Sport-heute: Sailing

17. April 2009, 00:48

Vorsicht!

Auch wenn die Winde nicht so stark sind kommen immer wieder hohe Wellen ganz unverhofft über die Boote. Opfer einer solchen "Wellenattacke" ist Skipper Magnus Olson auf der Ericsson 3 geworden. Eine Monsterwelle hat ihn überrascht und zu Boden geschleudert. Er konnte allerdings alleine unter Deck gehen und seine Blessuren pflegen. Die heimtückischen Vorstösse dieser Monsterwellen sind furchtbar. Die Geschwindigkeit ist jetzt doch bei 18 Knoten. Die Boote sind aber auf mehr Wind angewiesen um entscheidend weg zu kommen. Das Feld ist immer noch dicht auf und selbst Green Dragon ist nur 60 Meilen zurück. Bei einer taktischen Meisterleistung, ist diese Distanz im nu aufgeholt.

Brüttisellen, 16.4.09 (mk) SPEED, SPEED AND MORE SPEED

Today it is pure boat speed and the ability of each crew to squeeze out the last ounce of performance that is making the difference as the Volvo fleet reaches towards the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha at a steady 15 knots.

There are no passing lanes and no capacity for tactical moves in the near future. Ian Walker, skipper of Green Dragon says these opportunities may not arise until the fleet nears the finish in Boston. His plan is to keep spirits high onboard and stay in touch with the fleet so that he’s close enough to take advantage when an opportunity does present itself.

As the wind picked up, waves are starting to sweep across the decks and Magnus Olsson, skipper of Ericsson 3, has been an unsuspecting victim. A big wave flushed him into the steering pedestal and he was momentarily stunned. His ribs were hurt but, according to the crew, he managed to go down below and climb into his bunk without help. He has since been talking and even laughing and the crew is not concerned.

“I was not prepared for that wave at all,” Magnus said shortly before he went to sleep.. “It feels stupid to be hit like this by the first wave that reaches the deck.” Onboard medic, Richard Mason, who himself sat out the last leg with a back problem, checked the bruise on Magnus while he was sleeping. Mason is now wondering if he brings bad luck to Ericsson 3. “On the entire last leg, when I was not onboard, the team did not have many injuries at all, and now this happens almost straight away,” he said.

The fleet is now clear of Recife on the Brazilian coast and sailing directly towards the western end of the scoring gate, 129 nm head. Telefónica Blue is in good shape at the head of the fleet, holding on to a nice 17-mile lead from Ericsson 4 who has now taken up second place, with Delta Lloyd carefully shadowing her just two miles astern. Since yesterday, these three teams have moved to the western flank of the course to take advantage of the more lifted winds expected today. Telefónica Blue is 133 off the coast and the fleet is spread across an eight-mile divide from Delta Lloyd in the west to PUMA in the east.

Oddly, Bouwe Bekking, skipper of Telefónica Blue found himself in almost an identical scenario to one from the previous race in 2005-06. Then as now, he was in the lead and being hounded by ABN AMRO ONE, now Delta Lloyd. “Then, we knew we had a bit on as the ABN boat was more than 1.5 knots faster on a close reach. We beat them by only two or three minutes to the scoring gate,” he says.

Delta Lloyd’s Spanish skipper, Roberto Bérmudez is proud of his boat. “We are really happy,” he says. “We are happy with the racing we are doing, but we must fight until the scoring gate with no rest. We are getting the best of this boat.”

Ericsson 4 is enjoying the battle with Delta Lloyd, a boat that several of the Ericsson 4 crew are familiar with, having sailed her to victory last time around. This team also has Telefónica Black in view, which according to Guy Salter, Ericsson 4’s MCM, will make for a very interesting few hours into the scoring gate.

Next up will be the Doldrums, which lurk just north of the Equator, which is 403 nm ahead of the fleet. Race meteorologist, Jennifer Lilly, says the narrowest part of the Doldrums is near the coast of North America and that the light airs extend southwest from Sierra Leone towards Fernando de Noronha.

“While the band of light winds looks pretty narrow, with the northeasterly trade winds filling not long after the fleet passes the scoring gate, the likelihood of squall activity is near certainty,” says Jennifer.

Onboard Telefónica Black, the team is overheating in every sense. First there is a charging problem, which David Vera has been able to fix, then Roger Nilson explained, “I guess we all feel a bit overheated, both when it comes to below deck temperature, but also from the heat of the fight against our nearest competition, PUMA, Delta Lloyd and Ericsson 3. Speed, speed and more speed is what we are all looking for right now.”

Leg Six Day 6: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

1. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) DTF 3,653 nm
2. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +17
3. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +19
4. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +23
5. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +29
6. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +31
7. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +60
8. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
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ERICSSON 4 LEG SIX DAY 6 QFB: RECEIVED 16.04.09 1330 GMT

A few days ago I asked the simple question to the lads: ‘If Hollywood were to make a blockbuster movie about this trip - who would you choose to play you?’

I filmed some of the responses and have been a little surprised as to how much interest it has still generated amongst the crew. With lots of different suggestions from each every watch I thought it would make a lot more sense to hear from everyone watching the race as to whom you may cast in our roles. Let us know via our website (www.ericssonracingteam.com) where you can follow a link and send us a message onboard - we do receive these messages and are happy for some contact.

Names which have been mentioned of recent include Brad Pitt, Kirk Douglas, Omar Sheriff and Dame Edna Everage - so as you can see there is a very varied selection and all depend upon how each of us sees themselves and how we see others - luckily everybody is taking it in the light-hearted manner - at the moment that it is!

On the water its amazing how for so many hours you have no visuals of any other boat and then a slight loss of half a mile or a change in light (e.g. later in the day) and you see several competitors. At present we are having a good little ding dong battle for second place with Delta Lloyd, a boat most onboard know very well as they either raced it in its former life as ABN or sailed it in its former life as Ericsson 2. It’s great to see the older generation boat doing so well after their forced break for leg four and five.

We have also spotted the other absentee from the last leg Telefónica Black sailing down towards us both so it’s going to make a very interesting few hours into the scoring gate at Noronha.

Last night I was chatting to Joca Signorini and he said that if you mentioned to any Brazilian that you were sailing to Noronha and not stopping then they would think you are crazy - this is the second time we are doing so in this race!

Maybe a pit stop in a few beautiful tropical paradises should be considered for the next race! Or is that the cruising me trying to break out from within?

Guy Salter MCM

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ERICSSON 3 LEG SIX DAY 6 QFB: received 16.04.09 1310 GMT

The evil wave

Early this morning we finally got some more action out here. The breeze picked up from around 10 knots to over 14 and we quickly decided to go from mast head zero to a smaller and flatter headsail. That was a good decision since the wind increased even more just after we were done with the change. Now we have steadily over 14 knots and every now and then a wave makes it way over deck.

The first big wave to hit us in this leg flushed Magnus Olsson into the pedestal around the wheel. He was knocked out and had to take a pause. It was his ribs which were hurt but he managed to go down below and climb up in a bunk without help, and since he was still talking and even laughing it shouldn't be that bad.

"I was not prepared for that wave at all. It really feels stupid to be hit like this by the first wave that reaches the deck", Magnus commented before he went to sleep.

Richard Mason, who is running ‘the no mercy medical clinic’ onboard, woke up just after Magnus went to sleep and he tried to have a look at the bruise without waking him up. No conclusion could be made and we will have to wait with the examination until later.

Mason couldn't help wondering if he brings bad luck to Ericsson 3. "On the entire last leg, when I was not onboard, you did not have many injuries at all, and now this happens almost straight away!"

From what I can remember about last leg it was only Martin Strömberg who broke a rib, Thomas Johansson who got some bruises and Anders Dahlsjö who had some problems with his elbows towards the end. Not much for a 44 day sail. Now it only took five days for something to happen.

Gustav Morin - MCM
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Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Michael Muller, onboard PUMA Ocean Racing, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston

Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race Telefonica Blue, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston

Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Andrew McLean reapiring ther mainsail, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race Ericsson 3, on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston