Telefonica Black finish Leg 1 bruised and battered

by Volvo Ocean Race media on 5 Nov 2008
Telefonica Black, bruised and battered after a incident-filled first leg, have reached the santuary of the finish port of Cape Town.

Fernando Echavarri's men crossed the line at 16:43 GMT - the final boat of the eight-strong fleet to do so.

As is customary in the fickle wind on Table Bay, the boat's final approach was slowed to just over one knot. The crew's relief at finally reaching their destination was palpable.

The first leg has been eventful. The shore team's job list will be lengthy. Apart from shredding and having to repair four sails, the boat sustained considerable damage after a crash landing five days' ago when the fleet battled 40 knot gales and heavy seas.

On the same night that Torben Grael's Ericsson 4 broke through the 600-mile barrier, Telefonica Black, roaring along at more than 25 knots, launched off a large wave.

On landing they they found that one of the rudders had sheared off and part of a daggerboard and the bowsprit were gone. The crew mounted an emergency rudder and limped on, dropping several positions in the process.

Mikel Pasabant, their Media Crew Member, summed it up best in his final email before their arrival. He said: 'It is amazing, the continuous changes you may suffer in this race.

'You face so many different situations and the rivals are so strong that anything may happen. Anything.

'From the first place to the last and back again. Another interesting thing is life on board. It is very difficult for the public outside to understand how 11 of us can manage so many days in such a small place and doing what we do. But we can, and with no problem, maybe because we are most of all friends.

'You have a lot of thoughts crossing your mind when on board in tough situations. My job has been to improve day by day to make these guys seen by the whole world and how they deal with their sufferings on board.

'So, these are the last quotes from the boat in this first leg, from Alicante in Spain to Cape Town in South Africa.

'We have passed by the coast of Brazil, sailed more than 6,500 nautical miles and spent 24 days onboard. It has been full of experiences, highs and lows (more highs than lows), difficulties and relaxing moments.'

Leg One Finishing Order into Cape Town

1 Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA)
2 PUMA USA (Ken Read/USA)
3 Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE)
4 Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR)
5 Telefonica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED)
6 Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT)
7 Team Delta Lloyd (Ger O'Rourke/IRE)
8 Telefonica Black (Fernando Echavarri/Sp)

Overall Points Standings (Provisional)

1 Ericsson 4 - 14 pts (FINISHED)
2 PUMA - 13 pts (FINISHED)
3 Green Dragon - 11 pts (FINISHED)
4 Telefonica Blue - 10 pts (FINISHED)
5 Telefonica Black – 7 pts (FINISHED)
6 *Ericsson 3 - 5 pts (FINISHED)
7 Delta Lloyd - 4 pts (FINISHED)
8 Team Russia - 4 pts (FINISHED)

*See Leg One Scoring