Sport-heute: Sailing - Am Sonntag in Galway!

23. Mai 2009, 10:01

Am Sonntag in Galway!

Die Flotte ist noch dicht beisammen. Nach einer stürmischen Nacht werden die Yachten morgen Sonntag in Galway Irland erwartet. Das Rennen von Amerika nach Irland war ungewöhnlich. Nur 50 Meilen trennen das erste und das letzte Boot. Eine aussergewöhnlich, gefährliche Woche geht zu ende. Das Eis hat sich weit von seiner normalen Linie her entfernt und ist sogar bis fast an die vorgegebene Sperrzone gekommen. Ein Erlebnis, dass wir nie vergessen werden - die Fahrt auf der Strecke wo einst die Titanic sank. So Skipper Ian Walker von der Green Dragon.

Brüttisellen, 23.5.09 (mk) Eine ereignisvolle Woche geht morgen mit der Überfahrt über die Ziellinie in Galway zu ende. Der kuriose Start in Boston mit der fast Kollision der Puma mit einem Tanker, und dann der Blitzstart der Telefonica Blue, die bald alle Boote hinter sich liess, waren nur der Beginn einer hochkonzentrierten Regatta mit 80 Seeleuten auf sieben Schiffen.

Es war kein atemberaubendes segeln, sondern es lag eine Gefährlichkeit in der Luft, die jeden Moment ein Boot verschlingen konnte. Der Himmel war dunkelrot, die Wolken in Grau und Schwarz kamen stetig näher und sind dicker und grösser geworden. Windgeschwindigkeiten über 30 Knoten Richtunge Eishölle des Nordatlantik.

Wo gerade das Wasser noch 18° Celsius war, wechselte die Temperatur innert Minuten auf 6°C. Wir fuhren mitten in den Golfströmen. Manchmal war das Wasser spiegelglatt, auch wenn die Winde nur so sausten. Es war auch schwierig zu segeln, den die Winde kamen von allen Seiten. Eine richtige Zick-Zack Linie, eine Art Achterbahn sind wir gesegelt, dies sagte der im Moment Führende Skipper auf der Ericsson 4 und Wouter Verbraak von Delta Lloyd meinte:" Es ist unheimlich hier draussen, du weisst niemals was kommt. Gestern Nacht ist unser Rudersystem ausgefallen. Wir segeln jetzt mit dem Notruder. Mal sehen wie es weitergeht."

Auf der Green Dragon kämpften sie alle auf Deck mit den Winden. Es war fürchterlich. In dieser Zeit viel das gesamte Stromsystem auf der Yacht aus und in der holprigen Segelnacht musste zuerst alles wieder repariert werden. Ian Walker meint dann auch:" Warum passieren diese Dinge immer mitten in der Nacht?"

Was wir diese Woche getan haben, ist sehr ungewöhnlich für einen Segler. Es hat viel von uns gefordert, diese kurze Überfahrt nach Europa.
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Leg Seven Week One: The Final Ocean Leg

On Saturday 16 May, the fleet left Boston bound for Galway in Ireland in the last of the true offshore legs of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. The start was not without drama.

As the fleet sped around Boston Harbour, racing round the now traditional loop that precedes the exit into the open ocean, as a dense fog descended on the fleet a huge tanker hove out of the mist causing the boats to scatter at the request of the police sirens. Delta Lloyd was worst affected, having to tack to keep clear, while Ericsson 3 squeezed across the tanker’s bows.

However, it was Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) that led the fleet out of the harbour and into the Atlantic where the crews had to cope with a whale exclusion zone just off Boston, a scoring gate off Newfoundland and n ice exclusion zone to keep them safe from ice that had drifted further south than usual. Also fresh in the minds of the 77 crew were the memories of Hans Horrevoets who was drowned on this leg in the previous race, and of movistar, Bouwe Bekking’s yacht that was abandoned.

On day two, PUMA was leading the pack briskly east towards Cape Sable Island, a small Canadian island located at the southernmost tip of the Nova Scotia peninsula. The dense, thick fog that appeared at the start was still engulfing the fleet, making it hard to pick out the dozens of lobster pots that littered the area.

Day three was no better. Lobster pots were hooking up to the fleet at every opportunity. “Luckily they seem to come off relatively easily, but not before that ‘Jaws’ moment of the large buoys chasing the boat before they are sucked round the foils to their freedom,” wrote Ericsson 4’s MCM Guy Salter. PUMA was still in the lead, followed by Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4.

Telefónica Blue was the first through the scoring gate taking top points, less than a minute ahead of PUMA. Both yachts then tacked immediately to avoid the western boundary of the ice exclusion zone. The fleet then turned south to sail along its perimeter.

By 1300 GMT on day five, 20 May, the fleet had converged on the southeast corner of the exclusion zone and were preparing to ease sheets and hoist spinnakers in anticipation for the fast run towards Galway in a building breeze.

The crew of Green Dragon had been looking forward to the fast downwind conditions. “We have not sailed in close proximity to the other boats in weather like that, so it will be interesting for everyone,” said skipper Ian Walker. The Green Dragon team had been taking advice from the online gaming community as to where to position Green Dragon.

Every 12 hours during the leg, the virtual skippers in the Volvo Ocean Race Game had been sent a poll from the boat. It included a description of the current situation onboard including details on the weather conditions, the boat and the crew. Each poll included at least three options for the route the team should sail. In the first poll, 10,000 gamers voted.

Telefónica Black had established a two-mile lead, with 1596 nm to run to Boston, but both Ericsson 4 and Telefónica Blue were piling on the pressure.

On day 6, 21 May, leg seven turned into one of the best rollercoaster rides this edition of the race has seen. Ericsson 4 was back in her familiar position, leading the fleet by 13 nm and big smiles were seen on the faces of the crews as the boats rocketed towards Galway.

“There is something magical that happens out here, miles from anywhere. There is a definite edge to life that you don’t get racing in coat waters,” wrote Rick Deppe from PUMA.

The sailing conditions were stunning, but a brooding red sky in the morning heralded a warning. “A thin layer of cloud is steadily approaching and growing thicker. The weather models of modern technology confirm the sailors’ rhyme. They are predicting winds to build to 30 knots tonight and more tomorrow,” wrote Wouter Verbraak from Delta Lloyd, which had just shot into the lead.

Verbraak was right, and overnight PUMA broke their leeward rudder and had to rig their emergency steering system. “Our emergency rudder system is pretty slick. Time will tell if we have more rudder problems, but we are all a bit concerned right now,” wrote skipper Ken Read.

The dreaded downwind battle has also brought disappointment for the crew of Telefónica Black, who led the fleet for part of this 2,550 nm leg. “We got into harder running conditions last night and had to accept that our boat speed was not matching the others,” wrote a despondent navigator, Roger Nilson.

Wouter Verbraak, the Dutch navigator onboard third-placed Delta Lloyd described the conditions as wild. “Tons and tons of water are crashing over the bow as we accelerate down the waves and spear through the next one.”

Last night was an expensive time in terms of miles lost for the Green Dragon Team who, at 3am and on the edge of control in winds gusting to 42 knots, lost all their electronic instruments. “What do you do next?” asked skipper Ian Walker. Was this a question that he expected answering by gaming community?

Walker knew the answer: “You pray the helmsman somehow manages to keep steering that fine line between success and failure. The reality is that he will only succeed for a short while before a wave or gust catches him out, and sure enough, that’s what happened.”

All hands were called to shorten sail. Down below was a mass of sleepy bodies trying to get dressed as the boat lay on her side. On deck, the crew fought to regain control, while navigator Ian Moore went below to set about fixing the electrical problem. “Why do these things always happen at night and in the biggest gust of the day?” asked Ian Walker.

The fleet was divided by 108 nm north to south, but on the leaderboard, the differences were minimal and only 50 nm separated Ericsson 4 in first place and Ericsson 3 in last place.

“This leg is setting up for an amazingly close finish into Galway, but wherever we finish, the memory of this leg will live with me. What we do in these boats is quite extraordinary,” Green Dragon’s skipper said.

The first boat was expected to cross the finish line on Sunday.

Scoring Gate Order
1. Telefónica Blue at 03:11.24 GMT
2. PUMA at 03:12.04 GMT
3. Ericsson 4 at 03:33.05 GMT
4. Ericsson 3 at 04:06.02 GMT
5. Telefónica Black at 04:36.54 GMT
6. Delta Lloyd at 06:16.00 GMT

Leg Seven Day 7: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTL 702 nm
2. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +13
3. Delta Lloyd NED (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +19
4. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +25
5. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +38
6. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) + 42
7. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +50

Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

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Leg Seven Day 7 Daily Story: PUMA Breaks Rudder As Volvo Fleet Puts The Hammer Down

Ericsson 4 is back in her familiar position, leading the fleet by 13 nm as they scream towards Galway. But, the last 24 hours have not been without incident. The red sky yesterday morning heralded a warning, and, as the wind increased as forecast late yesterday afternoon, PUMA was in trouble, having just sailed into the lead.

Around 1800 GMT in an awkward sea state, the black cat broached. There was a bang and the boat was on her side, the sails flapping wildly. The crew could do nothing to get her to back down away from the wind and it was clear that the leeward rudder had snapped off.

“We quickly got the boat going downwind again by using the sails to steer, and finally heeled the boat to windward so the weather rudder would control the boat while we assessed the damage,” explained skipper Ken Read. “Then, we had to literally stop the
boat and take down the sails to fit our emergency rudder,” he said. “We’ll race as best we can. Our emergency rudder system is pretty slick. Time will tell if we have more rudder problems. We are all certainly a bit concerned right now,” he added.

The dreaded downwind battle has also brought disappointment for the crew of Telefónica Black, who led the fleet for part of this 2,550 nm leg. “We got into harder running conditions last night and had to accept that our boat speed was not matching the others,” wrote a despondent navigator, Roger Nilson.

Ericsson 4 slipped effortlessly past and then to add to their humiliation, the Telefónica Black crew could only watch as PUMA flew past, sailing more than a knot faster and a few degrees lower and, much to the annoyance of the Black boat’s crew, flying her biggest masthead gennaker in 25 knots of cold air. Telefónica Black had been nose diving and had become unmanageable with the large masthead gennaker in the building breeze, and consequently, the crew was only able to fly a furling fractional gennaker.

“The Blue boat embarrassed us the same way as PUMA, but it was a bit more painful with PUMA as she was so close when she passed us – just a few hundred metres away,” said Nilson.

To make matters worse, flying up behind was Delta Lloyd. “She was a dot on the horizon to the south, and a few hours later, she had disappeared straight in front of us. She totally out-sailed us with 1.5 knots more speed and going as much as five degrees lower. What to do?” questioned Nilson. Their Achilles heel was hurting and there was no medicine. They are now in sixth place.

Wouter Verbraak, the Dutch navigator onboard third-placed Delta Lloyd described the conditions as wild. “Tons and tons of water are crashing over the bow as we accelerate down the waves and spear through the next one.”

Throughout the night, Delta Lloyd opted for the relatively ‘safe’ set up of a fractional code zero headsail and a reefed mainsail, but when daylight came, it became clear that several boats in the fleet were putting the hammer down again.

The Delta Lloyd crew faced a dilemma. Would they be able to handle the boat with the A6 fractional spinnaker and be faster and lower, or was the sea state still too bad? Would they be better to continue with their current set up? Verbraak said they would be patient and wait to see how the sea state developed, but it is hard to hold back when the fleet is putting the throttle down. “Pitch-poling [a scary wipe-out when the boat does a cartwheel] is expensive…,” noted Verbraak.

Last night was an expensive time in terms of miles lost for the Green Dragon Team who, at 3am and on the edge of control in winds gusting to 42 knots, lost all their electronic instruments. “What do you do next?” asked skipper Ian Walker. Was this a question that he expected answering by gaming community?

Walker knew the answer: “You pray the helmsman somehow manages to keep steering that fine line between success and failure. The reality is that he will only succeed for a short while before a wave or gust catches him out, and sure enough, that’s what happened.”

All hands were called to shorten sail. Down below was a mass of sleepy bodies trying to get dressed as the boat lay on her side. On deck, the crew fought to regain control, while navigator Ian Moore went below to set about fixing the electrical problem. “Why do these things always happen at night and in the biggest gust of the day?” asked Ian Walker.

Walker confirmed that minutes later the team was up and running again with no damage to the boat or sails. This happened twice more during the night and contributed to a loss of miles after good gains before nightfall. The team is now in fifth place, 38 miles behind Ericsson 4.

Even this morning, Walker was ankle-deep in water as he sat typing his daily report to the race office and nobody was on deck without being harnessed to the boat. “You need little reminder of why, as time and time again, people are washed down the decks. On deck is no fun at night, but has turned into fantastic sailing by day,” Walker said.

The fleet maybe divided by 108 nm north to south, but on the leaderboard, the differences are minimal and only 50 nm separate Ericsson 4 in first place and Ericsson 3 in last place. Twenty-four hour runs are approaching the 550 mark. Ericsson 4 is currently logging 538 in the last 24-hour period.

“This leg is setting up for an amazingly close finish into Galway, but wherever we finish, the memory of this leg will live with me. What we do in these boats is quite extraordinary,” Green Dragon’s skipper said.

Scoring Gate Order
1. Telefónica Blue at 03:11.24 GMT
2. PUMA at 03:12.04 GMT
3. Ericsson 4 at 03:33.05 GMT
4. Ericsson 3 at 04:06.02 GMT
5. Telefónica Black at 04:36.54 GMT
6. Delta Lloyd at 06:16.00 GMT

Leg Seven Day 7: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTL 702 nm
2. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +13
3. Delta Lloyd NED (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +19
4. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +25
5. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +38
6. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) + 42
7. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +50

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Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race Rough weather in the North Atlantic, onboard Green Dragon, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway

Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race Rough weather in the North Atlantic, onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race Eivind Melleby onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway

Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race PUMA Ocean Racing's leward rudder breaks after they caught a nasty puff of wind, in the North Atlantic, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway

Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race The emergency rudder is fitted to il mostro

Anton Paz/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race Rough weather in the North Atlantic, onboard Telefonica Black, on leg 7 from Boston to Galway