by Jennifer Crooks and SailRaceWin
At approximately 21:20 hrs on 26th December, 32 miles south east of Point Perpendicular, a Mayday call was issued from the yacht Georgia, a Farr 53 owned by Graeme Ainley and John Williams from Sandringham Yacht Club, as a result of losing her rudder and taking on water.
Tim Cox, Race Committee Chairman liaised with the relevant authorities including AMSA, NSW Water Police and the CYCA Emergency Management Team to effect a rescue. Radio Relay Vessel JBW assisted with the rescue by communicating instructions from the Race Committee to nearby vessels. Telcoinabox Merit, being closest to the stricken yacht effected a rendezvous and stood by for further instructions.
At approximated 23:00 all 14 crew members from Georgia were transferred to Telcoinabox Merit without incident via liferaft.
Telcoinabox Merit set course for Batemans Bay, where the crew will be transferred to the Police launch Nemisis in daylight.
At the time of the crew transfer the yacht was on the verge of sinking and is likely to be lost at sea.
Georgia made her Sydney Hobart debut last year. The boat is a New Zealand built development of the Farr 52.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008
Saturday, 27 December 2008
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2008: Precision Footwork at the Start
Start of the 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
by Giles Pearman
Wild Oats XI, Bob Oatley's canting-keeled Reichel/Pugh maxi, chasing her fourth consecutive line honours win, was leading the Rolex Sydney-Hobart race after four hours of sailing. She had pretty much led all the way after clearly after winning the start in Sydney Harbour. At 18.30AEDT, in a friendly following northeasterly of 20-22 knots, the 98-foot Wild Oats XI under her big asymmetric spinnaker was bowling along at 18-20 knots of boat speed, nearing Jervis Bay and about 12 nautical miles offshore.
Start of the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Wild Oats XI, Owner: Robert I Oatley, Sail n: AUS10001, State: NSW, Division: IRC, Design: Maxi 30m Skandia, Owner: Grant Wharington, Sail n: M10, State: VIC, Division: IRC, Design: Maxi 30m Image copyright ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi .
Wild Oats XI leads the fleet at the start of the race. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
Behind Wild Oats XI, lies Grant Wharington's Skandia. The 66-foot canting-keeled Black Jack (Peter Harburg) was another 8.5 nm behind, half a nautical mile ahead of the modified Volvo 70 Ichi Ban (Matt Allen). Then came a group of fixed keelers: Alan Brierty's new 62-foot Limit only 1.5 nm behind Ichi Ban, followed closely by Stephen Ainsworth's near sister ship, the 63-foot Loki, ASM Shockwave (Andrew Short), an eight-year-old 80-footer and Geoff Ross' 55-foot Yendys.
Ray Roberts' Cookson 50 Quantum, a canting keeler, was slightly further out to sea, in more wind pressure, leading the TP52s Wot Now (Graeme Wood), Ragamuffin (Syd Fischer), Quest (Bob Steel), Cougar II (Alan Whiteley), Wot Yot (Bill Sykes) and the R/P 47 Secret Men's Business 3 (Geoff Boettcher).
This leading group was sailing comfortably, on port gybe in slight seas, laying courses either side of 180-degrees that put them almost straight on course for Tasman Island, the last rounding mark of the 628 nm course 41n miles from the finish in Hobart. Black Jack's skipper Mark Bradford said by telephone from the boat that she had been sailing comfortably, in 22 knots of breeze under asymmetric spinnaker at 16-20 knots of boat speed for the previous three hours, with some crewmen sleeping below. "We are resting everyone up, expecting more breeze, 25 knots tonight," he said.
Grant Wharington's Skandia revels in the conditions. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
At 1900 AEDT, Geoff Ross' Yendys was leading the IRC handicap chase according to the CYCA Yacht Tracker. Navigator Will Oxley commented, "We are just rolling on here. We were very happy with our start and trying to set ourselves up to make the best use of the southerly current. Spirits are high on board."
Wild Oats XI followed by spectator boats after the start. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
"Fantastic downwind sailing and the modifications we made to the boat are a big improvement to our downwind performance so we are happy about that!" added Oxley, who also reported 20-22 knots of NE breeze.
The leading bunch, besides facing tougher sailing in stronger wind overnight, was facing decisions with the north-easterly intensifying offshore, whereas the current ahead is stronger inshore on the west side of an eddy off Bateman's Bay and running towards the south at two knots for a useful shove.
The 64th edition starts. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
Under a swirl of television and photographers' helicopters, the 100-boat fleet started cleanly in a classic Sydney Harbour 12-15 knot north-easterly sea breeze on a perfect Sydney summer's day that had brought out thousands of spectators on harbour headlands and cliff tops overlooking the Tasman Sea, and on boats. Although the tide was ebbing at a speed of half a knot in the main channel, there were no recalls.
Start of the race from the air. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.
Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards, who manoeuvres the giant maxi like a dinghy, again pulled off one of his perfect starts as first boat to clear the line from the pin end.
Richards and his tactician Iain Murray did not appear to have much room to clear the pin and tack back towards mid-harbour as they reached the spectator boat enclosure line on the northwestern shore. But their judgement and Wild Oats XI's startling acceleration off the line enabled them to quickly tack onto port and clear the nearest chasing boats, the TP52 Wot Now and the fleet's other 98-foot canting-keeled maxi, Skandia.
The fleet immediately after the start. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.
While Wild Oats XI sped clear of the chasing bunch on a long port tack across the harbour Skandia, her main rival for line honours became caught up in the following bunch. Unable to point as high and slower through tacks, while her canting keel was swung from one side to the other, she fell into disturbed airflow firstly from Wot Now to windward and then Limit, which lee-bowed her. Wild Oats XI was first to round the initial turning mark between North and South Head, with Skandia about a minute behind; then Loki, Black Jack and Limit in close proximity.
Perfect conditions at the start of the 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.
Unfortunately for the leaders, the perfect conditions, with only slight seas outside Sydney Heads, were also perfect for power-boaters. While exclusion zones retain spectator boats inside the harbour, they are free to roam offshore. A swarm of them closed around Wild Oats XI and Skandia as they cleared the seaward mark, about 4.5 nm from the start, with Wild Oats XI 1min 8sec ahead. As the maxis set their spinnakers for the dash south, Wild Oats XI particularly suffered in the wash from the unruly spectator boats. Skandia, sailing a slightly hotter angle out to sea, gained and at times looked to have the edge on her rival.
Classic spectator boat. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.
With the leaders almost a quarter of the way down the track to Hobart a fast time looks on the cards, with some predictions still suggesting a record pace. At the final weather briefing this morning, these predictions looked less than secure with two changes in conditions lying in wait. The first is a trough forming in Bass Strait that looks to be pushing through the existing high pressure and creating a large patch of unstable wind for the unwary. The second trap is the eastern seaboard of Tasmania where the winds look variable in direction as the High Pressure northerlies fight a series of frontal westerlies for ascendancy.
Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI established the current Course Record of 42 hours 40 minutes in 2005. In order to better this time the first yacht needs to be at the finish in Hobart before 0740 AEDT on Sunday 28th December.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2008: Fast and Hard
Full on! Chutzpah, with owner/skipper Bruce Taylor. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
by Giles Pearman
The latest weather forecasts suggest the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart will be a quick one. Fresh to strong, 20-30 knot northeast following winds for the first two days from the 26 December start will push the 100-boat fleet south at high speed under spinnaker. The predicted west-southwest change of 25-30 knots to follow will allow straight-line reaching courses towards Tasman Island, the last turning mark 41 nautical-miles from the finish.
The sailing will be tough as the yachts speed south at speeds of up to 25 knots for the maxis and the mid-fleet and smaller boats will have to climb big waves in Bass Strait, but the conditions will be manageable for all. Nowhere in the forecasts - government and commercial - is mentioned the dreaded S-word, 'southerly', that on this 628 nm course, which crosses the notoriously rough Bass Strait, means strong to gale force headwinds and punishing waves.
Side-on view of Chutzpah. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
In this scenario, the fastest yacht in the race, Bob Oatley's canting-keeled Reichel/Pugh 98 Wild Oats XI, could cut an extraordinary ten hours off the race record she set at one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds in 2005 as well as taking line honours for the fourth consecutive year.
Wild Oats. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
But forecaster Roger Badham, who provides specialist services to a number of yachts in the fleet including Wild Oats XI, warns that the pace-setting big boats could be slowed by a lightening of the northerly flow as they close the Tasmanian coast on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, 27 December. "It's looking a bit wishy washy," Badham says. "They look like getting around Tasman Island around 9pm to midnight, still ahead of the race record but facing softer breeze."
Wild Oats XI's skipper Mark Richards sees the first six hours and the last six hours of the race deciding her record-breaking chances, "You could get to Tasman Light in 24 hours but it's a matter of getting from there to the finishing line, which can take 12 hours. You just don't know."
Following Wild Oats XI home to Hobart should be Grant Wharington's Jones designed 98-foot canting-keeled maxi Skandia and the fixed-keel R/P 80 ASM Shockwave 5 (Andrew Short). Next into Constitution Dock should be Matt Allen's modified Volvo 70 Ichi Ban and Peter Harburg's well-sailed R/P 66 Black Jack - another two entrants equipped with canting keels. Wharington concedes his older maxi Skandia has little chance of beating Wild Oats XI into Hobart and so has configured her to win the race's major trophy, the Tattersall's Cup.
Sydney skyline with the CYCA in the foreground. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
The international yachting community will be following the fortunes of the two brand new Reichel/Pugh designs, the 63-foot Loki, owned by Stephen Ainsworth and the 62-foot Limit of Alan Brierty, which should also both enjoy the downwind conditions. They are virtually sister designs. Limit's slightly more plumb bow profile accounts for the overall length difference. Loki has a more conservative 'pin-head' shaped mainsail while Limit has square-topped mainsail, inspired by latest Volvo and America's Cup grand-prix sail design.
British America's Cup and Olympic sailor Andy Beadsworth, tactician/helmsman aboard Loki, welcomed the forecasts of more moderate winds than those issued earlier in the week, "we don't want to break the boat on its very first outing but we also want to push the boat hard and see what we can do on its first race."
Dockside at the CYCA. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
Forecaster Badham believes winner of the Tattersall's Cup is most likely to come from the mid-sized band of boats, which include the race-hardened, well-campaigned TP52s Wot Now (Graeme Wood), Ragamuffin (Sid Fischer), Quest (Bob Steel), Cougar II (Alan Whitely) and the boats most likely to be close behind them at Tasman Island including Ray Roberts' canting-keeled Cookson 50 Quantum Racing, R/P 55 Yendys (Geoff Ross), the Cookson 50 Shogun (Rob Hanna) and Geoff Boettcher's R/P 47 Secret Men's Business 3. By turning up at Tasman Light between nine in the morning and mid-day they would benefit from more reliable winds over the last tricky 40.8 nm across Storm Bay and up the River Derwent to the finish.
The race has eleven overseas entries: 41SUD (Jean-Luc Esplaas, New Caledonia), Pinta-M (Atse Blei, Netherlands), Winsome (Harry Heijst, Netherlands), Lady Courier (Géry Trentesaux, France), Pachamama Top to Top Global Climate Expedition (Dario Schwoerer, Switzerland), Walross 4 (Academy Sailing Club, Germany), Mustang Sally (Warren Batt, New Zealand), Time Lord (Donald Munro, New Zealand), Kioni-Global Yacht Racing (UK), Jus' Do It 3 (Ian Darby, Scotland), Ragtime (Chris Welsh, USA).
Although the forecast conditions will not suit her, the overseas yacht with the best chance of a Tattersall's Cup win is Lady Courrier, a Beneteau First 45, which in 2008 won the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series, decided on IRC handicap. Trentesaux is a very experienced offshore sailor who has twice been in French teams contesting the Rolex Commodores' Cup in the United Kingdom, masterminding the French win in 2006. With his previous boat, the Beneteau First 44.7 Courrier du Coeur, he placed third overall in the storm-ridden 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race.
41-Sud, an Archambault 40 from New Caledonia, is skippered by Jean-Luc Esplaas, who has in the past twenty years competed in short-handed as well as fully-crewed races in the Pacific. With Young 11 Noumea he survived the 1998 Sydney Hobart storm to place third in division. Pinta-M and Winsome are both 1972-vintage Sparkman & Stephens 41s. Pinta-M placed fifth overall on IRC corrected time in the 2005 Rolex Fastnet. The anticipated downwind race will not suit them. Like the similar S&S 47 Love & War from the same era, which won the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart, they are at their best upwind in strong winds.
Sydney's Opera House, seen across the harbour. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.
The USA's sole entry is the legendary Ragtime, the hard-chine plywood 65-footer originally named Infidel, which John Spencer designed for Sir Tom Clark of New Zealand in 1965. Thwarted from entering the 1967 Sydney Hobart by the CYCA's firm stance in those days against admitting radical designs, Clark sold the boat to a syndicate of Americans based in Long Beach, California. Ragtime went on to win line honours in the 1973 and 1975 Los Angeles-Honolulu Transpac races and continued to be a Transpac line honours contender through to the 1990s. She sat neglected in Long Beach Harbour for five years until a consortium including Welsh bought her at a sheriff's auction and got her to the start of the 2005 Transpac.
Welsh subsequently bought out his partners to take sole ownership and give Ragtime an extensive refit, in consultation with designer Alan Andrews. He installed a new rudder, a new keel and a carbon rig, adding a new mainsail and new asymmetrical spinnakers. Earlier this year Ragtime won the 3571nm Tahiti Race from Los Angeles to Papeete and in October won the IRC handicap division of New Zealand's Coastal Classic, from Auckland to Russell.
A fleet of 100 yachts will compete in this year's race, which starts at 1300 AEDT, 26 December 2008. The Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet will have crews representing the USA, UK, New Zealand, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and New Caledonia as well as every Australian state.
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
VOR: Delta Lloyd Finishes Leg 3 Safely
Delta Lloyd keeps on racing towards the finish line in Singapore although the boat is damaged. Left to right: Ryan Houston, Peter van Niekerk (helm), Stu Wilson, Ed O'Conner, and Morgan White. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Roberto Bermudez de Castro/ESP brought the crippled Delta Lloyd across the finish to complete leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cochin in India, at 2007 GMT 23rd December, after 10 days, 10 hours, 7minutes and five seconds (elapsed time 10:10:7:5), more than 24 hours after Bouwe Bekking and Telefónica Blue scored their first leg win of the event.
Roberto Bermudez, who stepped onto the boat for the first time in Cape Town as skipper, has had a tough leg, culminating with damage to the port keel ram structure on day six, 8 December. The crew considered diverting to a nearer port, but were able to affect a repair sufficient to enable them to sail the remainder of the leg and finish under sail. At the time of the incident, Bermudez said, “This is incredibly bad luck, but the crew is my first priority. It is my job to bring them home safely.” And that is exactly what the Spanish skipper has done.
The shore team is ready to start repairing the damage, which should enable the boat to start the in-port race scheduled for 10 January.
Meanwhile, Kosatka Team Russia today announced that it has suspended racing due to insufficient funds to continue the campaign. The boat finished in seventh position yesterday.
The team has been actively approaching sponsors in recent months in a bid to secure enough financial support to continue, however no sponsorship has been forthcoming. The team has no alternative other than to suspend racing until further financial support can be secured.
“From the outset, it was always a goal to bring commercial partners into the project,” explains Oleg Zherebtsov, the team principal. “Until now, I have financed the team with my own money, in advance of anticipated sponsorship funding. By this stage in the campaign we had intended to find sponsorship, but this process has been impacted by the global economic situation.”
The next action on the water will be on 10 January with the UBS Challenge for the In-Port Race, followed by the start of leg four from Singapore to Qingdao in China on 18 January.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points
2. PUMA : 7 points
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points
4. Ericsson 4: 5points
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points
6. Green Dragon: 3 points
7. Kosatka Team Russia: 2 points
8. Delta Lloyd: 1 points
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points
3. PUMA : 27.5 points
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points
5. Green Dragon: 20.5 points
6. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points
7. Team Russia: 10.5 points
8. Delta Lloyd: 9 points
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: Team Russia suspends racing at end of Leg 3 in Singapore
Team Russia at sunset on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Mark Covell/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Team Russia media
Team Russia today announced it has suspended racing upon arrival in Singapore at the end of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race due to insufficient funds to continue the campaign.
The team has been actively approaching sponsors in recent months to secure enough financial support to continue the Volvo Ocean Race onto Qingdao (China) and beyond. However no sponsorship has been forthcoming and the team has no alternative but to suspend racing until further financial support can be secured.
“From the outset, it was always a goal to bring commercial partners into the project,” explains Oleg Zherebtsov, the Team principal. “Until now, I have financed the team with my own money, in advance of anticipated sponsorship funding. By this stage in the Volvo campaign we had intended to find sponsorship, but this process has been impacted by the global economic situation.”
Cessation of racing also means that Team Russia is unable to continue its partnership with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). The team was proud to “Sail For The Whale”, during the first three legs of the Volvo Ocean Race and was instrumental in spreading the call for safe habitats for whales and dolphins around the globe. WDCS is very proud to have been a part of this race and will continue to work for the creation of 12 large marine protection areas by the year 2012 and will find new ways to work with the international sailing community as well as the general public to achieve this goal.
Team Russia
Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race 2008-9: 'How to Win Leg 3' by Bouwe Bekking
by Javier Sobrino
TELEFONICA BLUE has won a thrilling Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09. Skipper Bouwe Bekking is happy to let everyone in on the secret of how the battle was won, shortening the gap on the leaderboard to Ericsson 4 to just 4.5 points. Bekking had said before the leg start that the Volvo Ocean Race was far from over and that the seemingly indomitable Ericsson 4 were beatable. With this result, TELEFONICA BLUE was true to Bekking's word and goes into the Christmas break lying second in the standings, 3 points ahead of Puma.
The blue Spanish boat was at the front of the fleet for most of the leg, only losing out at scoring waypoint of Pulau We by less than one hour to Torben Grael's crew. The victorious arrival in Singapore was achieved by an even tighter margin, just 17 minutes. In leading the fleet home, Bouwe Bekking and his crew added a valuable 8 points to their basket in a leg that echoed the nail-biting win in Leg 3 of the VOR 2005/06 by just 9 seconds. "I wouldn't compare both victories to closely," Bouwe says. "The 2006 leg was a two boat race, and we just had to match race ABN AMRO One; even though they were way faster, we managed to stay ahead. This time we had to deal with three other very fast boats and had to cover them all. The pressure was much higher. We were sailing and stopping, sailing and stopping. We never had a feeling of 'now we are fully in control'."
Four boats crossed the finish line in Singapore within just 19 minutes after 1,950 technically challenging nautical miles from Cochin, India; another example of the tight competition of this Volvo Ocean Race. The 3rd and 4th boats were separated by just 30 seconds.
Earlier in the leg, Ericsson 4 had managed to pass the Spanish boat a few miles before the scoring waypoint, stealing first place from Bouwe Bekking. After entering the intensely tricky Strait of Malacca, the fleet compressed and TELEFONICA BLUE took her opportunity to exact revenge. 500 miles later and the Spanish boat had won her first leg in this Round the World Race; Ericsson 4 was fourth.
FIRST PART: FROM COCHIN TO PULAU WE
The key point of the first 1,400 nautical miles from Cochin to the scoring waypoint of Pulau We came after a few of days of sailing; it was the decision between heading North looking for more wind or South to avoid the strong current: "The last 24 hours have been very frustrating", Bouwe wrote on his exclusive report for www.bouwebekking.com after four days on the water. "We have sailable winds, but the current is just roaring, with strength up to 4 knots, and of course right from the direction where we want to go. This means that we are hardly making any progress in the right direction."
At times like this, a tactical decision can make the difference between 'hero and zero', and Bouwe knew that: "Of course wind is important, but we had to get out of the bad current; going south was better for that, but being more north you had better wind." The brainpower was strong on board TELEFONICA BLUE for this leg, as Bouwe explains, "Having Tom Addis -the meteorologist of the team- with us meant we had another set of brains, better said weather brains, who helped us a lot when we had to make decisions." But, how did they take that decision? Bouwe continues with the explanation: "There was a little low pressure system and once we sailed through the so-called trough line, we knew we would have SE winds. Not very strong, but in general enough to enable us to cut the corner".
While the rest of the fleet headed north, the team decided to dive south; just before reaching the scoring waypoint, Ericsson 4 managed to pass TELEFONICA BLUE which was caught waiting for a shift that never happened. "Second place at the scoring waypoint is not a bad result", Bouwe wrote immediately after securing 3.5 points at Pulau We. "The only shame for us is that it is the same boat cashing in maximum points. Ericsson 4 is fast and their navigation is very solid as well... Anyway, well done to them." Bouwe knows Torben Grael's team is a crack crew, but he does not consider them invincible: "Now let's go and get them on the final run into Singapore, I am getting sick and tired to get beaten by them!. It is time that we gain some points on them for the overall score." Said and done.
2ND PART: 500 MILES THROUGH THE STRAIT OF MALACCA
Once the boats had passed the scoring waypoint, another type of race began at the entrance to the complex Strait of Malacca, 500 nautical miles full of huge commercial ships, fishing boats, fishing nets and other dangers. "Once past the scoring waypoint we entered a very busy piece of water", Bouwe describes. "Not only ships, but more dangerously lots of floating objects. First night there we hit twice something with our rudders, luckily with no damage, and with the light of the first day we saw several big pieces of wood floating by and one was massive in size -it actually looked like a roof of a house; it wouldn't be healthy to hit that." Luckily, after three days in those waters, no serious damage was suffered by any of the eight boats.
"From Pulau We, the conditions changed dramatically, very fluky winds, and the entire fleet compressed. The boats were so close that most of the fleet were in with a chance to win", Bouwe remarked soon after crossing the finish line. The Dutch skipper believes Pulau We was a turning point in the final victory: "We always wanted to be east of the fleet, closer to the Malaysian coast; that opportunity came and from that point on the benefits kept coming. Although we had one really bad position report where we lost 25 miles to the boat ahead and the ones behind, we were in the position we wanted and were sure would come good eventually. The hard part was that we were never sure if we could hold on to the lead. You might think you had a nice lead, which normally you could hold for a long time, but in this part of the world, you are never safe. The wind was so different, even over a small distance. For example, you could be 1 km apart and one boat would have 2 knots of wind, while the other would have 15 knots."
When asked about the secret ingredient for this win, Bouwe is clear: "Just staying cool at all times and keep faith with what we saw on the weather maps. And, of course, great crew work. I am proud of the entire team, who all gave everything and always kept positive. But this win is also one for the shorecrew. They did a tremendous job in preparing the boat and we didn't have any issues. So thanks to you all! It's a fantastic Christmas gift for all the Telefonica Team family."
Over the last 24 hours of the race, the fleet was led at various times by four different boats: TELEFONICA BLUE, Ericsson 4, Ericsson 3 and Puma. It was only in the final stretch that Bouwe Bekking and his crew managed to put some real distance between their blue hull and the other three. "It was crazy", Bouwe said once everything was over. "We were in the lead, we lost the lead, then we got the lead again. The final 6-7 miles the wind died nearly completely, and then the other guys came really close, and then we got a little breeze again."
The Spanish boat crossed the finish line at 14:51:22 GMT, around 17 minutes in front of Puma,18 minutes ahead of Ericsson 3 and 19 minutes ahead of Ericsson 4.
"Revenge? no, this is not about taking revenge", according to Bouwe when asked about beating Ericsson 4. "Reducing the gap with Ericsson 4 is huge for our team, but also a very good thing for the race in general. This will help create more awareness and will reinforce that our sport can be exciting to follow, especially with the public who may not understand so much about the intricacies of this type of sailing, but know good competition."
The next date marked with war paint in Bouwe's schedule is January 10th, the day of the In Port race at Singapore. Until then, the Dutch skipper can smile at the mirror, knowing he has done a good job.
Bouwe Bekking
Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race: Image Collage from end of Leg 3 into Singapore
PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (USA) takes second place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 15:08:01. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson.
Telefonica Blue, skippered by Bouwe Bekking (NED) takes first place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 14:51:22 GMT. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 3, skippered by Anders Lewander (SWE) takes third place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 15:09:48 GMT. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Skipper Ken Read and his daughter Tory, with Santa Claus. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (USA) takes second place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 15:08:01. Image copyright David Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Telefonica Black, skippered by Fernando Echavarri (ESP) finishes fifth on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 17:36:23 GMT. Image copyright David Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (USA) (pictured) takes second place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 15:08:01. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Telefonica Blue, skippered by Bouwe Bekking (NED) takes first place on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore, crossing the finish line at 14:51:22 GMT. image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Stacking below decks on Team Russia, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Weight saving on Ericsson 4 but not by cutting the toothbrush handles off. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR Leg 3: GREEN DRAGON AND KOSATKA TEAM RUSSIA BATTLE TO THE END
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) and Kosatka Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) have been fighting their own private battle for the minor placings. As the Malacca Straights narrowed, Green Dragon was becalmed with a strong tide against her. As the team struggled to turn the corner, Kosatka reached up from 24-miles behind with good wind, closing to within a mile of the Chinese/Irish boat. Ian Walker managed to hold off the Russian advances and crossed the finish in Singapore tonight at 2249 GMT in sixth place. Kosatka followed shortly after at 0008 GMT.
Ian Walker said, earlier today, “This leg has simply not gone our way and I look with envy at the close racing amongst the top four. It might seem strange, but on balance, I think we have sailed the best on this leg that we have so far in the race, and everyone remains very focused on the task ahead.”
Austrian skipper of Kosatka, Andreas Hanakamp, said:
“For the last 24 hours of the leg, everyone has been working incredibly hard to get in front of Green Dragon and, we got within a mile of them. They had managed to get further inshore than us and picked up the breeze just a few minutes earlier, which gave them valuable miles.
“The leg was a different challenge again, with forecasts unreliable in the light winds. Again, the fleet was close together from start to finish which shows how close the racing is.
“I am happy to get to Singapore, looking forward what they come up with after the great time we had in India. Thanks to my sailing team for the incredible effort they put in right to the finish line.”
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) who is limping with a damaged keel ram, will be the next boat to finish later tomorrow.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points (FINISHED)
6. Green Dragon: 3 points (FINISHED)
7. Kosatka Team Russia: 2 points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon: 20.5 points (FINISHED)
6. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points (FINISHED)
7. Team Russia: 10.5 points (FINISHED)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) and Kosatka Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) have been fighting their own private battle for the minor placings. As the Malacca Straights narrowed, Green Dragon was becalmed with a strong tide against her. As the team struggled to turn the corner, Kosatka reached up from 24-miles behind with good wind, closing to within a mile of the Chinese/Irish boat. Ian Walker managed to hold off the Russian advances and crossed the finish in Singapore tonight at 2249 GMT in sixth place. Kosatka followed shortly after at 0008 GMT.
Ian Walker said, earlier today, “This leg has simply not gone our way and I look with envy at the close racing amongst the top four. It might seem strange, but on balance, I think we have sailed the best on this leg that we have so far in the race, and everyone remains very focused on the task ahead.”
Austrian skipper of Kosatka, Andreas Hanakamp, said:
“For the last 24 hours of the leg, everyone has been working incredibly hard to get in front of Green Dragon and, we got within a mile of them. They had managed to get further inshore than us and picked up the breeze just a few minutes earlier, which gave them valuable miles.
“The leg was a different challenge again, with forecasts unreliable in the light winds. Again, the fleet was close together from start to finish which shows how close the racing is.
“I am happy to get to Singapore, looking forward what they come up with after the great time we had in India. Thanks to my sailing team for the incredible effort they put in right to the finish line.”
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) who is limping with a damaged keel ram, will be the next boat to finish later tomorrow.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points (FINISHED)
6. Green Dragon: 3 points (FINISHED)
7. Kosatka Team Russia: 2 points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon: 20.5 points (FINISHED)
6. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points (FINISHED)
7. Team Russia: 10.5 points (FINISHED)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR Leg 3: FIFTH PLACE FOR TELEFÓNICA BLACK
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Fernando Echávarri from Spain brought Telefónica Black through the finish in Singapore today in fifth place at 1736 GMT (0136 local time), after racing for nine days, seven hours, 36 minutes and 23 seconds (09:07:36:23).
The team’s total overall score is 19.5 points, which puts them fifth overall. However if Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) is the next boat to finish, they will slip to sixth place. Ian Walker and his men are currently fighting off an attack from Kosatka Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT), which, if they succumb and Kosatka beats them to the finish, will leave Green Dragon and Telefónica Black on an equal score overall of 19.5 points.
As the team began the long motor in to Sentosa Island, Fernando Echávarri said:
“It’s not disappointing at all for us. We just couldn’t pass the others, we had opportunities to do it but we just couldn’t.
“We are happy because we made a good leg, we were a few hours behind the top boats, but we know we can do better and we’ll keep working on it.
“We are really destroyed...exhausted. We thought we had a chance at one stage, we could see the others about four miles ahead, but we were never really in the right place at the right time to take advantage and get past them."
The next boat to finish will be later this evening.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points (FINISHED)
6. Green Dragon: 17.5 points (RACING)
7. Team Russia: 8.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
Fernando Echávarri from Spain brought Telefónica Black through the finish in Singapore today in fifth place at 1736 GMT (0136 local time), after racing for nine days, seven hours, 36 minutes and 23 seconds (09:07:36:23).
The team’s total overall score is 19.5 points, which puts them fifth overall. However if Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) is the next boat to finish, they will slip to sixth place. Ian Walker and his men are currently fighting off an attack from Kosatka Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT), which, if they succumb and Kosatka beats them to the finish, will leave Green Dragon and Telefónica Black on an equal score overall of 19.5 points.
As the team began the long motor in to Sentosa Island, Fernando Echávarri said:
“It’s not disappointing at all for us. We just couldn’t pass the others, we had opportunities to do it but we just couldn’t.
“We are happy because we made a good leg, we were a few hours behind the top boats, but we know we can do better and we’ll keep working on it.
“We are really destroyed...exhausted. We thought we had a chance at one stage, we could see the others about four miles ahead, but we were never really in the right place at the right time to take advantage and get past them."
The next boat to finish will be later this evening.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points (FINISHED)
6. Green Dragon: 17.5 points (RACING)
7. Team Russia: 8.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3: HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY FOR TELEFÓNICA BLUE
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Fighting for every inch, Telefónica Blue, skippered by Dutchman Bouwe Bekking, crossed the finish line at the end of leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race to score an emphatic victory in Singapore 22nd December at 1451 GMT (2251 local time).
It was among the closest finishes in the race history, with the top four boats finishing within 20 minutes following nearly 10 days of racing.
The Spanish team takes a valuable eight points towards their overall score, which now stands at 30.5 points, putting them into second place overall (subject to protest).
The 1950 nautical mile leg, which started from Cochin, India, on December 13, has been a leg of mental and physical torture for the crew, which took nine days, four hours, 51 minutes and 22 seconds to complete (09:04:41:22)
PUMA, led by Kenny Read/USA claimed second, 17 minutes behind the Spanish team, (finish time 1508 GMT) adding seven points to her tally, giving her a total of 27.5 points and third place overall. (Elapsed time: 09:05:08:01)
The final podium spot went to Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE), who beat their teammates on Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) to take third, and a total of 23.5 points overall. (Finish time 1509 GMT, elapsed time 09:05:09:48s)
Ericsson 4 was relegated to fourth place, adding five points to the four they earned for passing through the scoring gate a Palau We in first place. They still lead the race overall, but the margin has narrowed to just 4.5 points over Telefónica Blue. (Finish time 15:10:28 GMT elapsed time 09:05:10m28s).
After crossing the finish, Bouwe Bekking and his crew were ecstatic. Speaking from Telefónica Blue as they motored to Race Village at Sentosa Island and the waiting crowds and families, Bekking said:
“It is a very sweet victory. Very special - just before Christmas – a nice little gift for us and very nice because all the families are here. It will be good to see all the happy faces when we get in.
“It was incredible for us. We were in the lead, then we lost it and then took it back again. In the final six or seven miles, the breeze died completely and the other guys got very close, then we got a little puff of breeze and I managed to bring her home.
“I have never seen the guys so happy. I have known them for quite a while and normally they are very cool, but they were just ecstatic when they went through the finish. It is a huge thing for us.
“I told the guys to take it easy as especially in this part of the race, the seas can change in half an hour, and then we sailed a really good race from that point on. We had a couple of really good shifts and, tactically, it went our way and the guys sailed very fast in light airs, which is was why we won. It shows that Ericsson 4 is not invincible and it is really good overall for the race itself.”
Ken Read on finishing second said:
“I have never done anything like this before. Not really sure I want to do it again. Unbelievable. Hats off to the Telefónica guys, they did a nice job, congratulations. Nobody can remember the last time they either slept or ate. It has really been all hands on.”
Anders Lewander, skipper of Ericsson 3, the Nordic team, said:
“It’s been so enormously tough - all of this leg... but it’s been really amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it because of the close tactics and the mix of conditions. It’s hard work but the close encounters and the whole situation on this leg has been really challenging.
“I must admit that on several occasions during this leg, I truly believed we were able to win. I’m really proud and happy about our achievement... this short gybing and close encounters is really good racing.
”The Malacca Strait was challenging with night sailing up the shoreline…then the line-up with the four of us in very variable, light wind conditions. It was a bit of a lottery situation. But it was important to keep in mind the big picture and not necessarily look just at the short term.”
The next boat to finish will be Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) at approximately 1800 GMT.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon: 17.5 points (RACING)
6. Telefónica Black: 13.5 points (RACING)
7. Team Russia: 8.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
Fighting for every inch, Telefónica Blue, skippered by Dutchman Bouwe Bekking, crossed the finish line at the end of leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race to score an emphatic victory in Singapore 22nd December at 1451 GMT (2251 local time).
It was among the closest finishes in the race history, with the top four boats finishing within 20 minutes following nearly 10 days of racing.
The Spanish team takes a valuable eight points towards their overall score, which now stands at 30.5 points, putting them into second place overall (subject to protest).
The 1950 nautical mile leg, which started from Cochin, India, on December 13, has been a leg of mental and physical torture for the crew, which took nine days, four hours, 51 minutes and 22 seconds to complete (09:04:41:22)
PUMA, led by Kenny Read/USA claimed second, 17 minutes behind the Spanish team, (finish time 1508 GMT) adding seven points to her tally, giving her a total of 27.5 points and third place overall. (Elapsed time: 09:05:08:01)
The final podium spot went to Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE), who beat their teammates on Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) to take third, and a total of 23.5 points overall. (Finish time 1509 GMT, elapsed time 09:05:09:48s)
Ericsson 4 was relegated to fourth place, adding five points to the four they earned for passing through the scoring gate a Palau We in first place. They still lead the race overall, but the margin has narrowed to just 4.5 points over Telefónica Blue. (Finish time 15:10:28 GMT elapsed time 09:05:10m28s).
After crossing the finish, Bouwe Bekking and his crew were ecstatic. Speaking from Telefónica Blue as they motored to Race Village at Sentosa Island and the waiting crowds and families, Bekking said:
“It is a very sweet victory. Very special - just before Christmas – a nice little gift for us and very nice because all the families are here. It will be good to see all the happy faces when we get in.
“It was incredible for us. We were in the lead, then we lost it and then took it back again. In the final six or seven miles, the breeze died completely and the other guys got very close, then we got a little puff of breeze and I managed to bring her home.
“I have never seen the guys so happy. I have known them for quite a while and normally they are very cool, but they were just ecstatic when they went through the finish. It is a huge thing for us.
“I told the guys to take it easy as especially in this part of the race, the seas can change in half an hour, and then we sailed a really good race from that point on. We had a couple of really good shifts and, tactically, it went our way and the guys sailed very fast in light airs, which is was why we won. It shows that Ericsson 4 is not invincible and it is really good overall for the race itself.”
Ken Read on finishing second said:
“I have never done anything like this before. Not really sure I want to do it again. Unbelievable. Hats off to the Telefónica guys, they did a nice job, congratulations. Nobody can remember the last time they either slept or ate. It has really been all hands on.”
Anders Lewander, skipper of Ericsson 3, the Nordic team, said:
“It’s been so enormously tough - all of this leg... but it’s been really amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it because of the close tactics and the mix of conditions. It’s hard work but the close encounters and the whole situation on this leg has been really challenging.
“I must admit that on several occasions during this leg, I truly believed we were able to win. I’m really proud and happy about our achievement... this short gybing and close encounters is really good racing.
”The Malacca Strait was challenging with night sailing up the shoreline…then the line-up with the four of us in very variable, light wind conditions. It was a bit of a lottery situation. But it was important to keep in mind the big picture and not necessarily look just at the short term.”
The next boat to finish will be Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) at approximately 1800 GMT.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon: 17.5 points (RACING)
6. Telefónica Black: 13.5 points (RACING)
7. Team Russia: 8.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: KOSATKA TEAM RUSSIA LEG THREE DAY 7 QFB: received 18.12.08 0630 GMT
by Andreas Hanakamp, skipper
Very sorry for the guys on Delta Lloyd, I hope that they will make it safely to Singapore. Once in the Malacca Strait, they should be all right and will have no disadvantage in the light downwind conditions.
We were very happy last night with our performance, gaining with every sched on the whole fleet. The boat seems to be quick in these upwind conditions and we can push the boat hard, not fearing any breakages (touch wood again and again).
It seems we are laying the mark and the fleet will have to tack, how close we can come and whether we can overtake any boats depends on speed and the wind direction the fleet will experience after tacking. We will keep fighting for every mile until the finish line in Singapore. Ericsson 4 shows impressive speeds whenever they line up with other boats and Ericsson 3 is not far from that, we all could envy them a little bit.
Less than a week to Christmas and no Christmas feelings on board. It is too warm, too wet, the lack of lights in the streets, Christmas songs and shopping orgies. Still I hope we make it in time to spend Christmas with our families in Singapore or at home.
Volvo Ocean Race
Very sorry for the guys on Delta Lloyd, I hope that they will make it safely to Singapore. Once in the Malacca Strait, they should be all right and will have no disadvantage in the light downwind conditions.
We were very happy last night with our performance, gaining with every sched on the whole fleet. The boat seems to be quick in these upwind conditions and we can push the boat hard, not fearing any breakages (touch wood again and again).
It seems we are laying the mark and the fleet will have to tack, how close we can come and whether we can overtake any boats depends on speed and the wind direction the fleet will experience after tacking. We will keep fighting for every mile until the finish line in Singapore. Ericsson 4 shows impressive speeds whenever they line up with other boats and Ericsson 3 is not far from that, we all could envy them a little bit.
Less than a week to Christmas and no Christmas feelings on board. It is too warm, too wet, the lack of lights in the streets, Christmas songs and shopping orgies. Still I hope we make it in time to spend Christmas with our families in Singapore or at home.
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: ERICSSON 4 LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 1050 GMT
Hi! We are now 330 miles from the scoring gate and all the boats are really close. We are trying hard to gain some miles on Telefónica Blue and keep our distance from the others. At the moment, we have 16-20 knots of wind and we are sailing in a fast up wind mode.
Life on board has not been easy. Down below it’s really warm and we are glad that we have fans in our bunks! On deck has been also very warm and if we are not wet because of the waves and the rains, once you put your gear on you start to get very sweaty... But, we all know that we are going to miss a lot this kind of weather on next leg to Qingdao!
Although this is one of the shortest legs during the race, our trip has not been not quick. We already have had a look in some of our food bags and prepared to have our Christmas dinner onboard, in case we have some delay in our previous ETA. Some of the guys are not happy, as from now we have a few less snacks and some meals have got smaller. We all hope that we get some good winds at the Malacca Strait and that we arrive in time to have a proper Christmas dinner!
Good winds
Joca Signorini
Also today saw Jules turn 40! He was his usual flamboyant and jolly self, happily sat at his nav desk in his pants (must be turning Brazilian!). Not sure what will happen with the approaching mid life crisis -I doubt the Harley Davidson and leather jacket will be enough for Jules after going round the world. I’m sure his mid-life will be more likely to involve a comfortable sofa and plenty of Coronation Street, a nice cup of tea and a fish finger sandwich.... Hold on a second - I think he is already having it.
Guy Salter - MCM
Volvo Ocean Race
Life on board has not been easy. Down below it’s really warm and we are glad that we have fans in our bunks! On deck has been also very warm and if we are not wet because of the waves and the rains, once you put your gear on you start to get very sweaty... But, we all know that we are going to miss a lot this kind of weather on next leg to Qingdao!
Although this is one of the shortest legs during the race, our trip has not been not quick. We already have had a look in some of our food bags and prepared to have our Christmas dinner onboard, in case we have some delay in our previous ETA. Some of the guys are not happy, as from now we have a few less snacks and some meals have got smaller. We all hope that we get some good winds at the Malacca Strait and that we arrive in time to have a proper Christmas dinner!
Good winds
Joca Signorini
Also today saw Jules turn 40! He was his usual flamboyant and jolly self, happily sat at his nav desk in his pants (must be turning Brazilian!). Not sure what will happen with the approaching mid life crisis -I doubt the Harley Davidson and leather jacket will be enough for Jules after going round the world. I’m sure his mid-life will be more likely to involve a comfortable sofa and plenty of Coronation Street, a nice cup of tea and a fish finger sandwich.... Hold on a second - I think he is already having it.
Guy Salter - MCM
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: PUMA LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 0956 GMT
by Kenny Read, skipper
The Bay of Bengal. Bringing these boats here for this leg is like using a Ferrari for a Tractor Pull. Slogging upwind, tacking on every shift for days. In fact, for one 24-hour period we had 51 squalls come through bringing rain, shift, no shift, wind, no wind etc. You get my drift. Mix in the heat and humidity and you have a real glamorous sailing spot at this moment in time.
Great news is the conditions are evening out and the squalls are far less frequent. In fact the fleet is lining up and starting to leg it out for the northwest corner of Indonesia and Sumatra. We were joking on the rail that every place we now talk about - Sumatra for example - we have never even used the words before never mind been here. Wild new world for boat racing.
The good news is that things are starting to at least normalise out here a bit. The bad news is it is about to get really strange once we enter the Strait of Malacca. This is the channel between Indonesia to the south and Malaysia to the north. Here the fun really begins. It is one of, if not the, most used commercial shipping lane in the world. There is an Indonesian navy who is rumoured to stop random boats and request fees to pass through. Potential outright piracy. And supposedly heaps of fishing boats, which may be lit or unlit, with lines or nets. Let the fun begin.
On board the fine yacht, we have gotten back in touch with the leaders and are now running fourth. Quite a number of changes on this leg. Just when a pattern would start to develop everything would change. We currently have Telefónica Black just behind us and Ericsson 3 to weather- both within sight and, as usual, it is full on. Never a dull moment.
On board we are surviving the plastic fork situation barely. [The forks for eating food break rather too readily!] Thanks to all the second graders’ suggestions for what to use. The problem is that not a single one of their suggestions is actually aboard the boat. Like soup can tops and aluminium foil. Great ideas if we were on a normal boat in normal conditions. One small problem that may be related to our plastic fork salutation or not is that a pretty good case of diarrhoea has overcome the boat, to the point that our toilet pump broke from overuse! Talk about a disaster. Fortunately, Dr Falcone is on the case and hopefully we can shake this before the entire team takes their turn. The stern railing is getting a lot of use these days...if you get my drift.
The questions are starting to come to the nav station a little more frequently concerning our projected ETA. We have several crewmembers flying home to be with families and several of us have families who will anxiously be in Singapore hoping to celebrate the holidays with all the sailors out here on the water. Hope the Straits are kind to us. That is all I want for a Christmas present this year.
Volvo Ocean Race
The Bay of Bengal. Bringing these boats here for this leg is like using a Ferrari for a Tractor Pull. Slogging upwind, tacking on every shift for days. In fact, for one 24-hour period we had 51 squalls come through bringing rain, shift, no shift, wind, no wind etc. You get my drift. Mix in the heat and humidity and you have a real glamorous sailing spot at this moment in time.
Great news is the conditions are evening out and the squalls are far less frequent. In fact the fleet is lining up and starting to leg it out for the northwest corner of Indonesia and Sumatra. We were joking on the rail that every place we now talk about - Sumatra for example - we have never even used the words before never mind been here. Wild new world for boat racing.
The good news is that things are starting to at least normalise out here a bit. The bad news is it is about to get really strange once we enter the Strait of Malacca. This is the channel between Indonesia to the south and Malaysia to the north. Here the fun really begins. It is one of, if not the, most used commercial shipping lane in the world. There is an Indonesian navy who is rumoured to stop random boats and request fees to pass through. Potential outright piracy. And supposedly heaps of fishing boats, which may be lit or unlit, with lines or nets. Let the fun begin.
On board the fine yacht, we have gotten back in touch with the leaders and are now running fourth. Quite a number of changes on this leg. Just when a pattern would start to develop everything would change. We currently have Telefónica Black just behind us and Ericsson 3 to weather- both within sight and, as usual, it is full on. Never a dull moment.
On board we are surviving the plastic fork situation barely. [The forks for eating food break rather too readily!] Thanks to all the second graders’ suggestions for what to use. The problem is that not a single one of their suggestions is actually aboard the boat. Like soup can tops and aluminium foil. Great ideas if we were on a normal boat in normal conditions. One small problem that may be related to our plastic fork salutation or not is that a pretty good case of diarrhoea has overcome the boat, to the point that our toilet pump broke from overuse! Talk about a disaster. Fortunately, Dr Falcone is on the case and hopefully we can shake this before the entire team takes their turn. The stern railing is getting a lot of use these days...if you get my drift.
The questions are starting to come to the nav station a little more frequently concerning our projected ETA. We have several crewmembers flying home to be with families and several of us have families who will anxiously be in Singapore hoping to celebrate the holidays with all the sailors out here on the water. Hope the Straits are kind to us. That is all I want for a Christmas present this year.
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: TELEFÓNICA BLACK LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 1335 GMT
by Mikel Pasabant, media crew member
Hi all
The last 24 hour have seen us lose a couple of positions in the fleet, which is nothing to be surprised with considering we have been sailing for more than 12 hours with the wrong headsail, because of the breakdown of the genoa halyard.
We were considering the possibility of getting up the mast to place an external lock but the call was made to wait until this morning, as conditions, mainly the waves, were a bit hazardous to get a man to the top of the mast at night. So the night passed with the J4 instead of the J2, and as dawn came, and with Puma steaming on top of us, with our longed awaited J2, we bore off and took David Vera up to fix the external lock, with complete success. And it means that we made the correct decision, you know, safety first. When we ended up, Puma was 3 miles away, but this is just a very long distance run... and we guys on board are the first to be concerned about it.
The positions are so close that it is going to be a very close approach to the scoring gate, and we to the south expect a slow and continuous shift to the gate. Wouldn't it be great?
So we keep on a nice beat to the Pulau We island scoring gate, with 340 miles to go, and then, the amusement park awaits us!
Cheers from TELEFÓNICA NEGRO
Volvo Ocean Race
Hi all
The last 24 hour have seen us lose a couple of positions in the fleet, which is nothing to be surprised with considering we have been sailing for more than 12 hours with the wrong headsail, because of the breakdown of the genoa halyard.
We were considering the possibility of getting up the mast to place an external lock but the call was made to wait until this morning, as conditions, mainly the waves, were a bit hazardous to get a man to the top of the mast at night. So the night passed with the J4 instead of the J2, and as dawn came, and with Puma steaming on top of us, with our longed awaited J2, we bore off and took David Vera up to fix the external lock, with complete success. And it means that we made the correct decision, you know, safety first. When we ended up, Puma was 3 miles away, but this is just a very long distance run... and we guys on board are the first to be concerned about it.
The positions are so close that it is going to be a very close approach to the scoring gate, and we to the south expect a slow and continuous shift to the gate. Wouldn't it be great?
So we keep on a nice beat to the Pulau We island scoring gate, with 340 miles to go, and then, the amusement park awaits us!
Cheers from TELEFÓNICA NEGRO
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: ERICSSON 3 LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 1519 GMT
by Aksel Magdahl, navigator
It does not take much to make 11 primitive guys happy, just a little jump from 6th to 3rd in the standings. Even Gustav (Gustav Morin MCM), who has a stomach infection, has been seen smiling today!
We basically always positioned ourselves on the preferred side of the different medium sized cloud clusters, which enabled us to play some huge wind shifts through the night yesterday. When we got in touch with Green Dragon, we went just a little further than them before a tack, and slowly passed them sailing in a better shift. It actually gave us most of the distance we have on them now. It was difficult with wind shifts not forecast, but satellite pictures helped a lot in this largest thunderstorm area I have ever seen.
Now the question is: how far north is too far? We can ALMOST sail straight towards the waypoint on port tack, but in the end, it looks like we will end up in the light spot south of the scoring gate. It is very expensive to get north at this stage, but expect us to try to utilise some small shifts to get up on that layline.
There will also be plenty of boat-on-boat tactics going on. We just tacked twice to cover Puma on a small shift. Martin Krite is very angry with me now - more than normal - as tacking seems to have the same effect on him as a red cloth has on a bull! So he has hidden my iPod before he went to sleep after the stacking fest. I guess that the ‘Full Stack Double Tack’ within an hour on his off-watch justifies it a little bit.
Best from E3
Volvo Ocean Race
It does not take much to make 11 primitive guys happy, just a little jump from 6th to 3rd in the standings. Even Gustav (Gustav Morin MCM), who has a stomach infection, has been seen smiling today!
We basically always positioned ourselves on the preferred side of the different medium sized cloud clusters, which enabled us to play some huge wind shifts through the night yesterday. When we got in touch with Green Dragon, we went just a little further than them before a tack, and slowly passed them sailing in a better shift. It actually gave us most of the distance we have on them now. It was difficult with wind shifts not forecast, but satellite pictures helped a lot in this largest thunderstorm area I have ever seen.
Now the question is: how far north is too far? We can ALMOST sail straight towards the waypoint on port tack, but in the end, it looks like we will end up in the light spot south of the scoring gate. It is very expensive to get north at this stage, but expect us to try to utilise some small shifts to get up on that layline.
There will also be plenty of boat-on-boat tactics going on. We just tacked twice to cover Puma on a small shift. Martin Krite is very angry with me now - more than normal - as tacking seems to have the same effect on him as a red cloth has on a bull! So he has hidden my iPod before he went to sleep after the stacking fest. I guess that the ‘Full Stack Double Tack’ within an hour on his off-watch justifies it a little bit.
Best from E3
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG THREE DAY 2 QFB: received 18.12.08 1537 GMT
by Bouwe Bekking, skipper
I heard of the mishap of our friends on Delta Lloyd, and you don't have to tell me how they feel. Been there, seen it and done it. As soon as I saw the message, I reported to race headquarters, that we are on standby to assist, as I know as well what that means to hear for Delta Lloyd - that others are there for them. Of course, this is a yacht race, but it is oh so relative, when you are in trouble on this big ocean. But I hope that they can continue without assistance, Chuny (skipper Roberto Bermudez/ESP) will a grip on the situation, and will make the right calls.
Oh, yes, we are still in a boat race and a hot one to be first to the gate. We had a very similar situation in the last race, and managed to keep first by only a whisker, and it looks a very similar situation. Ericsson 4 is behind, but has a better angle to the gate, meaning that they can sail relatively faster. The other boats are also still in striking distance, so we are keeping a close eye on them as well.
We have been stubborn, and we stuck to our guns, separated from the fleet and went for the shift, and hopefully we will be rewarded full points for that. Another 260 miles to go, without any proper sleep possible. Lying in my bunk, I might doze away, but then very quickly I will check wind direction and wind speed. For Sifi (Simon Fisher – navigator) is the same, and I hope we can pull it off for his sake. Regarding Tom Addis: well, when we made the decision to go our way, I trusted him and what he saw developing, but when the shift finally came through, I was so happy. I told him: "if you weren’t a man, I would have kissed you”.
Volvo Ocean Race
I heard of the mishap of our friends on Delta Lloyd, and you don't have to tell me how they feel. Been there, seen it and done it. As soon as I saw the message, I reported to race headquarters, that we are on standby to assist, as I know as well what that means to hear for Delta Lloyd - that others are there for them. Of course, this is a yacht race, but it is oh so relative, when you are in trouble on this big ocean. But I hope that they can continue without assistance, Chuny (skipper Roberto Bermudez/ESP) will a grip on the situation, and will make the right calls.
Oh, yes, we are still in a boat race and a hot one to be first to the gate. We had a very similar situation in the last race, and managed to keep first by only a whisker, and it looks a very similar situation. Ericsson 4 is behind, but has a better angle to the gate, meaning that they can sail relatively faster. The other boats are also still in striking distance, so we are keeping a close eye on them as well.
We have been stubborn, and we stuck to our guns, separated from the fleet and went for the shift, and hopefully we will be rewarded full points for that. Another 260 miles to go, without any proper sleep possible. Lying in my bunk, I might doze away, but then very quickly I will check wind direction and wind speed. For Sifi (Simon Fisher – navigator) is the same, and I hope we can pull it off for his sake. Regarding Tom Addis: well, when we made the decision to go our way, I trusted him and what he saw developing, but when the shift finally came through, I was so happy. I told him: "if you weren’t a man, I would have kissed you”.
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: DELTA LLOYD LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 1633 GMT
by Matt Gregory, navigator
At 7:30 this evening, we were sailing upwind in 20 knots of wind - pounding away in a short steep sea state with our J1 headsail and a reef in the main. All of a sudden, there was a massive breaking sound from inside the boat.
One of the hydraulic rams, that cants the keel from side to side, had ripped off the bulkhead that connects it to the boat. Immediately we put our safety plan into place.
Unsure of extent of the structural damage and integrity of the boat, everyone moved to their areas. We took down our headsail. The water pumps were deployed and put on standby. Survival suits and grab bags were pulled from the safety locker in case we were sinking and needed to abandon the boat. I called the race office to tell them our position and to be on standby in case we needed assistance from another boat. I also worked on finding ports that we could take refuge. The closest ones were 400 miles away. Meanwhile the guys on deck limped the boat along at three knots.
The next phone calls were to the designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian to help us assess the implications of the structural failure. He helped us determine that we could continue to sail, with our keel locked in the centre position by using the starboard hydraulic ram.
Right now, we are sailing with our little J4 headsail and a reef in the main towards the northern tip of Indonesia, which also happens to be the location of the scoring gate. Using the sails to heel the boat helps to reduce the slamming loads on the hull. We are making decent headway at about nine knots of boat speed. Over the next two days, we will work with our shore team to figure out how we are going to get to Singapore.
It was a very scary moment onboard, but it was great to see the entire team handle the emergency in a calm and professional way. We are fortunate to be able to continue east towards Singapore. However, every wave that we crash into is a bit more worrisome than normal. Hopefully, we can get the boat safely to the Malacca Straights in one piece. For now, we are happy to be safe, which is always our first priority.
Volvo Ocean Race
At 7:30 this evening, we were sailing upwind in 20 knots of wind - pounding away in a short steep sea state with our J1 headsail and a reef in the main. All of a sudden, there was a massive breaking sound from inside the boat.
One of the hydraulic rams, that cants the keel from side to side, had ripped off the bulkhead that connects it to the boat. Immediately we put our safety plan into place.
Unsure of extent of the structural damage and integrity of the boat, everyone moved to their areas. We took down our headsail. The water pumps were deployed and put on standby. Survival suits and grab bags were pulled from the safety locker in case we were sinking and needed to abandon the boat. I called the race office to tell them our position and to be on standby in case we needed assistance from another boat. I also worked on finding ports that we could take refuge. The closest ones were 400 miles away. Meanwhile the guys on deck limped the boat along at three knots.
The next phone calls were to the designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian to help us assess the implications of the structural failure. He helped us determine that we could continue to sail, with our keel locked in the centre position by using the starboard hydraulic ram.
Right now, we are sailing with our little J4 headsail and a reef in the main towards the northern tip of Indonesia, which also happens to be the location of the scoring gate. Using the sails to heel the boat helps to reduce the slamming loads on the hull. We are making decent headway at about nine knots of boat speed. Over the next two days, we will work with our shore team to figure out how we are going to get to Singapore.
It was a very scary moment onboard, but it was great to see the entire team handle the emergency in a calm and professional way. We are fortunate to be able to continue east towards Singapore. However, every wave that we crash into is a bit more worrisome than normal. Hopefully, we can get the boat safely to the Malacca Straights in one piece. For now, we are happy to be safe, which is always our first priority.
Volvo Ocean Race
VOR: Puma Leg 3 Day Two
by Ken Read, skipper
We have gotten exactly what we expected so far in the first 20 hours of this leg. Hot, light, tricky and very variable conditions.
But first, back to the beginning of the adventure. Leg 3, India to Singapore. What a send off it was.
A Volvo Ocean Race send off is becoming a bit second nature. Meet in the morning at the PUMA shore base, team meeting, weather briefing, then team walks to the beginning of the dock, but this time it was different. At the beginning of the dock there were thousands of spectators waiting to see the teams as they paraded to the boats. Just a final reminder of how hospitable the Cochin stop was for all of us. We all learned so much about a culture that we had never laid eyes on before. It was the people who made the difference, hospitable, friendly, inviting, and really, really interested in the Volvo Ocean Race. It was just a reminder that we are ambassadors for our sport in so many ways- bringing sailing to places which have never even heard of a sailboat race before- never mind this travelling circus called the Volvo Ocean Race.
This was also the first place I have been to where we chose to get towed off the dock. The main reason was all the floating weed, small trees and various other stuff in the water. And when I say there is a lot of it, I mean almost you can walk on water thick. There was no way to protect our propellers from all the muck so we decided to tow around the parade and show off the boats to the tens of thousands who lined the shores of the bay to just get a glimpse of the boats.
The parade also gave us a chance to meet our new friend, Bollywood movie star Dino Morea- good guy. He joined us with Jochen Zeitz the CEO of PUMA and Martyn Bowen who oversees PUMA India (in addition to many other regions)- all great guys. There did come a point where we finally had to hurry them off the boat just minutes prior to the start.
Bang...gun goes and we are off. A good start for the home team and an early lead, but this is becoming a bit of a theme. In the evening the lead evaporated as did the wind and all of us took turns at the front of the pack. As morning came, the entire fleet was stacked up on top of each other- a long night with nothing to show for it but a re-start.
On board life is very familiar. il mostro is really beginning to feel like home. Sitting in front of this computer, a lot of the same jokes, a bunk that always has gear underneath poking me in the back, bad food and warm water...pretty much status quo. The plus side is that for this leg at least there is no large low pressure brewing as of yet to knock our socks off as the last two legs have.
We have a fairly light and tricky beat across the Bay of Bengal after rounding the southern tip of Sri Lanka, this is all new for us- places that I never imagined I would be racing.
Should be a very interesting 10 days or so- stay tuned.
PUMA Ocean Racing
Volvo Ocean Race
We have gotten exactly what we expected so far in the first 20 hours of this leg. Hot, light, tricky and very variable conditions.
But first, back to the beginning of the adventure. Leg 3, India to Singapore. What a send off it was.
A Volvo Ocean Race send off is becoming a bit second nature. Meet in the morning at the PUMA shore base, team meeting, weather briefing, then team walks to the beginning of the dock, but this time it was different. At the beginning of the dock there were thousands of spectators waiting to see the teams as they paraded to the boats. Just a final reminder of how hospitable the Cochin stop was for all of us. We all learned so much about a culture that we had never laid eyes on before. It was the people who made the difference, hospitable, friendly, inviting, and really, really interested in the Volvo Ocean Race. It was just a reminder that we are ambassadors for our sport in so many ways- bringing sailing to places which have never even heard of a sailboat race before- never mind this travelling circus called the Volvo Ocean Race.
This was also the first place I have been to where we chose to get towed off the dock. The main reason was all the floating weed, small trees and various other stuff in the water. And when I say there is a lot of it, I mean almost you can walk on water thick. There was no way to protect our propellers from all the muck so we decided to tow around the parade and show off the boats to the tens of thousands who lined the shores of the bay to just get a glimpse of the boats.
The parade also gave us a chance to meet our new friend, Bollywood movie star Dino Morea- good guy. He joined us with Jochen Zeitz the CEO of PUMA and Martyn Bowen who oversees PUMA India (in addition to many other regions)- all great guys. There did come a point where we finally had to hurry them off the boat just minutes prior to the start.
Bang...gun goes and we are off. A good start for the home team and an early lead, but this is becoming a bit of a theme. In the evening the lead evaporated as did the wind and all of us took turns at the front of the pack. As morning came, the entire fleet was stacked up on top of each other- a long night with nothing to show for it but a re-start.
On board life is very familiar. il mostro is really beginning to feel like home. Sitting in front of this computer, a lot of the same jokes, a bunk that always has gear underneath poking me in the back, bad food and warm water...pretty much status quo. The plus side is that for this leg at least there is no large low pressure brewing as of yet to knock our socks off as the last two legs have.
We have a fairly light and tricky beat across the Bay of Bengal after rounding the southern tip of Sri Lanka, this is all new for us- places that I never imagined I would be racing.
Should be a very interesting 10 days or so- stay tuned.
PUMA Ocean Racing
Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race: Puma leads at start of Leg 3
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Cochin in India, bid farewell to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet at 1530 local time (1000 GMT) 13th December, after the eight teams spent a sensational past two weeks in India, the first time the race has visited this area.
In a light sea breeze of around five to six knots, Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) led the fleet across the line in a downwind start as the crews unfurled their big gennakers.
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) had problems unfurling their gennaker after what looked like a good starting position, and were quickly hundreds of metres back.
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) made a move well out to the right along with PUMA (Ken Read/USA), and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA), while Green Dragon remained closer to the coast and watched the others surge ahead. As this leading bunch started to curl in towards the shore, making the most of the northwesterly sea breeze, which will fade in the next two hours as daylight fails, it was PUMA who led the leading pack.
This 1950 nautical mile leg to Sentosa Island, Singapore is expected to take the fleet around eight days to complete, but first the fleet has to negotiate the southern tip of both India and Sri Lanka. Conditions are expected to be light and fluky for the entire trip and very tricky for the navigators, not only in interpreting the weather, but also in dealing with very congested shipping lanes and lots of fishing fleets. It will be mentally taxing, with the heat and humidity an added endurance factor.
There are no turning marks at the start of the leg and the next mark of the course will be the scoring gate set off Pulau We, near the northern tip of Sumatra. Here the fleet will be faced with an important decision – whether to sail north or south of the rhumb line. Race Meteorologist, Jennifer Lilly, says sailing north of the rhumb line, the fleet is likely to face moderate northeast to east-northeast upwind conditions. But, says Jennifer, if they sail south of the rhumb line, the winds could back to become more westerly and with more favourable downwind angles. However, wind speeds are generally lighter and there tends to be more rainsqualls. How to attack this split breeze could make for some interesting tactics to the scoring gate.
Earlier today, when the gates opened to the Race Village, spectators came in their thousands to see the fleet leave the dock. Some two hours later, the queues to get into the race village were still snaking for hundreds of metres down the road and, when the time came for the sailors to parade through the crowds and down to the pontoons, it made for one of the most spectacular departure ceremonies this event has ever seen.
The Indian people, while unfamiliar with this race and its history, have shown incredible enthusiasm on this first visit to Asia. They pressed deep into the passage walked by the sailors and, with arms waving and voices coarse, mobbed the crews and took pictures of them as they walked one-by-one to their boats.
What should have been a quick 200-metre walk took most crews seven or eight minutes. No one seemed to mind. “Unbelievable,” Bouwe Bekking said to Jonathan Swain as Telefónica Blue escaped the gauntlet. The welcome was not just reserved for the front-runners. For each sailor, be it Team Russia’s Wouter Verbraak, who only arrived in the country in the last 36 hours because of visa issues, or runaway leader Torben Grael, the reception was incredible.
At 1110 GMT today, two miles separated the fleet from first to last and the whole fleet was just four miles off the coast. Closest inshore was Team Russia and furthest offshore was Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP).
The order was:
Puma (Ken Read/USA)
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA)
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED)
Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE)
Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP)
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP)
Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR)
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT)
Volvo Ocean Race
Cochin in India, bid farewell to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet at 1530 local time (1000 GMT) 13th December, after the eight teams spent a sensational past two weeks in India, the first time the race has visited this area.
In a light sea breeze of around five to six knots, Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) led the fleet across the line in a downwind start as the crews unfurled their big gennakers.
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) had problems unfurling their gennaker after what looked like a good starting position, and were quickly hundreds of metres back.
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) made a move well out to the right along with PUMA (Ken Read/USA), and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA), while Green Dragon remained closer to the coast and watched the others surge ahead. As this leading bunch started to curl in towards the shore, making the most of the northwesterly sea breeze, which will fade in the next two hours as daylight fails, it was PUMA who led the leading pack.
This 1950 nautical mile leg to Sentosa Island, Singapore is expected to take the fleet around eight days to complete, but first the fleet has to negotiate the southern tip of both India and Sri Lanka. Conditions are expected to be light and fluky for the entire trip and very tricky for the navigators, not only in interpreting the weather, but also in dealing with very congested shipping lanes and lots of fishing fleets. It will be mentally taxing, with the heat and humidity an added endurance factor.
There are no turning marks at the start of the leg and the next mark of the course will be the scoring gate set off Pulau We, near the northern tip of Sumatra. Here the fleet will be faced with an important decision – whether to sail north or south of the rhumb line. Race Meteorologist, Jennifer Lilly, says sailing north of the rhumb line, the fleet is likely to face moderate northeast to east-northeast upwind conditions. But, says Jennifer, if they sail south of the rhumb line, the winds could back to become more westerly and with more favourable downwind angles. However, wind speeds are generally lighter and there tends to be more rainsqualls. How to attack this split breeze could make for some interesting tactics to the scoring gate.
Earlier today, when the gates opened to the Race Village, spectators came in their thousands to see the fleet leave the dock. Some two hours later, the queues to get into the race village were still snaking for hundreds of metres down the road and, when the time came for the sailors to parade through the crowds and down to the pontoons, it made for one of the most spectacular departure ceremonies this event has ever seen.
The Indian people, while unfamiliar with this race and its history, have shown incredible enthusiasm on this first visit to Asia. They pressed deep into the passage walked by the sailors and, with arms waving and voices coarse, mobbed the crews and took pictures of them as they walked one-by-one to their boats.
What should have been a quick 200-metre walk took most crews seven or eight minutes. No one seemed to mind. “Unbelievable,” Bouwe Bekking said to Jonathan Swain as Telefónica Blue escaped the gauntlet. The welcome was not just reserved for the front-runners. For each sailor, be it Team Russia’s Wouter Verbraak, who only arrived in the country in the last 36 hours because of visa issues, or runaway leader Torben Grael, the reception was incredible.
At 1110 GMT today, two miles separated the fleet from first to last and the whole fleet was just four miles off the coast. Closest inshore was Team Russia and furthest offshore was Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP).
The order was:
Puma (Ken Read/USA)
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA)
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED)
Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE)
Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP)
Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP)
Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR)
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT)
Volvo Ocean Race
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Bet on Yacht Racing in NZ
by Zoe Hawkins
It's now possible to bet on yacht racing!
Yachting New Zealand has reached an agreement with the New Zealand Racing Board which allows the Board (TAB) to conduct betting on yachting.
Most major New Zealand sports have allowed betting for some time, and this is sanctioned under section 5 of the Racing Act 2003.
Yachting New Zealand's Chief Executive Des Brennan says, "Most sports funding is sourced from gaming activity, and when Yachting New Zealand sought the views of members last year, we found that there was little strong opinion against the move."
While it is not foreseen that funding from betting will be a major source of income, it is hoped that it will be a useful one. It is also hoped that any promotion of events carried out by the TAB will increase the visibility of yachting and increase interest in its principal regattas.
Yachting New Zealand
It's now possible to bet on yacht racing!
Yachting New Zealand has reached an agreement with the New Zealand Racing Board which allows the Board (TAB) to conduct betting on yachting.
Most major New Zealand sports have allowed betting for some time, and this is sanctioned under section 5 of the Racing Act 2003.
Yachting New Zealand's Chief Executive Des Brennan says, "Most sports funding is sourced from gaming activity, and when Yachting New Zealand sought the views of members last year, we found that there was little strong opinion against the move."
While it is not foreseen that funding from betting will be a major source of income, it is hoped that it will be a useful one. It is also hoped that any promotion of events carried out by the TAB will increase the visibility of yachting and increase interest in its principal regattas.
Yachting New Zealand
Seven Podium Finishes for Kiwis at Sail Melbourne
by Zoe Hawkins, Yachting New Zealand
The prestigious Sail Melbourne regatta, part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, has concluded with New Zealanders claiming podium finishes in nearly every class entered, as well as a number of top ten successes.
Andrew Brown won the International Moth division, winning three races. He was three points ahead of second placegetter Robert Gough of Australia.
Mike Bullot placed second in the Laser Full Rig class, after two wins in the eleven race series. The division was won by Matias Del Solar of Chile. David Weaver and Max Andrews of New Zealand placed seventh and eigth in the 39-strong fleet.
In the RS:X Men’s boardsailing class, Antonio Cozzolino placed second, two points behind the Frenchman Nicholas Le Gal. Antonio won four of the eleven races during the regatta.
Kate Ellingham placed third behind Blanca Manchon of Spain and Jessica Crisp of Australia in the women’s division, and Benjamin Mackay was fifth in the RS:X Youth class.
Three New Zealanders in the top five in the Laser Radial Men’s – Tim Coltman was third, Josh Porebski Fourth, and Jackson Macfarlane was fifth. Sara Winther placed sixth in the Laser Radial Women’s division. She was set up on points for a third placing but an OCS in the final race cost her the podium finish. Team-mate Rachel Basevi placed ninth.
17 year old New Zealand disabled sailor Joshua McKenzie-Brown was third in the 2.4m class, and David McDiarmid and Andrew Archibald placed third in the 49er class despite missing four races.
“Kiwi sailors have preformed creditably at this event on whole... the performance is on par with our expectation and in some cases has exceeded it”, says Yachting New Zealand’s High Performance & Youth Director Marty Watson.
Laser Coach Clifton Webb says of Mike Bullot’s second placing, “The objectives were simply to get some much needed race practice after a bit of a break late in 2008. So far so good, everything seems to be on track, however there is a long road ahead to the World Championships next year.”
Dave Robertson, who coaches the RS:X Class, praises Kate Ellingham for her achievement. “Kate has had her chances at this regatta but given her level of experience, I think she has performed well.” Kate had the opportunity to beat Australian Jessica Crisp and claim the silver medal going into the final day, but finished third.
Sail Melbourne
The prestigious Sail Melbourne regatta, part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, has concluded with New Zealanders claiming podium finishes in nearly every class entered, as well as a number of top ten successes.
Andrew Brown won the International Moth division, winning three races. He was three points ahead of second placegetter Robert Gough of Australia.
Mike Bullot placed second in the Laser Full Rig class, after two wins in the eleven race series. The division was won by Matias Del Solar of Chile. David Weaver and Max Andrews of New Zealand placed seventh and eigth in the 39-strong fleet.
In the RS:X Men’s boardsailing class, Antonio Cozzolino placed second, two points behind the Frenchman Nicholas Le Gal. Antonio won four of the eleven races during the regatta.
Kate Ellingham placed third behind Blanca Manchon of Spain and Jessica Crisp of Australia in the women’s division, and Benjamin Mackay was fifth in the RS:X Youth class.
Three New Zealanders in the top five in the Laser Radial Men’s – Tim Coltman was third, Josh Porebski Fourth, and Jackson Macfarlane was fifth. Sara Winther placed sixth in the Laser Radial Women’s division. She was set up on points for a third placing but an OCS in the final race cost her the podium finish. Team-mate Rachel Basevi placed ninth.
17 year old New Zealand disabled sailor Joshua McKenzie-Brown was third in the 2.4m class, and David McDiarmid and Andrew Archibald placed third in the 49er class despite missing four races.
“Kiwi sailors have preformed creditably at this event on whole... the performance is on par with our expectation and in some cases has exceeded it”, says Yachting New Zealand’s High Performance & Youth Director Marty Watson.
Laser Coach Clifton Webb says of Mike Bullot’s second placing, “The objectives were simply to get some much needed race practice after a bit of a break late in 2008. So far so good, everything seems to be on track, however there is a long road ahead to the World Championships next year.”
Dave Robertson, who coaches the RS:X Class, praises Kate Ellingham for her achievement. “Kate has had her chances at this regatta but given her level of experience, I think she has performed well.” Kate had the opportunity to beat Australian Jessica Crisp and claim the silver medal going into the final day, but finished third.
Sail Melbourne
Monday, 22 December 2008
Volvo Ocean Race fleet sets off from Cochin on Leg 3 to Singapore: Image Collage
The fleet battle for position at the start of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 from Cochin, India, to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
PUMA Ocean Racing leads the fleet at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Stig Westergaard, onboard Team Russia, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Navigator Simon Fisher and skipper Bouwe Bekking discuss their route after the scoring gate, onboard Telefonica Blue, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race.
Taking sails down onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
The day after the keel structure broke on Delta Lloyd. Ed van Lierde is steering the boat with 11 knots upwind to sumatra, still in the race. Navigator Matt Gregory (ritght) on deck, next to Ryan Houston and Martin Watts. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Effects of a squall at night below decks. Image copyright Mikel Pasabant/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race.
Rodion Luka steering the wheel at sunset, onboard Team Russia, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Telefonica Black, stacking below decks on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Mikel Pasabant/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race.
Sail changes onboard Team Russia, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 3 try and make a break, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race.
The start of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, from Cochin, India, to Singapore. Leg 3 is expected to take 8-10 days, arriving into Singapore just in time for Christmas. Image copyright Sally Collison/PUMA Ocean Racing.
Team Russia, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Rob Greenhalgh onboard il mostro at sunset, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 4 at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Green Dragon at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
PUMA Ocean Racing at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 4 leads Green Dragon at the start of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 from Cochin, India, to Singapore. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Delta Lloyd at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 battle for position at the start of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 from Cochin, India, to Singapore. Image copyright David Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Telefonica Black at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
PUMA Ocean Racing leads the fleet at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Team Russia change sails, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
The fleet of Volvo Open 70s, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
With crowds gathered on the dockside, the fleet of Volvo Open 70's mke their way to the start line for leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 racing teams, make their way down the dockside, cheered on by huge crowds, for the start of leg 3 from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright David Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
The fleet line up at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Close reaching at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
Sunset onboard Delta Lloyd, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Sunset onboard Delta Lloyd, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Jules Salter watches the opposition as the boats hit light wind, at the start of leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
Mikel Pasabant water testing onboard Telefonica Black, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Cochin, India to Singapore. Image copyright Mikel Pasabant/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race.
Pablo Iglesias stacking below decks on Telefonica Black, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Mikel Pasabant/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race.
The Dutch/Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Team Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) has suffered damage to the port side carbon structure around the keel ram. The boat was half way across the Bay of Bengal when the damage occurred, at 1930 local time, midday GMT. Skipper Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his crew are safe and boat is not taking on water. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
The Dutch/Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Team Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) has suffered damage to the port side carbon structure around the keel ram. The boat was half way across the Bay of Bengal when the damage occurred, at 1930 local time, midday GMT. Skipper Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his crew are safe and boat is not taking on water. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Green Dragon in light winds, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race.
The Dutch/Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Team Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) has suffered damage to the port side carbon structure around the keel ram. The boat was half way across the Bay of Bengal when the damage occurred, at 1930 local time, midday GMT. Skipper Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his crew are safe and boat is not taking on water. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Meal time onboard Team Russia on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Sergey Bogdanov/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race.
Rob Salthouse eating onboard il mostro, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race.
Ericsson 4 watching a storm cloud, on leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race from India to Singapore. Image copyright Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race.
Navigator Matt Greogory briefing the Delta Lloyd crew about the planning of leg 3 and the start of the race. The crew always hold their briefings onboard, right before the start. Image copyright Sander Pluijm/Team Delta Lloyd/Volvo Ocean Race.
Volvo Ocean Race
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