they overtook rival News Corp
in the overall standings and moved to fourth place.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 0715 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA POV
1 AART 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 05:49 28
2 ILBK 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 06:51 36
3 TYCO 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 07:04 24
4 TSEB 25 41.24N 079 44.20W 21 314 6.2 200 21 -20 27/03/02 09:05 17
5 NEWS 25 41.12N 079 38.72W 25 225 2.7 208 25 -15 27/03/02 09:32 23
6 AONE 25 45.16N 079 23.72W 38 239 5.7 213 38 -19 27/03/02 10:46 25
7 DJCE 25 34.84N 077 09.60W 164 300 6.8 222 164 -20 28/03/02 01:19 19
8 ATOO 25 38.44N 077 06.16W 166 313 7.5 223 166 -20 28/03/02 01:29 8
Overall position after five legs pending protests
PS Yacht Leg 3 points Arrival Time Elapsed Time Combined Time PO Overall
Pos.
1 AART 8 27 MAR 02 05:49:57 017d 13h 19m 57s 107d 08h 16m 04s 28 2
2 ILBK 7 27 MAR 02 06:51:52 017d 14h 21m 52s 103d 06h 55m 30s 36 1
3 TYCO 6 27 MAR 02 07:04:15 017d 14h 34m 15s DNF leg 2 24 4
Leaderboard
PS Yacht Points
1 illbruck 36
2 ASSA ABLOY 28
3 Amer Sports One 25
4 Tyco 24
5 News Corp 23
6 Djuice 19
7 SEB 17
8 Amer Sports Too 8
Pressemitteilung der illbruck Challenge zum Zieleinlauf der 5. Etappe
des Volvo Ocean Race
27. März 2002
„illbruck“ im Flautenpoker vor Miami Zweiter
„Assa Abloy“ gewinnt die fünfte Etappe und rückt acht Punkte zurück auf
Rang zwei vor
Miami – Die Leverkusener Hochseeyacht „illbruck“ wurde auf der fünften
Etappe des Volvo Ocean Race Zweiter hinter der schwedischen „Assa Abloy“.
Nach einer stundenlangen Flautenschieberei vor der Küste von Miami/USA kam
das deutsche Boot nach 4.450 Seemeilen aus Rio de Janeiro/Brasilien am
Donnerstag gegen 1.50 Ortszeit (7.50 Uhr in Deutschland) mitten in der
Nacht ins Ziel. Rund eine Stunde zuvor hatte „Assa Abloy“ ihre zweite
Etappe nach Sydney-Auckland gewonnen. Die anderen drei waren an „illbruck
“-Skipper John Kostecki und seine internationale Crew gegangen, die
diesmal die „Tyco“ (Bermudas) um ganze13 Minuten auf Platz drei verwies.
Dadurch baute die „illbruck“ die Führung in der Gesamtwertung auf acht
Punkte jetzt vor der „Assa Abloy“ aus. Der Rest des Felds wird erst im
Laufe des Tages erwartet.
Miami, USA, March 27th, 2002
NEAL MCDONALD/ASSA ABLOY LEG 5 WINNER/ON THE DOCKSIDE
Q: Neal, how did it feel to finally win after such a tense week?
A: I’m actually coming back to earth here, I’ve been asleep on the boat on
the way back here from the finish line. I am a bit tired, it has been very
intense during the past couple of days.
Q: How much pressure have you been feeling over the last 24 hours?
A: It’s been quite troublesome. You don’t really know quite what was going
to happen. The weather was pretty unpredictable. If it had been a nice
steady wind to the finish, it would have been a lot easier. But with the
clouds and the storms and all that nonsense, it was quite hard work.
Q: At what time did you think you had got illbruck?
A: To be perfectly honest, until we crossed the line, we didn’t know. We
were drifting backwards and forwards. It could have been anybody’s game
at that stage. When the wind first stopped and we saw them drifting out to
sea, we were drifting backwards, too. But we felt we had just got out of
the tide a bit earlier than they had, so we had a better chance of
finishing.
Q: How much of a handicap do you think that torn spinnaker was for
illbruck?
A; I’ve no idea, really. I mean, we’ve got eight spinnakers and some
people might say, one less isn’t that important. But in certain
conditions, you really do need it, so it might have been a problem for
them – I don’t know.
Q: How hungry were you for this win? Because obviously, it pushed you up
to second and if you hadn’t been, there wouldn’t have been much to stop
illbruck from now on.
A: We needed another good result, so we are keen to get a top three place,
that’s what we were planning on and so coming first is a bonus.
Q: You are the only boat to have won a leg so far other than illbruck.
What do you think of them?
A: They are a very well polished team, they are very cool, they sail
smart, but there are a lot of opportunities in these races and I think
they can be beaten, yes.
Q: We heard about all the sores and the heat and the saltwater and all
the hardships of this leg. How hard was it physically?
A: It’s pretty unpleasant. At least, if you’re cold, you can get warm. If
you’re hot, there is no way you can change it. I think us Northern
Europeans struggle – I find it very unpleasant myself, very uncomfortable.
Q: Have you got a lot of sores?
A: Oh, I think I just have niggly things. If you were on the land, they
wouldn’t bother you, but if you are constantly bothered by them for weeks
at a time, then they are unpleasant, that’s all.
Miami, USA, March 27th, 2002
MARK RUDIGER/ASSA ABLOY/ON THE DOCKSIDE/MIAMI
Mark Rudiger, Navigator on Assa Abloy
Q: How were you able to get around illbruck?
A: I think a lot of it had to do with taking care of ourselves on this
trip, and squall management. We didn’t break any crucial sails, we made
good sail changes during the squalls, and we actually ended up getting
into a little less current, which made the big gain on them.
Q: Were you aware that illbruck was having trouble with their sail?
A: No, We heard that after we passed them, and it was funny because
somebody said they lost their light air gennaker, but it was actually
their light air gennaker they used to pass us in the end, so I guess it
must have been some middle range spinnaker that they lost.
Q: How does it feel to win a second time?
A: Third time now if you count Hobart, we count Hobart! But the second leg
of this race is great, only two boats have won a leg on this race so far,
and we’re two legs up so we’re looking for three into Baltimore to even it
up with illbruck, and go on from there.
Q: Do you think you can carry your momentum forward for the next four
legs?
A: It’s not going to be easy, but we are going to look for every
opportunity to push through and do it.
Q: Are you getting more psyched up as time goes on?
A: Yeah, we’re pretty psyched up actually. We’ve stretched second place
now and put some gap on third, so that feels pretty good. Now, we can look
forward as pretty solid, and not have to look back so much.
Q: You spent a lot of time on deck, usually you’re down below…
A: Because of the heat, and the squalls, and the sail changes it was a lot
of the time not due to navigation, but pure manpower sailing the boat. I
helped a lot with the squalls, looking at the clouds.
Q: Are the speeds of these boats getting closer?
A: They’re pretty close! When conditions are even and we’re all pretty
much fighting for millimetres, it’s really when the wind shifts, or there
is a sail change, that’s when the big gear changes tend to happen.
Miami, USA, March 27th, 2002
CHRIS LARSON/ASSA ABLOY/ON THE DOCKSIDE/MIAMI
Chris Larson, Tactician on Assa Abloy
Q: You’ve been on the boat the two legs that Assa have won, what are you
doing?!!
A: Well, I don’t know if I am really doing anything at all, I’m just with
eleven other guys who make up a team that is working together to get the
job done. I think I am probably just a little spice in a big recipe to
make a cake, the team seems to be coming together, at least when I have
been on the boat, and it’s just working out well.
Q: Do you have a speed edge?
A: I think all the boats are pretty equal, if you’ve watched the schedules
over the 17 days you’ll see that all the boats, or at least the lead pack,
were pretty much toe-to-toe the whole way. I think the biggest difference
really is sail inventory; some boats have sweet spots and certain wind
ranges over other boats. If you’re out there for long enough over the 17
days you’ll experience enough situations to hit everyone’s sweet spots at
least once.
Q: Two wins, two legs – can you keep the momentum up?
A: I hope so! I would love to be able to go back to Baltimore, where I
live, and come in victorious. That is our next goal, to win that leg.
Q: Will that mean a lot to you?
A: That would be great, to come back and see everyone there, it’s been a
month away from home this time, and I will only be back in Annapolis for
four days between now and getting there for the next leg; so coming in
first would be great. Sailing up the Chesapeake and going underneath the
bridge would be awesome.
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 0615 GMT
Second Victory For ASSA ABLOY
At 0549 ASSA ABLOY crossed the finish line winning this leg and securing
second place in the overall standings of the Volvo Ocean Race. British
skipper Neal McDonald and his American Navigator lead the yacht always in
contact with the lead for the whole leg. For several days, the Swedish
yacht was leading the fleet.
In a fabulous finale, they left their long time shadow Tyco behind and
went neck and neck with the then leading yacht, illbruck. Having avoided
any serious sail damage on this leg, it allowed them to sail away from
illbruck, who was lacking a light wind spinnaker, which they lost
overboard three days ago.
This victory is the second time in the Volvo Ocean Race that ASSA ABLOY
stands on top of the podium, after the Sydney to Auckland leg with line
honours in the Sydney - Hobart Race. Being rated as one of the favourites
before the start in September last year, it took the team two legs to get
the boat and crew into a winning performance.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 0609 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AART 25 48.40N 080 05.72W 0 0 0 0 0 0 27/03/02 05:49 28
2 ILBK 25 56.60N 080 04.40W 8 258 3.6 177 8 -5 27/03/02 06:44 36
3 TYCO 25 55.56N 080 00.68W 8 306 4.4 185 8 -4 27/03/02 06:45 24
4 NEWS 25 43.32N 079 36.28W 27 237 5 219 27 -7 27/03/02 08:31 24
5 TSEB 25 36.20N 079 38.36W 28 230 5 207 28 -5 27/03/02 08:34 16
6 AONE 25 49.00N 079 16.76W 44 226 6.9 221 44 -8 27/03/02 10:02 25
7 DJCE 25 30.84N 077 01.96W 171 240 8.4 226 171 -9 27/03/02 23:06 19
8 ATOO 25 32.72N 076 59.24W 173 243 7.8 227 173 -9 27/03/02 23:15 8
Southampton, England, March 27, 2002 0400 GMT
Drifting Away
Being left becalmed is the nightmare that has come true for the three
leading yachts illbruck, ASSA ABLOY and Tyco, just miles from the finish
of leg five in the Volvo Ocean Race. The race is still open, very much
depending on who will pick up the wind first and sail the last hour toward
the finish line.
Meanwhile SEB and News Corp are sailing with nine knots in the breeze
further offshore, building the pressure on the yachts in front. Being
aware of the situation that the leaders are drifting north in the Florida
Current, they can choose a different approach towards Miami.
Djuice and Amer Sports Too are entering the Providence Channel that leads
into the coastal waters around Miami. Djuice is actively staying between
Amer Sports Too and the finish to avoid being overtaken again.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 19, 0400 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AART 25 52.76N 079 59.40W 7 320 3.1 194 0 0 27/03/02 04:38 28
2 ILBK 25 54.76N 079 57.56W 10 334 4.7 191 3 +1 27/03/02 04:52 36
3 TYCO 25 47.04N 079 52.52W 12 333 2.6 198 5 -1 27/03/02 05:07 24
4 TSEB 25 42.52N 079 28.52W 34 233 8.3 222 27 -5 27/03/02 07:10 17
5 NEWS 25 50.16N 079 25.60W 36 232 8.1 234 29 -6 27/03/02 07:22 23
6 AONE 25 59.56N 079 08.00W 53 252 5.3 235 46 -5 27/03/02 09:01 25
7 DJCE 25 39.76N 076 47.12W 182 256 6.4 238 175 -5 27/03/02 21:44 19
8 ATOO 25 40.56N 076 44.68W 184 269 6.1 240 177 -5 27/03/02 21:54 8
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