Team Delta Lloyd in the In-Port race in Boston. Image copyright David Branigan/Oceansport.
by Diana Bogaards
On Saturday May 9 2009, Team Delta Lloyd (NED) took again a podium finish at the In-Port Race, by finishing third in Boston/USA. Skipper Roberto Bermúdez de Castro (ESP) and his crew equaled the result of Rio de Janeiro/Brazil, but this time it needed two races. The conditions on the course outside the Boston Harbor were light, so the racing started with a forty minute postponement. The NED 1 finished second and sixth, which resulted in a third position overall. Telefonica Blue scored two bullets and was today's overall winner, followed by Ericsson 4.
"In the end it was a lucky and happy day", said tactician André Fonseca (BRA) on the dock. "Other teams have had much more training than us. We basically started in Rio and got already on the podium twice." Boat captain Nick Bice (AUS) mentioned the recent training sessions as the main reason for the latest successes: "We were first back in the water and stayed out there the longest every day. These boats are raced with very limited crews, so they are technical to sail. Especially on a short course, which makes it important to spend time on the water. Our practicing is paying off. We are at a level now, that we know that if we put a fight in, it is going to make a difference. "
Second
Fonseca about the first race: "The start was bad, so we tacked off to the right side of the course. Fortunately, the sea breeze picked up in that corner. We under tacked the lay-line for the top mark, but the wind shifted more and more to the right, so we made it on one tack." Delta Lloyd rounded the buoy in second position, behind Telefonica Blue.
At that stage, Dutch bowman Gerd-Jan Poortman faced a challenge: "We had to do a gibe set with the Code Zero up, which we had never done before. But since we have spent more training hours on the water, it is easier to anticipate unknown situations. For top results, you need to be able to do something special." Team Delta Lloyd maintained its second position and received an applause from the cheering spectator crowd around the finish line.
From three back to six
Shortly before the second race, thin fog came in and made room for the gradient wind. Team Delta Lloyd had a good start at the committee boat. However, the Ericsson twins and Puma were early over the line and had to go back for a re-start. The NED 1 was third at the top mark and following gate, but lost three spots on the second beat. Fonseca: "The left-hand buoy was favorite, but the right-handed one was in front of us. So, we decided to round that one and to tack directly afterwards, but we got a problem with the genua sheet and had to carry on." That left side of the course proved to be wrong. According to coach Ed Adams (USA), it was the adverse current that stopped them. Delta Lloyd dropped from third to sixth place.
Boston In-Port Race Result (Provisional):
1. Telefonica Blue: 4 points
2. Ericsson 4: 3.5 points
3. Delta Lloyd: 3 points
4. Ericsson 3: 2.5 points
5. Telefonica Black: 2.0 points
6. PUMA: 1.5 points
7. Green Dragon 1.0 points
Overall ranking (provisional):
1. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA): 81 points
2. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED): 68.5 points
3. PUMA (Ken Read/USA): 65.5 points
4. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE): 55.5 points
5. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR): 45.0 points
6. Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP): 31.0 points
7. Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP): 24.0 points
8. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT): 10.5 points
Team Delta Lloyd
Volvo Ocean Race
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