Ericssons båda båtar rycker allt närmare ledaren Telefonica Blue i Volvo Ocean Race. Men det går långsamt i de karibiska områden där flottan med sju båtar nu befinner sig. Telefonica Blue leder nu bara med drygt 20 Nm, jämfört med 100 Nm för ett par dagar sedan. Ericsson 4 ligger tvåa och Ericsson 3 på tredje plats.
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Fortfarande är det Puma med Ken Read som skeppare som ligger på fjärde plats. Alla båtar i toppen bevakar alltså sina placeringar väldigt noga och det gäller att vara smartast för att gå segrande ur den här nervslitande kampen.
Den enda båt som verkar avhängd för tillfället är Green Dragon, som ligger cirka 100 Nm efter ledaren.
Det återstår nu 1 400 Nm till etappmålet i Boston.
Här är den senaste pressreleasen från Race Office:
Ericsson 4 Leg Six Day 11 QFB: 21.04.09 1504 GMT
Posted: 21 Apr 2009 07:04 AM PDT
It’s another really nice day on Ericsson 4 – the sun is out and the sea is flat – the only issue is the soft spots in the wind from the sucking clouds.
We had a good run last night and are certainly keeping it exciting for ourselves onboard with the battle between Ericsson 3, PUMA and ourselves continuing.
This morning we spotted our sistership on the horizon and have been living the bearing gains and losses ever since.
I’m really looking forward to Boston as in the absence of a stop in NZ I count the city as my home – my wife is a true Massachusetts princess and we have shared many great times in town, so its bound to be a great time catching up with my family and many friends in the area.
I’m also hoping to catch the Red Sox and Celtics whilst in town plus feasting on lobster and shrimp.
The next few days will probably drag on a little but wind is due and there is a chance of a bumpy ride in – but this will make the arrival even better, especially if we can drag Telefónica Blue into the fight and come out on top.
Dave Endean – pitman
Leg Six Day 11 Daily Story: Sailing Caribbean Style
Posted: 21 Apr 2009 06:41 AM PDT
It’s hell for Telefónica Blue today as they see their triple-figure lead whittled down to a miserable 30nm, but it’s heaven for the chasing pack who are still romping along and enjoying the sailing, Caribbean style. But, the time will come when they too sail into the lighter conditions that Telefónica Blue is currently experiencing.
“We have been on the receiving end now for roughly 36 hours, losing mile after mile, which is part of the game. I don’t think it will stop for at least another 20 hours, as then, finally, the others will hit the wall as well,” explained the blue boat’s skipper, Bouwe Bekking.
Telefónica Blue is now on the same latitude as the Caribbean Island of St Martin, and ‘Caribbean sailing’ is what today is all about.
“No more goggles, helmets and full foul weather gear, just Caribbean style shorts and t-shirts,” says Wouter Verbraak, Delta Lloyd’s navigator. “Add a barbeque on the back, a nice chilled bottle of white wine and some fresh yellow fin tuna and we could be cruising along just nicely,” he says.
The reality is that there no time to attend to the barbeque, no hands free to hold their plates and glasses of wine, and the heel of the boat would have things sliding through the cockpit in no time. “It would be a big mess,” says Wouter.
For Shannon Falcone on PUMA, the Caribbean Island of Antigua is his home and he chose this morning to celebrate the passing of the island by offering a drop of Rum to the five crew on deck at the time.
“Do some research into the long relationship between sailors and Rum, especially here in the Caribbean,” says PUMA’s MCM Rick Deppe, who added that the one mini-bar sized bottle shared among five probably amounted to about the same amount of alcohol as a teaspoon of cough medicine. “It sure does warm the throat though,” he added.
Onboard Telefónica Black, the crew has been taking advantage of the Caribbean conditions by drying out their clothes and having a proper body wash.
“What a relief after collecting many layers of sweat and salt,” says navigator Roger Nilson who has been tempted out of his navigation station and up on deck by the lack of spray. “We use the excess water outlet from the water maker as it functions as the perfect shower in the middle of the cockpit,” explained the newly clean navigator.
Still struggling at the back of the fleet is Green Dragon and skipper Ian Walker says that the current conditions sadly make for tactically very boring sailing. “You can only really play with some subtle angle changes or sail selection,” he says. The team desperately needs something to change in the weather to give them some opportunities. “I just hope we are close enough to capitalise on any mistakes made by those ahead,” Walker said.
Delta Lloyd claims the highest 24-hour run today, of 393 nm. She has also averaged the highest speed over the last three hours, swishing along at approximately 16.5 knots, while Telefónica Blue is only averaging 14.8. Thirty miles astern, Ericsson 4 has also slowed, while just four miles further back, Ericsson 3 and the rest of the fleet still has good breeze.
Bekking says the remainder of leg six could be relatively quick and he is hoping for a finish on Sunday during daylight, which would, of course, be an excellent way to start the Boston stopover.
Scoring Gate Results Fernando de Noronha
1. Telefónica Blue 19:58:56 GMT 16.04.09 4 Points
2. Ericsson 4 22:55:36 GMT 16.04.09 3.5 Points
3. Delta Lloyd 23:28:32 GMT 16.04.09 3 Points
4. Puma 23:29:31 GMT 16.04.09 2.5 Points
5. Telefónica Black 23:42:20 GMT 16.04.09 2 Points
6. Ericsson 3 00:14:28 GMT 17.04.09 1.5 Points
7. Green Dragon 01:27:26 GMT 17.04.09 1 Point
Leg Six Day 11: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)
1. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) DTF 1,683 nm
2. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +30 nm
3. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +34 nm
4. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +42 nm
5. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +61nm
6. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +62 nm
7. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +95 nm
8. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
Länk: www.volvooceanrace.org
