Ericsson Racing finishes fourth in Rotterdam

by Ericsson Racing Media on 12 Jun 2006 The sixth and last in-port regatta of the Volvo Ocean Race turned in favor of local heroes ABN Amro One this afternoon in Rotterdam.

Following a premature start, Ericsson managed to climb up the ranking, passing two boats and finishing fourth. With one offshore leg to go, Ericsson is now fifth on the overall leaderboard, just 0.5 points behind ABN Amro Two.

Sailed in 3 to 8 knots of wind and on a flat sea, the race took place off den Haag, in front of hundreds of spectator boats. In comparison to previous in-port races, it was a static race with one side of the course paying off all the time. Consequently there were few opportunities to pass; the only position change being Ericsson moving up the fleet.

The regatta started later than scheduled because of the shifting wind. The starting line was quite narrow, and the current was strong, forcing the competitors to take some risks in order to get a good start. Positioned to leeward of the fleet, Ericsson crossed the line a couple of seconds before the gun and was therefore forced to sail back and cross the line again.

'Our strategy was to win the pin end of the start line and sail to the left side of the course,' explained skipper Neal McDonald (GBR). 'We nearly pulled it off, but unfortunately we had a premature start and this made it hard from then on. We were over the line by about two seconds.'

During the first beat, the leading boats all went for the left of the course, benefiting from the current and stronger breeze and forcing Ericsson to the less favorable right side of the waterway. At the top mark, the verdict was clear: ABN Amro One, who took the best start, was leading Brasil 1 by 55 seconds and Pirates of the Caribbean by 1 minute 25. Meanwhile, Ericsson was already suffering a three minutes deficit on the leader.

'Our focus after the start was to try and chew each competitor up one at a time. We were aggressive with our tactics and we did a good job, but with a fleet of this caliber it is very hard to make a comeback,' said tactician Ken Read (USA).

Ericsson´s good crew work and coordination throughout the race allowed it to overtake ABN Amro Two and Brunel, and close the gap on the leading boats.

Brasil 1 and Pirates of the Caribbean were so busy fighting for the second spot overall that they let ABN Amro One sail alone to victory, in front of their supporters. Brasil 1 took second place, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean and Ericsson.

Ericsson is now 0.5 points behind ABN Amro Two on the leaderboard, and concludes the Volvo Ocean Race in-port overall ranking in fourth place. Mathematically, it can no longer reach a final podium position and will have to beat ABN Amro Two during leg nine to Gothenburg; the final offshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Swedish crewmember Magnus Woxén concludes: 'We now need to sail a good final leg into Gothenburg to end up fourth overall. Our goal is to win, but most important is that we beat ABN Amro Two.'

Quotes:

Neal McDonald (GBR), skipper:
'Our strategy was to win the pin end of the start line and sail to the left side of the course. We nearly crashed it, but unfortunately we had a premature start and this made it hard from then on. We were over the line by about two seconds. With such short legs, it is almost impossible to come back.

'The next leg will be sailed in light winds, which is good for us. We will have to choose between controlling ABN Amro Two or sailing more freely to try to win the leg.'

Andrew Cape (AUS):
'It would have been good for us if the legs were longer, because we were catching up nicely. Besides the start, our race was excellent. The crew work was good, and all our manoeuvers went well.'

Richard Mason (AUS):
'With this caliber of fleet, and this level of racing, it is almost impossible to come back after a premature start. At the end of the day, it was all down to the first minute of racing.'

Ken Read (USA), tactician:
'Our goal at the start was to win the pin and go left, but we just miss-timed it. Our focus after the start was to try and chew each competitor up one at a time. We were aggressive with our tactics and we did a good job, but with a fleet of this caliber it is very hard to make a comeback. It´s very disappointing.'

Magnus Woxén (SWE):
'We were early over the line at the start and had to turn back. As a result, we were forced to go right on the first beat in order to get clean air, instead of taking the favored left. We sailed well and made some gains on the leaders, but to make a comeback was difficult as it´s pretty hard to pass boats on this short course.'