Volvo Ocean Race, attraverso il Paradiso
Equipo TelefonicaEricsson RacingGreen Dragon RacingOceanoPuma Ocean RacingVelaVolvo Ocean Race 23 Febbraio 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1787,250,170,,left]Volvo Ocean Race – Qingdao – Dopo 10 giorni di Oceano, la flotta della Volvo Ocean Race ha fatto il suo ingresso nell’emisfero sud guidata da Ericsson 4. L’umore, forse anche perchè favorito dalle condizioni di bel tempo, è alto e il pensiero positivo è diffuso ovunque a bordo dei cinque VOR 70 impegnati lungo la rotta che da Qingdao porta a Rio de Janeiro.
Ian Walker e Green Dragon stanno raccogliendo i frutti della loro scommessa a est e sono in rapida rimonta rispetto al leader, cui hanno recuperato 147 miglia in 48 ore. Lo scafo è ancora 100 miglia a est della scia di Ericsson 4 e questo può significare tanto la possibilità di un ulteriore rimonta, quanto quella di una consistente perdita: tutto dipenderà da come gireraranno le cose. Per ora ci si rilassa, sereni dopo aver riconquistato la quarta posizione, per lunghe ore appartenuta a Telefonica Blue. Sereni nonostante il quasi incidente occorso questa mattina , quando a far capolino, non lontana più di tre lunghezze dallo scafo irlandese, in quel momento lanciato a 17 nodi, è stata una balena. Un incontro ravvicinato raccontato da Ian Walker: “Immaginate che impatto sarebbe stato! Meglio non pensarci e andare avanti”.
Da bordo di Ericsson 4 si commentano le condizioni attuali con grande trasporto: “Il mare è piatto e il vento è sui 12 nodi, dopo che per tutto il pomeriggio ha soffiato tra gli 8 e i 10 – ha spiegato Guy Salter – Navighiamo sui 10 nodi con il Code Zero e ci godiamo un pò di meritato riposo”. L’ozio delle ultime ore ha acceso discussioni su quale sia la giusta parte da cui guardare il mondo. Secondo i membri dell’equipaggio provenienti dall’emisfero sud, ora la barca è nelle condizioni di avere una chiara visione delle cose, mentre per gli altri la sensazione è quella di trovarsi a testa in giù. Poco o nulla è concesso dalla natura: “Abbiamo avvistato qualche delfino e qualche uccello, ma niente di più – ha aggiunto Salter – Del resto, sono convinto, stareste lontani anche voi da un VOR 70 lanciato a tutta velocità”.
In piena rimonta è Ericsson 3 che, questa mattina, ha avvistato Puma “…e da allora stiamo ancora guadagnando. A un certo punto è sembrato che potessimo arrivare ad essere davvero vicini ma loro hanno incontrato una raffica che è mancata a noi e se ne sono andati – ha spiegato Gustav Morin, membro dell’equipaggio scandinavo – Fortunatamente le cose si sono ristabilite da lì a poco e dopo una mezz’ora eravamo ancora in lotta”.
Ovunque la qualità dela vita è migliorata. Il mare calmo ha permesso di aprire gli oblò delle cucine e all’interno degli scafi si è iniziata a respirare aria fresca. A bordo di Green Dragon si lotta contro un virus che sta pian piano passando da velista a velista nonostante si sterilizzino piatti, posate e bicchieri. La realtà è che, in ambienti chiusi come quelli offerti da una barca, restare immuni è pressochè impossibile. L’ultimo a cadere vittima di questa sindrome è stato Freddie Shanks, confinato nella cuccetta di Guo Chuan, scelta come letto d’ospedale.
Leg 5, day 9, 13.00 GMT, rankings
1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTF 9545
2. Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +21 nm
3. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +24 nm
4. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +126 nm
5. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +135 nm
Team Delta Lloyd NED/IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
RACING THROUGH PARADISE TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
[Volvo Ocean Race Press Release] It’s day 10 of the 12,300 nm leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Qingdao to Rio, and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) has fought off her opponents and still leads the race south as the team crossed into the southern hemisphere. However, there has been plenty of excitement on the race track and also some narrow escapes with wildlife in the last 24 hours.
Ian Walker and his Green Dragons are reaping the reward of their easterly course as they reel in the leaders, gaining 147 nm from 1300 on Saturday to 13.00 GMT today. The team is still well over 100 nm to the east of where the leaders passed and this could mean big gains or huge losses if things go against the team. They have overtaken Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking) who is sailing in the wake of the leading trio, but not without a very close incident with a huge whale first thing this morning.
“The whale breached the surface about three boat lengths to windward of us when we were charging along at 17 knots. It does make you wonder what the impact would be like if you hit one of these fantastic creatures flat out. It’s probably better not to think about it too much,” wrote Ian Walker. Spirits are high and the team is reporting a very easy doldrums passage so far, with only one cloud bringing the team even close to stationary.
Controlling the pack, Ericsson 4’s crew are describing the sailing conditions as glorious. “The sea was very flat today and wind has topped out at about 12 knots, but been in the 8 – 10 knot range for most of the afternoon. We have been cruising along at around 10 knots with the code zero up and have been sailing on the wind. It’s been glorious,” wrote Guy Salter MCM, whose brother Jules is the navigator onboard.
The team passed back into the southern hemisphere today, which invoked some discussion among the Antipodean members of the crew who feel that the boat has returned to the ‘proper’ side of the world. Sightings of wildlife on this boat have been limited to one lone dolphin, a whale and a few birds. “We were hoping for a better turn out, but then, if you were a sea creature, you would also probably stay well away from a Volvo Open 70,” says Guy.
The crew of third placed Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson) is fully back in the game. “During the night, we made huge gains on the front of the fleet and, in the morning, we could see Puma. And by then, we were still gaining,” explains an excited Gustav Morin MCM. “They were sailing much lower than us, but pretty much at the same pace, and for a while, it seemed like we were going to come really close to each other. But, suddenly, they got some breeze that we didn’t, and just took off. Fortunately for us, that only lasted for about 30 minutes and we were back in the game,” he said.
Although life onboard has been universally improved across the fleet by the opening of hatches in the galley and further aft to create airflow downstairs, onboard Green Dragon the team has a bug, which is working its way through the crew. The team has taken the precaution of sterilising all the cups, bowls and spoons as best they can, but, according to Ian Walker, the reality of life on these boats is that if one person gets ill, it is a fair assumption that everyone will. Freddie Shanks is the latest victim and he has commandeered MCM Guo Chuan’s bunk as a sick bay. Over half the crew have suffered with the bug so far.
As the fleet races on through the endless atolls and islands, the crew of Telefónica Blue was rather shocked to receive a message on their navigational warning system, which indicated volcanic activity very close to a position the team crossed two days ago.
“Good it didn’t happen when we were there as I am not sure how we would have reacted, and rather don’t want to know the consequences,” exclaimed skipper Bouwe Bekking. This incident led him to consider what other dangers lurk in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. “Radio-activity is one of them. Some of the atolls are still high radio active and the Pacific pilot recommends a wide berth around them,” he said. That said, Bekking says that the Pilot has provided some nice reading material and says it is a shame that they are racing through this area. “Wouldn’t have been nice to make several stops here and to explore some of the atolls? The pictures say it all, it is paradise.”
At 13.00 GMT today, Ericsson 3 was just one mile astern of Puma, who in turn was only 21 miles behind the leaders, Ericsson 4. Green Dragon was nine miles ahead of Telefónica Blue and both these two boats continue to make small gains on the leaders at every position report. Boat speeds hover around 10 knots, although, for the past three hours, Telefónica Blue has averaged 11.8. Green Dragon gets the prize for the best 24- hour run, sailing 330 since 13.00 GMT yesterday. It is likely to be a week before the fleet rids itself of the light airs and arrives in the Southern Ocean proper.
Leg 5, day 9, 13.00 GMT, rankings
1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTF 9545
2. Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +21 nm
3. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +24 nm
4. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +126 nm
5. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +135 nm
Team Delta Lloyd NED/IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
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