Four remaining Volvo boats battle to Qingdao

by Volvo Ocean Race media on 28 Jan 2009
Four boats remain at sea and racing this morning in this brutal leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao. Delta Lloyd, the latest casualty, made a safe landing in Keelung, Taiwan at 22:05 GMT last night.

But on the race course the action is still fast and furious. Just 33 miles separate first place Telefonica Blue from Ericsson 4 and Puma as this trio fight for each mile up the east coast of China.

Telefonica Blue is battling to retain its lead, which was 78 miles just 24 hours ago, but is now less than half that. Skipper Bouwe Bekking says the team is sailing at less than 100 per cent, due to the collision with an object in the water earlier in the leg.

'The damage on the bow doesn't help our performance, we are not reaching our targets and in addition to that I suspect some damage on the leading edge of the keel, where the unidentified object hit as well,' he wrote.

Fortune hasn't favoured Telefonica Blue either as Bouwe's men have usually been sailing a tighter wind angle than those pursuing them as a right hand shift over the course of the day yesterday hurt the leader.

Behind, Ericsson 4 and Puma are in a true dogfight for second place with just two miles between the two rivals. Puma has nearly closed the gap completely, a remarkable achievement for a team sailing with a broken boom. But an email from Ericsson 4 gave some insight into a potential problem on board the overall race leader. Apparently, the team has been sailing without instruments, making steering at night incredibly difficult.

'We have been without instruments since Cabo Bojeador (Northeast of Philippines), four days already which makes things more difficult to steer safely, especially at night,' wrote Horacio Carabelli a trimmer on the team.

'The game continues to try to gain on Telefonica and keep Puma covered...We've managed to make some miles on Telefonica and we are still working hard to have them in a position where we have some cards to play at the end.'

The fourth boat still racing is Green Dragon. Skipper Ian Walker and his crew have done an incredible job of keeping the damaged boat in one piece and on track for Qingdao. The team isn't likely to catch any of the boats ahead (barring more damage to one of the leaders), but is still racing against another potentially boat-breaking weather system forecast for two days hence.

'Speed is crucial for us to outrun the next system coming towards us in two days,' Walker reported this morning. 'For the first time since leaving Luzon we are stacking the sails and trying to optimise speed...We still have 600 miles in a wounded boat to go. Having said all this we are now going faster towards Qingdao than at anytime in the leg. We feel like we have escaped the worst but must not rest on our laurels. The boat could be damaged in ways we do not know and there is a big 'cold push' (gales from the North) due in two days.'

As Walker sent his email, the team had 618 miles to the finish line in Qingdao. Whether they'll arrive ahead of the storm remains to be seen, but you get the sense the team will do all they can to be tucked into the harbour in Qingdao before the next gale arrives.

ERICSSON 4 LEG FOUR DAY 10 QFB: received 27.01.09 1455 GMT
Another day of carnage on Ericsson 4! Trying to keep the boat in one piece has been our priority. Is not easy to keep the speed down and with these waves and wind we are constantly pounding heavily against the sea. The helmsman has to manage a nice heel angle to land as smoothly as possible not to compromise the structure.

We have been without instruments since Cabo Bojeador (Northeast of Philippines), four days already which makes things more difficult to steer safely, especially at night.

During the day, it was hard work trying to catch Ericsson 3, but unfortunately came the news that they were taking on water through a crack. As the news came through, a certain fever in checking every spot of our structure, especially knowing that our team mates boat has the same structure as ours.

The game continues to try to gain on Telefónica and keep Puma covered. From the benefit of a right shift, we manage to make some miles on Telefónica and we are still working hard to have them in a position where we have some cards to play at the end. Fortunately, China is getting closer and the wind has slowed down allowing us to push as hard as we can for the last three hours.

Time to go, just came from my watch and looking forward for some rest on my bunk. It is not easy!! You need special skills to have a rest on these boats or be so tired that you just fall asleep.

Cheers

Horacio Carabelli - trimmer

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