A lucky Leprechaun for Green Dragon... or more fish? Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Anne Hinton
Green Dragon appears to be having issues of speed in relation to the fleet in 2008-9 that bring to mind the experiences of Ericsson Racing Team in the last Volvo Ocean Race (2005-6).
Again, like the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race, the fleet experienced "very light and fluky winds on their way to Rio de Janeiro". Back then, Ericsson Racing Team's media gurus, Bernard Schopfer (now of MaxComm.ch) and Annabel Merrison, commented that "In ideal conditions, the final 800 miles could be covered in two days, but the light airs may delay the fleet for another three days or more." A sense of déjà vu for the old hands once more this year?
A tale in Sailing Scuttlebutt on 1st April, attributed to 'Ian Walker', claimed that they had tried more than the spear fishing method on board the Dragon on the way to Rio. Aspects of the tuna tale bear resemblances to the reply by 'Yan T' from Belgium to the then Ericsson navigator, Steve Hayles', call for "ideas on how to squeeze more speed out of our boat" in the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race. Use sushi on the hull, was the recommendation!
Green Dragon resort to desperate measures by making a fishing spear, as food runs low on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro. Image copyright Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race.
However, in 2009, as opposed to Ericsson in 2006, the need for food was uppermost on board Green Dragon approaching Rio, as 'Ian Walker' commented in the 1st April edition of Sailing Scuttlebutt: "we were very low on food, the three boats ahead were already in, and Telefonica was not going to catch us", so the tale led on to how the second tuna, hooked from a line trailed behind the boat, became the bait for a shark...
There are easier ways of catching sharks in the ocean, as, for example, the crew of ICAP Leopard 3 discovered in the 2007 Fastnet Race - even if their shark was only five and a half feet long, and not the seven feet of the proverbial Green Dragon one - although you might have to send someone into the water to disengage the beast from the boat, always a dodgy business!
The Leopard team, however, preferred using the toasted sandwich maker, microwave and plentiful food stocks already on board the boat to eating raw fish or cutting up a dead shark. Their toasted sandwich maker was described by one of Leopard's crew as "one of the best features I've seen on an offshore boat for a long time". Food for thought for the present Volvo Ocean Race teams on some of the shorter legs around Europe, maybe? After all, people perform at their best when they have good quality sustenance and sleeping time...
One other potential food source that the present Volvo Ocean Race fleet might encounter could be from the San Seriffe islands, which are now believed to have 'drifted' into the Atlantic Ocean. If they pass near Cocobanana Beach, the teams may be lucky enough to pick up the odd coconut, of similar quality to those found on Copacabana Beach in Rio, let alone a banana or two to supplement their staple re-hydrated rations.
The Green Dragon crew with Pádraig the bear. Image copyright Huang Jian/Green Dragon Racing.
Returning to the issue of how to improve Green Dragon's performance, in Taiwan a colleague gave me symbolic fish to hang up, saying that they would bring me money. (Unfortunately he omitted to mention when this would be...) Maybe reveering fish, rather than trying to catch them, will bring Green Dragon better fortune in future legs? A lucky leprechaun or two, with a pot of (sailors') gold that would turn to dust if given to other boats in the fleet, may also help Green Dragon on their way. Perhaps Pádraig the bear, Green Dragon's mascot, could befriend such a leprechaun before the next leg...
Fair winds and good speed to all the Volvo Ocean Race fleet en route to Boston!
P.S. The frequency of sightings of, and collisions with, sizeable sea creatures appears to be on the rise in round the world races. Given the vastness of the oceans and the still relatively small number of yachts racing through them, this just goes to show how full of life the water-dominated seven-tenths of our planet actually is, and emphasises the value of ecological work, such as that carried out by the Volvo Ocean Race teams. It also makes one wonder how very many collisions of sea mammals with commercial shipping go unreported - as well as how many containers and other large items lost from such vessels not only create their own navigational hazards for round-the-world yachtsmen but also have an impact on the sealife in the oceans. AH
A Southern Right Whale breaching off the coast of Hermanus, South Africa. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Volvo Ocean Race
1 comment:
Great to see Padraig the Bear helping to keep spirits up on Green Dragon. Looking forward to meeting the furry sailor during his homecoming into Galway.
Best wishes from the Staff and pupils of Walterstown National School, Cobh, Co. Cork (base school of the bear!)"Ar aghaidh le chéile."
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