Sport-heute: Sailing - DELTA LLOYD LEG FOUR DAY 5 QFB: received 22.01.09 0313 GMT

23. Januar 2009, 10:05

DELTA LLOYD LEG FOUR DAY 5 QFB: received 22.01.09 0313 GMT

Sailing through these waters is not just fun. If you see the drift wood - sometimes the size of a really big
tree - and realise that nobody will remove it during the night, and, considering the area in the chart that explicitly says: 'DANGEROUS GROUNDS', this is becoming a dangerous occupation.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2009, 22.1.09 (mk) Last night, around 2000 local time and pitch dark, we hit a piece of wood that slammed off the paddle-wheel speed sensor. This caused the whole navigational instruments to go bananas. We managed to glue some parts together like the A-Team would have done and were in an operational status within an hour.

Frits Koek - navigator

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ERICSSON 3 LEG FOUR DAY FOUR QFB: received 21.01.09 2353 GMT

Yesterday's little flyer paid off nicely, and we crossed ahead of the leading pack in the morning. We committed to the east side of the 'Dangerous Ground', the poorly surveyed area of reefs with uncertain positioning, or not at the charts at all.

We had considered this a no-go area for ourselves before the start, but surprisingly most of the boats went in there so we gave it a go as well. It was very scary. We approached the first reef quite close. It was not where we expected it to be and it was four times as long as what the books say, and we hardly understood how to pass it. It was real exploration. For a while, I wondered if we were going to end Ericsson 3's days there. But, after lots of nervousness and reef spotting by Aksel Dahlsjö from up the rig, we got around it, and made the easy and only responsible decision that we could, to take a loss to get out of that area as quick as possible. How the other boats are happy to go there is a mystery, maybe they have better local knowledge than we do.

Now, back in the Palawan Passage, we have found a nice shift, which we hope will compensate for some of the extra distance we sail compared with the boats sailing through the reefs. But there are still shortcuts to be taken. They look safe enough on the charts, but it is just impossible to know if the surveys are complete and if the shoals are in the correct positions. The Sailing Directions says the following about one shoal we are about to pass:

'Carnatic Shoal has a least depth of 4.6m and lies just within the edge of Dangerous Ground; its position is also doubtful'.

Gustav Morin - MCM

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TELEFÓNICA BLUE LEG FOUR DAY FOUR QFB; received 21.01.09 1850 GMT

Today has been a day of snakes and ladders. The day started badly, it was something akin to being stuck in a traffic jam in the middle lane of the motorway with the traffic hurtling by on both sides. Puma, Ericsson 4 and ourselves all sat in little wind, whilst Ericsson 3 and Telefónica Black whizzed round either side of us leaving us sat in the middle scratching our heads.

Things have got better though and when we eventually found our way into better pressure. We also managed to put ourselves in a band of good current; with the two and a half knots under us at times we were back on a ladder for a while!

It would be fair to say that as the day progressed, tactical things became more interesting as the fleet has been scattered out across the South China Sea. We just have to wait and see now if it will pay off for the guys who took a hit to get to more right hand winds or if the others (including ourselves), who have spent much of the day trying to make the best speeds possible towards, the mark will prevail.

We have had a few more reefs to dodge as well this evening; they seem to manage to line themselves up beautifully with our boat despite our best efforts to avoid them! We were close enough to smell the scent of land when we passed by less than a mile away from some small islands in the black of night and with no moon to light our way, it was impossible to see them despite knowing they were so close. With any luck the small tack we had to make to avoid them will not prove too costly and we can finish the day on a few ladders and give the snakes a wide berth...

Time will tell all, the sched coming up in less than an hour will surely be an interesting one!

Cheers,

Simon Fisher - navigator

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ERICSSON 4 LEG FOUR DAY 5 QFB: received 22.01.09 1328 GMT

Well, it's the end of day four and we are starting to see how much of a loss we have suffered by sticking to our plan to stay in the Palawan Channel. Most of the boats out to sea have now tacked onto port and are approaching our line. It looks like the deficit will be 60 or more miles to Puma, which is significant to say the least, although with over half the leg to go and with the weather conditions forecast, this leg is far from over.

Speaking of weather, up until now, things have been pretty mild in both wind speeds and temperatures. Jules just let us know that the breeze will start building tonight and will soon be well into the mid thirties. This is what we have prepared the boat for and, hopefully, these are the conditions in which that E4 will start to excel. Time for us to get back into the race.
Goodnight for now,

Ryan Godfrey - bowman

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GREEN DRAGON LOSES FORESTAY BUT SAVES MAST

Leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao in China, one of the toughest legs in the race, has claimed its first victim.

Ian Walker/GBR and his crew were in fourth place and sailing in 17 knots of breeze upwind and a short, choppy sea, when the boat suffered a broken forestay, a crucial part of the rigging, which helps keep the mast in position.

Quick reactions by the crew, who rapidly eased sheets and secured halyards to the bow, prevented the loss of the mast and the team will continue to race to Qingdao.

Having carried out a rig check, Green Dragon is now sailing with her small J4 headsail and full mainsail and has 176 nautical miles to the mark positioned off Luzon, which the fleet must keep to the east of. It is unlikely the team will be able to fly any other headsails with just a makeshift headstay, but although they will be handicapped for the final 1500 miles to the finish, they still plan to race as hard as they can.

Skipper Ian Walker said, 'This is a bitter disappointment just when we were fighting back up with the leaders. It was a brand new stay at the start of the race and I have no idea why it should break now, if at all. I think it is the same as many or all the other boats in the fleet.

'The important thing is that nobody was hurt and, thanks to the crew's reactions, we did not break the mast. It is especially disappointing, as we wanted to put up a strong performance on this leg to Qingdao. We will keep sailing as fast as we can without jeopardising the rig. As always we will not give up, however the forecast of gales for the next few days is an obvious concern.'

Elsewhere in the fleet, relief is widespread as the dangerous area of uncharted reefs and atolls is safely astern. During darkness, Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez/ESP) in fifth place, collided with a piece of wood that slammed off the paddle-wheel sensor and sent the navigational system spiralling. However, the team managed to glue some parts together and the system was operational again with an hour.

At 1300 GMT today, PUMA (Ken Read/USA) had regained the lead, Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) was just five miles astern, and Telefónica Black (Fernando EchÃ¡varri/ESP) had dropped to third position. The order of the second row remained unchanged from yesterday although Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) had pulled back some miles.

Looking ahead, Jennifer Lilly, the Race Meteorologist, says that conditions will remain moderate for the next 24 hours; however, there is gale force winds forecast for Saturday. As a result, the focus across the fleet is likely to be split between racing strategy and safety concerns.

Jennifer forecasts that conditions should remain quiet until the fleet reaches the South Rock Light sometime tomorrow. There will be some increases in wind speeds, but nothing over 20 knots, which will be good for the wounded Dragon. However, once the fleet passes the Light, Jennifer indicates that the increases in wind speeds will be more in the region of 20 - 30 knots, and, as the fleet sails into the Luzon Strait, on 24 January, the wind speed will peak, with sustained speeds of over 40 knots and gusts to 50 knots possible. On top of this, as the winds build, the fleet will start to encounter the warm waters of the Kuoshio Current, which flows northeast against the winds, which will make for dangerously large seas.

Ericsson 4 is in the unusual position of last place, but the crew is confident. Although they think that they will have a deficit of as much as 60 miles from PUMA when the leaders tack back onto Ericsson's course, they are relishing the prospect of more wind.

'This is what we have prepared the boat for and, hopefully, these are the conditions in which Ericsson 4 will start to excel. Time for us to get back into the race,' said MCM Guy Salter, just moments ago.

Leg Four Day 5: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

1. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) DTF 1453 nm
2. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +5
3. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando EchÃ¡varri/ESP) +25
4. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +34
5. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) +36
6. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +41
7. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +48
8. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

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TELEFÓNICA BLACK LEG FOUR DAY 5 QFB: received 22.01.09 1601 GMT

Dear all

It has been a very busy day today, and it has not ended yet. The guys are inside the bow of the 'Demonio', still repairing a ripped J2, so imagine the difficulties on such a bumpy road! But they are doing a great job.

Apart from that, we have been dealing with continuous wind changes in direction and speed, so the work on deck has been extenuating. We have lost the lead, but the final approach to the waypoint next to Manila promises to be really tight for the leading pack. Right now, we are involved in another of the countless tacks in this upwind leg. Fighting hard and with spirits high as always in the TELEFÓNICA NEGRO!

Anecdote: bad luck for Javi (Javier de la Plaza/ESP) tonight, as his shin encountered a new item on deck with the result of some pain and a couple of filthy words! And not to forget the 'attack of the flying fish', much bigger than any seen before in other seas.

So, with our Roger, as any navigator in the world would, enjoying sailing in this part of the world with less-than-reliable charts, we will see what tomorrow brings.

Mikel Pasabant - MCM

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Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race Ryan Godfrey repairing sails onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race Ryan Godfrey repairing sails onboard Ericsson 4, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race A log floats past Ericsson 3, one of the many hazardous debris the fleet have to deal with, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race Pepe Ribes and Iker Martinez during a sail change onboard Telefonica Blue, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race Klaes Nylof checking the approaching storm onboard Ericsson 3, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao, China

Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race PUMA Ocean Racing with Ericsson 4 at the start of leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race

Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race GREEN DRAGON LOSES FORESTAY BUT SAVES MAST

Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race GREEN DRAGON LOSES FORESTAY BUT SAVES MAST

DELTA LLOYD LEG FOUR DAY 5 QFB: received 22.01.09 0313 GMT

Sailing through these waters is not just fun. If you see the drift wood - sometimes the size of a really big tree - and realise that nobody will remove it during the night, and, considering the area in the chart that explicitly says: 'DANGEROUS GROUNDS', this is becoming a dangerous occupation.

Sailing through these waters is not just fun. If you see the drift wood - sometimes the size of a really big
tree - and realise that nobody will remove it during the night, and, considering the area in the chart that explicitly says: 'DANGEROUS GROUNDS', this is becoming a dangerous occupation.