27.11.08
Leg Two Day 13
RENEWED HOPE AND ENERGY
As Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) is finally set free from the Doldrums, on leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race, the back-markers are still fighting rainsqualls and wind-sucking black clouds, but there is renewed hope and energy for the crews as the end of the Doldrums is in sight and the race for the other podium places heats up.
For Ericsson 4 it is clear blue skies all the way, although at nine knots of boat speed, the finish in Cochin, India, still seems a long way off. Several of the crew have moved their mattresses on deck in the hope that temperatures will be more bearable than on down below.
Onboard PUMA (Ken Read/USA), the crew helplessly watched Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE) sail away. The situation was made worse when the crew of Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) saw PUMA ahead of them become engulfed in a rain cloud, like a fly in a spider’s web that stopped the cat dead in her tracks. Green Dragon managed just to skirt the cloud by 100 metres and gained approximately 15 nm in two hours.
”I was told this Doldrums-place could be a real killer, but I had no idea it could be this bad,” exclaimed Ken Read. “Believe me, we aren’t trying to sail in the bad clouds, just the opposite. We were in a virtual pinball machine of bad clouds,” he said.
The Dragons seem to be rather adept at handling the Doldrums and, once again, as on leg one, the team has made a swift passage and are sitting pretty in third place, in spite of being without a boom. They are now engaged in a drag race with Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) out on the western flank
“Things are looking up,” wrote Telefónica Blue’s navigator Simon Fisher a few moments ago. “We have been moving now since shortly before dawn. We have even made some inroads into the boats way off to the east of us, giving us renewed hope and energy for the reindexing miles to come.”
Fisher’s feeling of dread every three hours, when the positions of the fleet are released, have been replaced with excitement and everyone onboard is keen to know if the boat has gained some more miles. “I have been fortunate to be the bearer of good news for the last few scheds,” he said.
For Team Russia, it has been a tough day at the office and the Doldrums have been making themselves felt with huge squall systems followed by dead calms. “You think the Atlantic Doldrums are a challenge? Try this for a laugh,” says Dutch navigator Wouter Verbraak.
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) has been busy making big in-roads. She is now ahead of PUMA, Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) who is out on the western flank and Team Russia who are away to the east. The team has been suffering from a broken watermaker and has been grateful for the rain clouds. Using cooking kettles, the crew captured the water that flowed into the centre of the indexsail like a funnel.
Across the fleet, spirits are high as the teams close on Cochin. The inevitable questions of ‘how far’ and ‘when will we arrive’ are being asked, but with the wind still light and variable, it is unlikely that the first boat will finish before Sunday.
At 1300 GMT today, all boats except Telefónica Blue had made small losses on Ericsson 4 who is now 62 nm ahead of both Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon. It’s an incredibly tight race. Telefónica Blue has moved up to fourth place and is only a mile behind the two boats vying for second place, Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon. Delta Lloyd has gained a place and is only six miles astern of Telefónica Blue. PUMA has dropped two places and is 11 miles back. Telefónica Black and Team Russia have swapped places, but are adrift of the fleet by over 100 miles. Boat speeds are steadily climbing, but not yet beyond nine and a half knots.
Leg Two Day 13: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTF 636 nm
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) +62
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +62
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +63
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) +69
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +78
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +145
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +163
Position reports are issued daily at 1300 GMT by email; however, positions are updated every three hours on www.volvooceanrace.org http://www.volvooceanrace.org/. Click on RESULTS at the top of the page to go straight to the points table and onboard data.
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Lizzie (Green) Ward – Senior Race Press Officer (Race HQ - UK)
Tel: +44 1489 554 832 : Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Email: lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org mailto:lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org
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