Sport-heute: Sailing - TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG TWO DAY 2 QFB: received today 0527 GMT 16.11.08

16. November 2008, 21:47

TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG TWO DAY 2 QFB: received today 0527 GMT 16.11.08

GREEN DRAGON LEG TWO DAY TWO QFB: received 16.11.08 0812 GMT

A typical Cape Town departure, bright sunshine and thousands of people on the docks and not to forget the enthusiastic people on the water. The start was ok, not pushing it too hard, as we knew a park-up would happen.

CAPE TOWN - CHOCIN INDIA (mk) The first leg we were dog slow, we had big piece of weed on the rudder, but once that was cleared, we were off. Had a good beat up the Cape, and lots of tacking, so very little sleep for the guys. We got stuck together with Ericsson 3 in a light patch this morning, which nobody else seemed to sail through, that was expensive. But, now we are on our way again, and have three boats in sight. The boys are now, for the first time, in their sleeping bag and catching some well-deserved sleep. The breeze will slowly build, and we will keep that for a couple of day getting some good daily miles under our belt.

Cheers,

Bouwe Bekking - skipper

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GREEN DRAGON LEG TWO DAY TWO QFB: received 16.11.08 0812 GMT

What a fantastic send off from Cape Town. The course around the bay was great fun. The spectator boats were everywhere, several getting in the way but we knew it didn't matter as the race was bound to restart under Table Mountain. Something I shall remember for along time to come.

We are now settled into a routine and Ian (Moore) has put us in a good spot. Conditions are very comfortable with a building westerly breeze.

Ian Walker - skipper

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ERICSSON 3 LEG TWO DAY 2 QFB: received 16.11.08 0949 GMT

No one that was watching the Cape Town start from a boat will never ever forget it. It was like experiencing the whole first leg in one hour. We had everything from 25 knots to almost no wind at all. The fleet was a bit separated after 25 minutes, but then we went into a big light spot, just outside the harbour, in the wind shadow from Table Mountain. It felt like a mini Doldrums where anything could happen.

And things were really happening. But mostly before the 'Doldrums'. From our perspective, not everything went very smoothly. Our jib got caught on the radar in one of the first tacks and got a small rip. The sail was not the most irritating part, but the fact that the radar was hanging on a thread. It was about to get even worse.

In the third tack, the sail got caught again and ripped badly. At the same time, the radar fell down in the cockpit. Not a very nice feeling when you are heading for the Southern Ocean and later up to India, passing the equator where big squalls are very common and the radar can guide you through them.

Well, on the lucky side is that no one was hit and that we managed to stay in the race. Hopefully we can fix it. According to Jens Dolmer, our hard working handyman, it is possible.

The sail has already been fixed. Skipper Anders Lewander and Martin Stromberg started repairing straight away and finished a couple of hours later. It was quite a big rip and the sail will never be as good as it was, but pretty close to it, the guys did a great job.

Now I'm sitting in the darkness beside the media desk. It is very hard to stay awake before you get use to rhythm onboard. I don't know how many times I have fallen asleep during the time I've been writing. I always wake up in a few seconds with the screen full of letters, which I have pushed in my sleep.

Over and out from Ericsson 3, meet you soon again.

Gustav Morin - MCM

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QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS: LEG WIN OR SCORING GATE POINTS?

After a dramatic, and then frustrating, start to leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race yesterday in Cape Town, the fleet of eight boats has now spent one night at sea and the crews are settling back into the rhythm of eating, sleeping and yacht racing.

PUMA (Ken Read/USA) and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) have picked up where they left off on leg one and the battle for supremacy has resumed. But, it is a perplexing time for the skippers and navigators: whether to go further south and into the stronger breeze for maximum scoring gate points, or stay further north, in lighter conditions but closer to the finish.

Mark Chisnell debates the pros and cons of this decision in today's 1000 Zulu Report (http://www.volvooceanrace.org/news/article/2008/november/TEN-ZULU-L2-D2/index.aspx).

With the fleet spread out across a north/south divide of just under 40 nautical miles, the leaderboard is distorted as it is based on distance to finish, which will favour boats which are further to the north, although tactically, the position in the south, with its stronger winds will more than compensate for the extra distance to be sailed.

In the north is Delta Lloyd with her new skipper, Spaniard Roberto Bermudez, showing the shortest distance to finish, while furthest to the south is Andreas Hanakamp/AUT with Team Russia's Kosatka.

PUMA and Ericsson 4 are just four nm apart. PUMA is to windward and north of Ericsson 4, but sailing considerably slower than Ericsson 4 who has sunk slightly further south. The rest of the fleet is in a tight bunch.

Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE) has recovered from yesterday's mishap when the jib got caught on the radar dome, ripping the sail and detaching the dome from the mast. Overnight the sail has been satisfactorily repaired, but the crew is still trying to come up with a solution to repair the dome. 'Not a very nice feeling when you are heading for the Southern Ocean and later up to India, passing the equator, where squalls are very common and the radar can guide you through them,' explained Gustav Morin, Ericsson 3's MCM.

Ian Walker/GBR is pleased with the position of Green Dragon, just to windward of PUMA. 'Ian Moore (navigator) has put us in a good spot,' he said this morning. 'Conditions are very comfortable with a building westerly breeze,' he added.

PUMA has recorded the highest 24-hour run during the period, of 268nm, but Ericsson 4 has averaged the highest boat speed during the last hour of 21.5 knots.

The first point scoring opportunity on this leg will be when the fleet crosses from west to east - the line of longitude 58 degrees E, anywhere south of the latitude 20 degrees S.

Leg Two Day Two: 1320 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DTF 4274nm
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +3
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +5
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +6
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) +6
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +6
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando EchÃ¡varri/ESP) +9
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +38

ALLE PICTURES FROM VOLVO OCEAN RACE TO SPORTHEUTE.CH

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TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG TWO DAY 2 QFB: received today 0527 GMT 16.11.08

GREEN DRAGON LEG TWO DAY TWO QFB: received 16.11.08 0812 GMTA typical Cape Town departure, bright sunshine and thousands of people on the docks and not to forget the enthusiastic people on the water. The start was ok, not pushing it too hard, as we knew a park-up would happen.

GREEN DRAGON LEG TWO DAY TWO QFB: received 16.11.08 0812 GMT

A typical Cape Town departure, bright sunshine and thousands of people on the docks and not to forget the enthusiastic people on the water. The start was ok, not pushing it too hard, as we knew a park-up would happen.