Team SEB prepared for rolling start

by Annette Bargel, Team SEB on 24 Dec 2001 On Boxing Day the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race starts in Sydney.
Team SEB has prepared themselves for a different kind of leg. It
involves the classic Sydney-Hobart Race to begin with, then a pit stop
in Hobart followed by a rolling restart to the finish in Auckland where
the points are awarded.

'It will certainly be a different leg to what we are used to. The Sydney
to Hobart is well known for its strong winds and will be crucial to plan
the tactics all the way to Auckland. The most important issue will be to
keep the damages on the boat low all the 630 miles to Hobart and to be
part of the leader group once there,' skipper Gurra Krantz says.

The Sydney-Hobart Race is more or less a notorious offshore race, almost
always featuring strong headwinds and rough seas on the stretch south
from Sydney to the Tasmanian capital. At the start line, the eight
Volvo Ocean Race boats will be starting on a separate line ahead of the
main fleet.

Once in Hobart, the boats will have a three-and-a-half-hours long pit
stop, before restarting at their own 3,5-hours-mark, in a rolling start.
The leg 3-points will be awarded at the Auckland finishing line of the
leg, with January 3rd being the estimated date of arrival. The boats are
estimated to be in Hobart on December 29th. The pit stop and rolling
start are new concepts in the worlds of Volvo Ocean Race and Whitbread.

'There has been a lot of discussions about the practicalities of this
leg, and we consider the final solution is a good one. We think
including the Sydney Hobart Race in the leg, and having a pit stop is a
positive development for the whole race' says Pelle Norberg, Team SEB
managing director.

Team SEB holds the fourth position in the total standings of the race,
after having finished sixth and fourth in the first two legs. For the
third leg, Tony Rey from the United States and Sean Clarkson, New
Zealand join the team. Also, navigator Marcel van Triest is back
onboard, after having left the boat before the finish of leg two, due to
family reasons.

Points in total after two legs out of nine:

1. Illbruck, Germany 16 p.

2. News Corp, Australia 12 p.

3. Amer One, Italy/Finland 11 p.

4. SEB, Sweden 10 p.

5. Assa Abloy, Sweden 7 p.

6. Djuice, Norway 7 p.

7. Tyco, Bermuda 6 p.

8. Amer Too, Italy/Finland 3 p.