Sport-heute: Sailing - Volvo Ocean Race Leg Four Day 3

20. Januar 2009, 17:38

Volvo Ocean Race Leg Four Day 3

A CHANCE TO GAIN, OR A CHANCE TO LOSE

Day three of the 2,500 nm leg to China has been more than a little stressful for the crews racing in leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race across the South China Seas, as the fleet weaves its way through some hazardous shoals. The Admiralty Sailing Directions describes the shoals as both 'badly charted' and 'possibly in error by many miles'.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2009, 20.1.09 (mk) Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) in second place, has been fighting for every inch, so, according to the navigator, Simon Fisher, who celebrated his 31st birthday today, giving away lots of distance
to take the easy way round wasn't an option.

'It was a nervous few minutes as we passed through the worst of it, watching the depth sounder drop to just a few metres several times over,' he said.

Fisher gave a little drop of his Sangria, sneaked onboard by the shore team to celebrate his birthday, to King Neptune to ensure that Neptune watches over the team on their passage to China. Also in the birthday bag were some 'lucky cat' Chinese chocolates. 'I am hoping that the lucky chocolates really are lucky, as well as just tasty and, as for the Sangria, hopefully it will warm us a little when the weather gets colder,' Fisher said.

As the wind is expected to shift to the right, it is a chance for the second half of the fleet to gain some miles back on the leaders. But, it is also a chance to lose more. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE) is the boat furthest south and nearest to Borneo. The team sailed low to get round the shoals, which the rest of the fleet will sail through, and made the decision to keep sailing low and fast into the expected wind shift.

It is a risky move. The further south the team is, the more likely it will be that they will find squalls and lighter breeze. 'It all depends on when all the boats get the shift, if it occurs at all,' wrote navigator Aksel Magdahl, who is nursing a damaged knee after being washed across the deck into daggerboard earlier in the week. 'Magnus (the skipper) has already chewed off all his fingernails,' he added.

The furthest boat north is Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) in fourth place. Walker says, 'I never thought I would look forward to tacking and moving all the gear, but we are yet to do any sort of manoeuvre since the start so even a tack will be refreshing. This is definitely the calm before the impending storm." The team is preparing to thread their way through the reefs.

The fleet is in the transition zone, waiting for the wind to shift, which will open up the options for tacking onto starboard. Following the leader now is not really an option, but the fleet is yet to make a move. Currently conditions are rather benign, as the fleet races upwind in 10 - 12 knots of breeze. Everything feels calm and tranquil.

Onboard Delta Lloyd in seventh place and just 18 miles behind the new leader PUMA (Ken Read/USA), new navigator Frits Koek/NED says life is not too bad onboard.

'We're still moving fast in the direction of Qingdao, temperatures are still nice and we have just washed some salt from our boat in a few squalls. Everyone is doing well and we are anticipating a tack later tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on the latest weather developments,' he said moments ago.

This morning, PUMA regained the lead from Telefonica Blue who is just three miles behind. The fleet is split 18 nautical miles from first to last and less than 10 miles across a north/south divide. Speeds are around 11 knots and Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE) has the highest 24-hour run of 333 nautical miles.

Leg Four Day 3: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) DTF 1883 nm
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +3
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +3
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +11
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando EchÃ¡varri/ESP) +14
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +15
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) +18
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

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At the moment, we are making a slalom turn every now and then to avoid huge logs floating in the water. Apparently, they float down the rivers in Sabah, Borneo, and some of them end up out here. I actually spent the Christmas holiday outside Kota Kinabalu, where we are pointing now, so I may benefit from some local knowledge. At least I know some good restaurants and beaches.

The upwind sailing has been nicer than expected so far, with a gentle sea state and not very wet on deck. Everyone onboard is having a good time. And the huge flares on the oil/gas platforms around us really make spectacular scenery!

In the first possible opportunity on this leg, I was washed across the deck during a sail change, and hit the daggerboard knee first. So I am mostly stuck in the nav station with the unbendable knee, enjoying better sleep than normal due to the painkillers.

Aksel Magdahl - navigator

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TELEFONICA BLUE LEG FOUR DAY 3 QFB: received 20.01.09 1224 GMT

Hi there,

Today has been a pretty good day at sea despite the morning being a little stressful, as we had to weave our way through some nasty shoals. I think it probably made it worse that I had taken the time to read the Admiralty Sailing Directions, which described them as both 'badly charted' and 'possibly in error by many miles'.

Giving lots of distance away to take the easy way round wasn't really an option after fighting for every inch so as a result it was a nervous few minutes as we passed through the worst of it watching the depth sounder drop to just a few metres several times over. With our rivals has set us in good stead. Whether it gives the leverage we need to gain back some miles on Puma and Ericsson 4 we will see over the course of the next few scheds.

Apart from the surprise I got when the depth sounder plummeted from 100 metres to three, there was another surprise for me today but this time a whole lot nicer. Maria had managed to sneak aboard some birthday presents for me - A small bottle of Sangria from Spain and some Chinese 'lucky cat fortune chocolates'. A taste of where we have come from at the beginning of the race and a taste of where we are headed next! Given that all I was expecting for my 31st birthday was freeze dried food and a lack of sleep, it came as a very pleasant surprise indeed. I am hoping that the lucky chocolates really are lucky, as well as just tasty and as for the sangria, hopefully it will warm us a little when the weather gets colder. I gave a little of it to Neptune too in order to see that he looks after us on our passage to China.

As a final treat before the sun set, we given a pretty good fishing demonstration by a sea bird that was making the most of the flying fish scared out of the water by the hull of our Volvo 70. Circling round the rigging he would swoop down at speed and catch the fish in mid air. Very impressive indeed.

However, the sun is setting now and with it the wind dropping so I am off on deck as we hoist the Code 0 to get us rumbling again in the lighter airs.

Cheers, for now,

Simon Fisher - navigator

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DELTA LLOYD LEG FOUR DAY 3 QFB: received 20.01.09 1301 GMT

Hi all,

Life is not too bad on board the TDL boat. We're still moving fast in the direction of Qingdao, temperatures are still nice and we just washed some salt off our boat in a few squalls. Everyone is doing well and we are anticipating a tack later tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on the latest weather developments.

Cheers,
Frits Koek - navigator

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Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race Xabier Fernandez helming Telefonica Blue, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race Iker Martinez lookong for the wind while Bouwe Bekking is driving, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race Ericsson 4 hard at work, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China