Sport-heute: Sailing - Wieder einmal herrscht Windstille!

14. März 2009, 20:39

Wieder einmal herrscht Windstille!

Der hart erkämpfte Vorsprung ist dahin geschmolzen. Die Gegner haben aufgeholt. Das gleiche Niedrigdruckgebiet, dass es vor wenigen Tagen Ericcson 3 erlaubte davon zu brausen, legt nun das gleiche Boot lahm. Green Dragon hat am meisten profitiert und in den letzten 24 Stunden unglaubliche 145 Meilen aufgeholt. Sie sind jetzt nur noch 241 Meilen hinter den Führenden Ericcson 3 musste schwer arbeiten und tritt im Moment ins Leere. Das Wetter hat sich gebessert und es ist jetzt 10 Grad plus und das Wasser hat auch 10 Grad.

Volvo Ocean Race, 14.3.09 (mk) Die Mails direkt von den Yachten

CLOSING FAST

The hard-earned lead that Ericsson 3 has built up over the past week is slipping away today at an alarming rate as the boats to the north begin to benefit from a fresh low pressure system. Ironically, it was a similarly placed low pressure system (in the north of the race track) that first allowed Ericsson 3 to build their margin at the front of the fleet just seven days ago.

Heading into last weekend, a brave move away from the fleet and to the north allowed the Nordic crew to steal a convincing lead. Today, they find themselves too far south to take advantage of the powerful system.

Green Dragon, positioned furthest to the north, has benefited the most, gaining an incredible 145 miles over the last 24 hours. The Dragon remains in fourth place, but is now just 269 miles behind the leader.

Ericsson 3's stablemates on Ericsson 4 are in second position and now just 61 miles in arrears after picking up over 90 miles over the course of the past day. PUMA, in third, has gained 83 miles on the leg five leader.

No doubt it's been a difficult 24 hours on Ericsson 3, but the crew is putting on a brave face.

"Today has been a beautiful day with around ten degrees in both air and water, and between five to ten knots of breeze," reports Ericsson 3 media man Gustav Morin. "It was not really what I expected from this part of the world, but I guess we have not seen it all yet...Unfortunately it seems like the boats behind us will get a more favourable path into and through the low pressure system, and it will be really tight around the Cape Horn. Right now we are going really slow."

The strategy on Ericsson 3 has been to come north to join the boats that are chasing it in an effort to "trade their large lead into a smaller one but to get on the same piece of ocean as ourselves and PUMA," as Ericsson 4's Guy Salter interpreted the tactics of the past 12 hours.

"This ridge will certainly be giving the Nordics (on Ericsson 3) a neck ache as they keep looking over their shoulder. Their brave and successful move could end fruitless if they don’t get to the wind first. All of the first three boats are just lining up for a speed test off the coast of Chile. We have had - at times - as little as 2 knots of wind and down at 48 south! Very surprising and not exactly the picture in the mind when the mighty southern ocean is talked about," Salter concluded.

The benign weather has been a relief for some however. At the back of the fleet, Telefonica Blue has enjoyed sunshine for the first time in nearly a week, and that was cause enough for a celebration on board according to helmsman Simon Fisher.

"There has been a general improvement in everybody's mood this morning, sadly not because of a sudden surge through the rankings to put us back into touch with the leaders but something all together more trivial. After days of rain and grayness the sun has finally come out. For the first time in days it has given us a chance to dry out ourselves and our kit a little, the boat once again resembling some sort of laundromat with clothing drying everywhere.

"Better still you can even feel the sun warming your skin as opposed to the cold wind cutting through your clothes and down to your core."

The team would be well advised to enjoy it while they can. The forecast has Telefonica Blue picking up some stronger breeze within a day or so as well.

Leg Five Day 29: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) DTF 3502 nm
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +61
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +111
Green Dragon IRL/CHI (Ian Walker/GBR) +269
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +743

Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS

********************************************************

ERICSSON 3 Leg Five Day 29 QFB: received 14.03.09 0831 GMT

There is a big low pressure coming in and we are now in what we probably can consider as the calm before the storm. Today has been a beautiful day with around ten degrees in both air and water, and between five to ten knots of breeze. It was not really what I expected from this part of the world, but I guess we have not seen it all yet.

In a day or so we, for the second time on this leg, will aim straight into a big low pressure with up to 50 knots of wind. We will try to stay very close to the middle, in the 30-knot area. If you get too close to the middle you get stuck in no wind and big waves that come from all directions. And if you go too far north you will get hit by a lot more wind than you need.

Unfortunately, it seems like the boats behind us will get a more favourable path into and through the low, and it can be really tight around the Cape Horn.

Right now we are going really slow and Aksel (Aksel Magdahl/NOR) anticipated a couple of hours ago that we may loose 100 miles of our 150 mile lead in the next coming 12 hours.

In this moment, one option is to go close to the coast of Chile before rounding the Horn. Aksel says it's a tricky area weather wise, Magnus (Magnus Olsson/SWE) agrees, but is even so excited, "That is probably the worlds most beautiful coast line. Really one of the nicest places on earth. But I guess we don't have energy to even reflect on it when we get there."

Magnus has a lot of memories about Cape Horn rounding’s. Today in the sunshine on deck we got to hear about one of them. It was when he was sailing to the South Pole with an explorer boat. “We had a really nice, clear and almost warm day when we came back to the Horn. It was 13 degrees in the water and no wind. One of the guys suggested that we should go for a swim. Of course we all agreed”… I guess there are not many who have been swimming in the Southern Ocean looking at Cape Horn.

On deck today we concluded that this is the biggest no-mans-land in the world. There is nothing out here. We have been sailing for days and days and days and there is nothing, just some albatrosses and other birds. Today we saw a small whale; It looked like a dolphin sized killer whale.

“I guess the big whales are really happy to live here though", said Anders (Anders Dahlsjö/SWE). "There are not many people with the energy to travel here to try and hunt them".

When it is calm like today, everyone tries to have a look around on the boat and see if something needs to be fixed. I for example had a look through the food to find out exactly what and how much of everything we have got left. This leg seems to be a never ending story and maybe we will need to ration some food in the end. But we will wait with that for as long as possible. It is now when it's cold that we need the food the most. “I have stopped thinking so much about the finish line and what time we will get there. I am just working hard every watch, and we will see what happens", Anders Dahlsjö said.

Gustav Morin – media crew member

*******************************************************

TELEFÓNICA BLUE Leg Five Day 28 QFB: received 13.03.09 2240 GMT

Hi There,

There has been a general improvement in everybody's mood this morning, sadly not because of a sudden surge through the rankings to put us back into touch with the leaders but something all together more trivial. After days of rain and grayness the sun has finally come out. For the first time in days it has given us a chance to dry out ourselves and our kit a little, the boat once again resembling some sort of laundromat with clothing drying everywhere.

Better still you can even feel the sun warming your skin as opposed to the cold wind cutting through your clothes and down to your core.
The ice gate is now only 100 miles away, this will be something of a milestone for us and we will be able to put the bow down again after what feels like many, many days of upwind. From there on we head south, await the pressure and a downwind ride to the Horn. I am sure it will be a great feeling to finally be on our way to this most famous of waypoints along our course and with any luck will bring renewed vigor and motivation to the team!

Cheers,

Simon Fisher - helmsman
*******************************************************

Leserkommentare (0) »

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race Engine Room checks onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro

Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Rough weather in the Southern Ocean onboard Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race Navigator Aksel Magdahl checks the weather onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro

Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Andrew Cape packing sails onboard PUMA Ocean Racing, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro