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Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009
The start day for leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 dawned grey and very windy in Alicante, just as the forecasters had predicted. A complete change from the balmy Mediterranean weather that the 900,000 plus visitors to the race village had enjoyed over the past two weeks. But then, this is the Volvo Ocean Race, and it is supposed to be rugged and unpleasant.
His majesty King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain and his two daughters, the Infanta Dona Elena and the Infanta Dona Cristina left the Spanish port onboard the two Telefónica yachts and then transferred to the safety of a Spanish Navy frigate to enjoy the start.
Out on the track conditions were wild. A strong north-easterly breeze of 24 – 30 knots kicked up 3metre waves in the bay leading one to think that a simple breakage could be very costly.
And very costly it was. For Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED). As Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) led the fleet down the Mediterranean, just 20 miles from the start, Bekking reported problems with the steering.
A very windy night followed, causing the injured Telefónica Blue to perform some spectacular wipe-outs. Bekking’s crew were trying desperately to make a repair, as the rest of the eight-strong fleet lined up to exit the Med and charge out into the Atlantic. Kosatka, Team Russia’s boat, blew out her new big spinnaker, leaving one half flying from the top of the mast and the other just above the water, barely connected. A robin cadged a lift on Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR), stayed for a couple of hours and flew away without telling anyone. And then the wind dropped.
Day three and it wasn’t exactly a mad dash for the open ocean, although it was for Bekking and his team, but in the direction of Algeciras, on the western side of the Bay of Gibraltar. The team swooped in for a 12-hour pit stop to make the repairs while the rest of the fleet averaged a measly four knots, leading Bekking to think he was still in with a chance. “There’s a long way to go and we know we can get back full speed now,” he said. At 1300 GMT, Ericsson 4 was still the leader of the pack, although progress was painfully slow. The sailing was as pleasant as it could be. 8 - 10 knots of breeze under a shining sun, but the champagne sailing of the trade winds was still an mouth-watering day or so away.
Dave four and it was the turn of Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri) to hold a fragile lead as they made the bold decision to head out to the west - a not a good decision as it later turned out. Behind her, the chasing pack of Ericsson 4, the Green Dragons and PUMA (Ken Read/USA) were all tightly bunched within a frightening six miles of the black Spanish boat.
Telefónica Blue had made up good ground and closed to within four miles of Team Russia. “We don’t want to do anything crazy, as once you are behind you are tempted to take bigger risks,” explained Bekking. But there were choices to be made. How to tackle the Canary Islands? Go to the west where there might be a shift in wind direction? Go to the east and see if there is more wind there? Or shoot right through the middle and risk losing the wind altogether?
Life onboard was beginning to settle into the rhythm of eating, sleeping and sailing. Rob Salthouse (PUMA) had a panic when he thought one his sailing boots had been hoisted with the spinnaker and lost over the side. It was later found, much to his relief as he had no other footwear onboard. In a dry run for a visit from King Neptune, the crew of Ericsson 4 painted Phil Jameson’s fingernails with black permanent marker pen while he was sleeping, but still the fleet pressed on.
Day five dawned with only seven of the fleet of eight boats showing on the position report. It was nothing sinister. Green Dragon had gone into hiding, playing her Stealth card as she approached the Canary Island. The rest of the fleet scattered. Telefónica Black stuck to her westerly course, Ericsson 3 went straight through the middle of the group of islands, and the rest of the fleet went to leeward. PUMA and Ericsson 4 were almost rock hopping, just 17 nm off Cabo Falso Bogador on the African coast. The fleet was now split 211nm from the favoured eastern side, to Telefónica Black right out to the west.
PUMA and Ericsson 4 had a sleepless night, trying to shake each other off and, at 1300 GMT, it was PUMA with Ericsson 4 just 2 nm behind, followed by Ericsson 3, Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke/IRL) Team Russia, Telefónica Black, Telefónica Blue and Green Dragon in StealthPlay.
PUMA delivered a further blow to the fleet on day six, as cool, calm and collected they extended their lead by over 20 miles, gybed west and headed out to sea. Telefónica Black’s decision to go west on day four had turned sour and they were 221 nm behind PUMA. Anders Lewander (Ericsson 3) had spent the previous 24 hours precariously clinging to the PUMA’s tail, but didn’t follow when she gybed. “We are VERY close to a wipe out,” wrote Norwegian navigator Aksel Magdahl, as Ericsson 3 continued to scream down the African coast.
Delta Lloyd was putting in a solid performance and, proving that generation 1 Volvo 70s are still fast, she recorded the highest average boat speed of 22 knots in the hour leading up to the 1300 GMT position report. Telefónica Blue was still trying to claw back the miles, but it was not easy. “Having to watch the rich get richer is never a nice thing,” wrote the British navigator, Simon Fisher. “We are looking longingly at the position reports, wishing we were up there too – something that we know that we are more than capable of, but have not yet had the chance to show.”
At 1600 the Green Dragon came out of hiding, still in the same fourth position she was in 12 hours before, leading everyone to wonder why she played her only Stealth option so early in the leg.
There was drama on day seven when Tony Mutter/NZL was evacuated from Ericsson 4 who peeled off the race track to rendezvous with a fishing boat from the Cape Verde Islands. Mutter had an infected knee and although the onboard medics, Phil Jameson and Stuart Bannatyne had anaesthetized him and drained fluid from the knee, the wound did not make the recovery they hoped and rather than take any risks, Mutter was taken off the boat and transferred to a fishing vessel near to the Cape Verde Islands. Ericsson 4 raced on, but with one man down.
We leave the fleet tonight as they approach the Cape Verde islands, but set up for the Doldrums transition. PUMA snatched back the lead she lost from Ericsson 4 and Delta Lloyd was sailing a blinding race, with great speed in fourth place.
With still over 4,700 nautical miles to go, the familiar effects of being offshore were starting to show and the usual grouches about the quality and quantity of the food as the menus begin to repeat themselves for week two. Spirits were lightened onboard the Green Dragon when Damian Foxall was hit in the face by a flying fish during the previous night. “I’m not sure which was funnier, the direct hit or Damian trying to get it out of the cockpit,” laughed skipper Ian Walker.
18-10-08
DELTA LLOYD
(see team page)
ERICSSON 3
(see team page)
ERICSSON 4
(see team page)
GREEN DRAGON
(see team page)
PUMA OCEAN RACING
(see team page)
TEAM RUSSIA
(see team page)
TELEFONICA BLUE
(see team page)
TELEFONICA BLACK
(see team page)
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 is the 10th running of this ocean marathon. It started from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with an in-port race. Leg One from Alicante to Cape Town will start on 11 October and the course will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
There are eight entries in the Volvo Ocean Race.
DELTA LLOYD NED
ERICSSON RACING TEAM INTERNATIONAL SWE
ERICSSON RACING TEAM NORDIC SWE
GREEN DRAGON CHN/IRL
PUMA OCEAN RACING USA
TEAM RUSSIA RUS
TELEFONICA BLACK ESP
TELEFONICA BLUE ESP
Volvo Ocean Race – Leg 1
Ericsson 4, racing in leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race, has dropped off trimmer/helmsman Tony Mutter/NZL in the Cape Verde Islands as the team takes every precaution with his knee that has become infected.
On Thursday, the team medics onboard the race yacht, Phil Jameson and Stu Bannatyne, were called to put their pre-race medical training into use as they drained some fluid from the infected area.
But the injury did not respond to treatment as well as they hoped and the team took the opportunity of their proximity to the Cape Verde Islands to evacuate Mutter off the boat. This was the recommended course of action by the Volvo Ocean Race medical team. The next reasonable opportunity to get him off the boat wouldn’t come until the rounding of Fernando de Noronha, an Island off the coast of Brazil, some four days away.
This evening, the team made a move off its heading to sail towards Mindelo on the Island of Sao Vicente. Mutter was then transferred to a fishing vessel to be taken ashore for medical supervision.
Skipper Torben Grael/BRA said the decision to ensure proper medical treatment for Mutter was easy.
"The race doctor told us that Tony had to be evacuated because the leg had become significantly more swollen over night, and the uncertainty of how quick his condition will improve,” said skipper Torben Grael. “Both he and I agreed that it would be a prudent and precautionary measure to evacuate him from the boat. He needs to get proper treatment. In addition once we have passed the Cape Verde Islands, we have a period of some 1,300 nautical miles of open ocean ahead of us. Our onboard medics, Phil and Stu, have done a great job. They were told by the race doctor that had we been in the Southern Ocean, they would have to give Tony intravenous fluids with antibiotics,” Grael said.
Tony Mutter is understandably very disappointed.
“It’s a tough call, but given the state of the infection an easy call,” said Mutter.
“Bearing in mind that the conditions in which we live onboard are not ideal for dealing with infections, and add to this the increasingly hot and humid conditions as we reach the Equator and the Doldrums, this is for sure the best course of action.My priority is to get back to 150 percent fitness and rejoin Ericsson 4 in Cape Town."
The rest of the team turned back towards the race course as soon as the transfer was made, and are again on course towards Fernando de Noronha.
17-10-08
First Stealth Play move
GREEN DRAGON IN HIDING
At 0400 GMT today (15-Oct-08), StealthPlay came into action for the first time on this 6,500 nautical mile leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Alicante to Cape Town. In the approach to the Canary Islands, Ian Walker/GBR and his crew onboard the Green Dragon played their joker and decided it was time to go into hiding. They will disappear now for 12 hours, reappearing on the 1600 GMT position report this afternoon. Only the Race Office in the UK will know where the boat is, and that is for safety reasons.
At the time that StealthPlay was activated, Green Dragon was only 12 nautical miles from Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE), the leaders at the time, and set up to the west of the Canary Islands, with Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) just on her starboard hip.
Over the past 12 hours, the Canary Islands have caused the fleet to scatter. Telefónica Black will go to windward (west of the islands), but we will not know if Green Dragon went with her until she reappears on our screens at 1600 GMT today.
Ericsson 3 went straight through the middle of the islands and is currently less than 2 nm off the coast of Gran Canaria. The rest of the fleet went to leeward (east). Delta Lloyd/IRL (Ger O’Rourke/IRL) and PUMA/USA (Ken Read) and Ericsson 4/SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) gybed close in to the shore and are now just 17nm off Cabo Falso Bogador the African coast. Choices have been made and the east/west split of the fleet is a clear 211nm, from Telefónica Black out to the west and PUMA and Ericsson 4 away to the east. Bouwe Bekking’s Telefónica Blue also favoured the eastern side, and is following almost the same course as Delta Lloyd, but has slipped back through the fleet after damaging her large A2 running spinnaker this morning.
“It seems in the 18-20 knot wind range, we are not so fast, and we can’t sail very deep,” explained Bouwe. “The spinnaker just gave up and tore right through the middle and it was all hands on deck to prevent it from falling in the water,” he said. Two of his crew, Daryl Wislang and Jordi Calafat are putting it back together, but it has been a bitter blow for this Spanish team, as they continue to race with a spinnaker 150 square metres smaller. “We have to keep sailing the right angle for this sail otherwise we are cheating ourselves. It is very tempting to sail the same angle as before, but then we will sail way slower,” he explained.
PUMA and Ericsson 4 had a sleepless night trying to shake off each other. “Honestly, I thought the racing would be close, but this is ridiculous,” wrote PUMA skipper Ken Read this morning. Every time a move was made to shake free, all the gear had to be moved from one side of the boat to the other. Read says the onboard action is intense and all being filmed by onboard media crew member, Rick Deppe. “Besides that,” he says, “it’s business as usual and there is nowhere we would rather be right now.” Will he still be saying that in 20 days from now?
At the 1300 GMT position report, the fleet had a good north-northeasterly breeze of around 19 knots. PUMA had the fastest 24-hour run of 367nm and Ericsson 4 had the highest average boat speed of 19 knots over the past hour.
Leg One Day 5: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to leader)
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) DTF 5436
Relative to 3:00 CET (26-10-08)
Cantabria infinita
Cueva de El Soplao • Año Santo Lebaniego • Turismo y gastronomía
Propuestas en Brasil
Cabo Frío: paraíso a 200 km de Río • Niterói: playas, arquitectura y agenda cultural • El camino de Niemeyer: recorrido arquitectónico
Propuestas en Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40: Recorrido de la parte Norte • Recorrido del Centro (Cuyo) • Recorrido de la parte Sur (Patagonia)
Propuestas de turismo
en la Comunidad Valenciana
Ibi, Onil, Foia de Castalla • Belén de Tirisiti - Patrimonio cultural en Alcoi • Los Baños del Almirante (Valencia del s.XIV) • Mundo Naval en el museo Príncipe Felipe • Arte rupestre valenciano (Museo de la Valltorta)
Transporte aéreo
Air Nostrum • Ryanair • Spanair • Vueling
