Sport-heute: Sailing - Am Wochenende zum Finale in Rio

24. März 2009, 22:41

Am Wochenende zum Finale in Rio

Die fünfte Etappe der Volvo Ocean Race kommt in die entscheidende letzte Phase. Noch gut 400 Meilen müssen die schnellen Yachten bis Rio zurücklegen, dann sind sie nach über einem Monat auf hoher See dem fünften Etappenziel nahe. Das Problem ist nur, dass es keinen Wind auf See hat! Ericcson 3 hat in den letzten 24 Stunden nur 170 Meilen zurückgelegt.

volvo ocean Race, 24.3.09 (mk) Die original Mails von den Yachten

LONGING FOR RIO

As leg five draws out even further due to a complete lack of wind, the crews are longing for the finish in Rio and everything that it brings: results, families, cool beers, big steaks, showers, warm beds, and not necessarily in that order.

Ericsson 3 still holds her lead (DTF 424 nm) and although there have been a few blips in the last 24 hours, no one has taken any significant miles out of her deficit, and the chasing pair are due south of her. Ericsson 3 has only covered 172 nm in the past 24 hours and while Ericsson 4 has gained seven miles (DTL 65 nm) PUMA languishes a safe 154 nm astern.

“The light airs are making are lives a mess,” wrote MCM Gustav Morin this morning. For many of the crew, their families will be arriving in Rio, and they wanted to be there to take care of them when they arrived. For others, the chance of returning home for a break are becoming slimmer as time runs out with each windless day.

“Since we are late in, most of the families will arrive before us and all the fathers onboard are talking more often about their kids and wives,” Morin says.

Jules Salter, the navigator on Ericsson 4, has almost lost track of the number of days he has been at sea, and he is frustrated with the weather maps, which only seem to make part sense. “When you expect a gain, you make a loss,” he says.

But, he warns, “inventing weather is ‘bad science’ and expecting to know more than the men and women in beige at the weather centres is pretty dumb, but you have to try and do something.”

“If your hokum theory lines up, you can make a plan for the next few hours. Usually the plan works for about two hours, then the wind shifts and drops and you are back to square one, trying to conjure up another scenario from your onboard observations.”

The real boat race now seems to be between becalmed Green Dragon (DTF 918nm) and the limping Telefónica Blue (DTF 983 nm), who has made a more sophisticated repair to the checkstays on the mast. The team is looking for a surprise ‘comeback’, reckoning that Green Dragon is fighting more current than the maps show.

“Right now they [Green Dragon] are still well ahead, but it will be a good laugh if we could actually manage to pass them,” said skipper Bouwe Bekking, who has closed to within 65 miles.

Unlike the other teams, who are rationing food and diesel, Telefónica Blue has been well provided for by MCM Gabriele Olivo, who even brought onboard a huge bag full of mature, three-year old parmesan cheese to add variety to the daily snacks as well as some grated pieces to make the freeze dried food more enjoyable.

Not a day has passed when leftover food has been thrown away and there is enough food for the team to have extra breakfasts if they want to, something that would be the envy of the rest of the fleet, if only they knew…

They do now!

Leg Five Day 39: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) DTF 424 nm
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +65
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +154
Green Dragon IRL/CHI (Ian Walker/GBR) +494
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +559

Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

Cape Horn Scoring Gate
(boat/date/rounding time/gate points)

Ericsson 3: 17.03..09 1222 GMT: 4 points
Ericsson 4: 17.03.09 1448 GMT: 3.5 points
PUMA: 17.03.09 2046 GMT: 3 points
Green Dragon: 18.03.09 0215 GMT 2.5 points
Telefónica Blue: 19.03.09 1339 GMT 2 points
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PUMA LEG FIVE DAY 39 QFB; received 24.03.09 1619 GMT

Right now the only thing connecting Qingdao and Rio is a thin red line on Capey's (Andrew Cape) computer and I can’t for the life of me think of two more different places to sail between than our Leg 5 start in China, and the finish in Brazil.

China, cold and grey emerging from years of communist autocracy, yet steeped in thousands of years of culture and still on a huge high from last years amazing Olympics, with a rapidly emerging economy, readying itself to take on the world as the next super-power. It was certainly a strange place to be for a yacht race though, seeing everyone wrapped up in big jackets and wearing long pants, almost unheard of so far in the race. The Chinese people were incredibly warm and sincere. Thanks especially to Wilson at the Sea View Garden Hotel for all his help and to Vivienne from Puma for being wonderful hosts to that country.

When we sail around the corner into Rio and see the "Christo Redempto" high on the hill, we will be arriving for a few weeks in another emerging economy and a country that will be another major player on the world stage in the years to come. Rio is sultry and sexy with an underlying dangerousness to it. In Brazil once you realize that nothing will work or run on time and that the whole pace of life runs to the unique samba rhythm that is the pulse of Rio, a little piece of you will always want to return.

Rio is a brilliant place, and that makes it all the harder to be out here right now. I was there last year on another sailboat race and spent a fantastic day touring around. I can’t wait to take my family up to the top of the Corcovado where the view is unbelievable and spend some lazy days fattening myself back up and getting to know Rio a bit more.

Rick Deppe – media crew member
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ERICSSON 4 LEG FIVE DAY 39 QFB; received 24.03.09 1326 GMT

Keep on rolling, that’s all we have to do. For the past 24 hours we have just managed to stay in enough breeze to keep the mileage ticking over at a steady rate. In these conditions it seems like that is all you can hope for. If you can avoid stopping in a light spot, then you are rewarded with a good gain on the opposition at the following sched.

The weather is quite spectacular really, clear blue skies and balmy warm nights. What I would have done for a few hours of these conditions as we were approaching Cape Horn! Unfortunately this comfort has come at the cost of boatspeed and going slow is the last thing we want now after 12,000 miles. Thirty eight days is enough on a boat this size with10 other men living in each other’s pocket.

We are all over being at sea now, and it is only the focus on trying to catch Ericsson 3 that is distracting us from really getting sick of the situation. Sleeping on our flimsy, uncomfortable pipe cots is becoming a chore and the thought of a nice, firm bed in Rio is playing on my mind. Food, don’t even get me started!

It has been great to get some news from ashore and keep a perspective on what is happening in the world outside our 70’ bubble. The public well wishes from Ericsson's website have been a nice surprise.

Ok, back to work and see you all very soon I hope,

Ryan Godfrey - bowman
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TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 38 QFB: received 23.03.09 1736 GMT

Hi there

And so it begins, the wind is getting light and we are starting our fight with the high pressure system that looks to keep us busy for the next few days...

The good news, for us at least, is that for the first time in some weeks it looks like we haven't been dealt the worst hand with regards to the weather. We have been steadily closing on Green Dragon over the last few days and now, if things go well for us, their may be a chance of catching them by the finish. What was a glimmer of hope may actually have some standing in reality as they look to be fully engulfed by the high and by the time they escape they may find themselves with a beat all the way to the finish!

However, it is very early to get too excited, but certainly just the suggestion of catching them has given everyone a second wind and some added motivation on top of the desire to get to Rio for decent food and a shower!!

With the wind getting lighter, and the weather warmer, today has been the day that we have finally been able to throw off all the winter gear and start sailing in shorts and t-shirt again. Technically we are still in the Southern Ocean but the sun is out and it is dry on deck and I am pleased to say the hats and gloves have gone back into the gear bag for good on this leg!

Cheers,

Simon Fisher - helmsman
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Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports over nine months, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews.

Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Erle Williams taking notes onboard PUMA Ocean Racing, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro

Jerry Kirby/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Rick Deppe with day rations for day 39 at sea onboard PUMA Ocean Racing, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro

Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Andrew McLean checking the generator, onboard Green Dragon, on leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro