Under natten har Puma än en gång tagit sig förbi Ericssons båda båtar i Volvo Ocean Race. Puma leder nu med 4 Nm före Ericsson 4 och ytterligare 25 Nm före Ericsson 3. Ställningen ändras hela tiden och det är tajt om tätplatserna. Vad som helst kan hända med placeringarna under de cirka 7 000 Nm som återstår tills båtarna når Rio de Janeiro.
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PUMA Leg Five Day 18 QFB: received 03.03.09 1612 GMT
Posted: 03 Mar 2009 09:12 AM CST
I know I am sounding like a broken record, but the closeness of the racing out here is just phenomenal. We snuck by Ericsson 4 yesterday afternoon and they dogged us overnight gaining slightly as we sailed into lighter winds. It has been the nature of this leg so far for the leader to not have the chance to stretch, and so it went last night and this morning.
And as we went toe to toe with Ericsson 4, their other half – Ericsson 3 snuck up over the horizon and decided to play the game with us as well, so well that they blew right by the two of us as we sat in a hole.
The ridge that we had to get through proved to be our nemesis. We positioned ourselves to leeward of the two Ericssons, planning on getting headed throughout the day. And sure enough we did. Problem was, as both Ericsson 3 and us were headed, Ericsson 4 got on the other side of a cloud and literally sailed away over the horizon. Brutally frustrating for a team who has worked so hard.
So we shook it off and now are in a drag race with Ericsson 3 to the gate, with Ericsson 4 about seven miles in front. Breeze has filled and we pretty much went through our inventory today switching from the largest to now the smallest headsail we have as we went from four knots of wind at one stage to now 26 knots and climbing. Tight reaching, but at least putting some good miles under us.
Next issue is the dreaded scoring gate, a line of latitude. This line of latitude has forced the boats low toward New Zealand and taken about 300-400 miles from our trip towards Cape Horn and put us in a situation where we will most likely pass the line then turn and go hard on the wind to get away from New Zealand. Now, anyone could cut the corner and head toward the ice gate now, but nobody seems to want to give up the points. When Capey (Andrew Cape – navigator) told me about the 400 miles we will lose going to the scoring gate – I have to admit it was tempting, but we need the points and a extra half point may prove valuable in the end.
Our jaunt down the Pacific has pretty much come to a screeching halt as the fans have been turned on, the fire hose unscrewed and the temperature rapidly turned down. Back to fast wet sailing and chewing up the miles at least for the time being. Now I have to figure out a way to keep the Kiwi’s on board as we brush by their beautiful island.
Kenny Read – skipper
Leg Five Day 18 Daily Story: Gateway To The Southern Ocean
Posted: 03 Mar 2009 07:50 AM CST
After nearly 18 days at sea, the Volvo fleet has almost reached the gateway to the Southern Ocean, the place that dreams, and sometimes nightmares, are made of. The challenge of racing the fastest monohull in the world through this desolate ocean, which laced with massive waves, high winds and freezing temperatures, is the reason why this race has become so famous, and why so many of the world’s top sailors want to take part.
But first, the fleet must pass through the scoring gate set at latitude 36 degrees south, just 206 nautical miles to run for leaders Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA), and the tension is mounting as the first points for this leg are about to be handed out.
The racing is close, as close as it has ever been, with just 62 nautical miles from Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) leading the fleet to Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) bringing up the rear. Positions have been juggled as the fleet negotiated a band of cloud and calm as it made the transition into the new, more stable breeze. Spinnakers have been replaced by headsails as the fleet finds itself back on the wind and once more on port tack.
Ericsson 4 finally despatched PUMA (Ken Read/USA) at 0700 GMT today after a day of sailing side-by-side and switching places. Ken Read described the match as ‘”the world’s slowest ever game of chess.” Ericsson 4 is now 330 nm from New Zealand’s East Cape on the North Island and 11 nm ahead of PUMA.
Magnus Olsson/SWE, who has Ericsson 3 in a dead heat with PUMA, is his usual upbeat self. Only 11 miles spits the top three boats and overnight, the racing had been very close.
“It is a fantastic feeling that we are this close to each other and that there are only a couple of hundred miles left to the first scoring gate. It’s going to be tight and very exciting,” Olsson said. He explained that his team has been sailing a little bit lower than their rivals. “I think they are a bit afraid of us since we have small gains the last two days. At least, it feels like that,” he said.
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) has had an unpleasant 24-hours, when, around midnight, ship’s time, they found themselves caught under a massive cloud, which refused to release them until daybreak.
“For hours on end we were battling with massively shifting winds and long periods of calms as we struggled to make headway in the right direction. It was as if a massive foot had descended from the heavens and stamped right on us,” said Simon Fisher.
Navigator Tom Addis put his hand up and said, “I chose the wrong option course-wise and we ended up in a world of pain for the next five hours or so.” As the team sat becalmed, Ian Walker managed to steer Green Dragon past and Telefónica Blue lost all the valuable miles they had gained that day on the leader. “It hasn’t been a good day for Telefónica Blue downstairs, but the guys on deck have done a fantastic job of keeping the yacht moving in the breeze that we are in,” Tom said.
The boat is now back in good breeze, making fast miles straight down the track at around 16 knots, but, having lost the Dragons astern, Ian Walker’s men have managed to give them the slip again and are now lie ahead by just two miles. This pair has a runway of just over 250 nm in which to sort out the order before they arrive at the point-scoring gate.
Meanwhile, temperatures are dropping and the sea is becoming increasingly choppy – a sign of things to come.
“At least with the first signs of the deteriorating conditions, we know that the left turn and the east heading isn’t too far away – which means the finish, the families and freedom are just around the corner,” wrote Guy Salter, MCM of leading boat Ericsson 4, hopefully.
The finish may feel like ‘just around the corner’, but, once through the first scoring gate, the fleet still has to contend with two ice gates set in place to protect the fleet from a large ice berg that has been breaking up and drifting north, and the infamous Cape Horn – another place where points can be won or lost. In between lies the Southern Ocean and Green Dragon’s Dutch navigator Wouter Verbraak has just a stark reminder that the Southern Ocean demands respect.
“It is blowing 22 knots and we just made a very costly little mistake. What normally is a rather tricky manoeuvre has now turned bad. The jib bag is inside out and we will have to redo it. The jib is already more than 80 per cent unhooked from the forestay, and it takes one bad wave for the whole sail to be washed into the ocean. It is a clear message that the champagne sailing of the last week is over.
“I have a quick check of my harness and safety line. Clipped on? You bet! It is in jib changes that people are washed over the side. We are always trying to minimise the time in the ‘dead zone’ on the bow, and now we are stuck. Not good.
“We sort the bag out and wrestle the jib, which is now filled with hundreds of litres of water, back onto the stack at the back of the boat. No time to take a breath, as we are straight into the hoist of the new sail.
“The reality check of this evening is a harsh reminder for me of what lies ahead for the next two weeks. It will be all about keeping the boat and the crew together, and I have to think for a moment of our good friend Hans Horrevoets whose tragic loss at sea (from ABN AMRO TWO in the 2005-06 Volvo) is a bleak reminder to us all of how easy things can take a turn for the worse.
“Every time when we are out there, in the dead zone, I am happy to see that everybody is taking safety seriously and clips on. As Guillermo (Guillermo Altadill/ESP) says: ‘Clip on mate. The lifejacket only means that you will be dead floating. Stay on the boat.’ A harsh reality we all have in the back of our mind.”
Leg Five Day 18: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTF 7,353 nm
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +11
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +11
Green Dragon IRL/CHI (Ian Walker/GBR) +60
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +62
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
Länk: www.volvooceanrace.org
Kommentarer
Ska bli spännande att se om Manges drag att sticka direkt österut resulterar