Ericsson 3 reap the rewards on leg 5 of Volvo Ocean Race

by Ericsson Racing Team media on 26 Feb 2009
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race began on Feb. 14, but for Ericsson Racing Team's Nordic crew the leg began three days earlier when the sailors set off from Taiwan on their yacht Ericsson 3 bound for the finish of Leg 4 in Qingdao, China.

Today marks the crew's second week at sea, save for two hours when they docked in Qingdao to load food, fuel, gear, spares and additional crewmembers, including two new faces, for the leg. Today, they're reaping the rewards of focused diligence.

At today's 1309 GMT position report, Ericsson 3 was tied for second place with Puma of the U.S. Both boats trailed fleet leader Ericsson 4 by 26 nautical miles.

Ericsson 3 and Puma's il Mostro were separated by about eight nautical miles and have been racing in close quarters since last weekend. Puma had held the upper hand until last night, when Ericsson 3 got by to windward in light conditions. The fleet is contending with the South Pacific convergence zone, an area of unsettled weather.

'We are still in the tricky Doldrums fighting closely with Puma,' said Ericsson 3 watch captain Thomas Johanson. 'The wind and weather is changing extremely quick in this convergence zone and the wind just went from 10 to 30 knots. It was really what we call a [tough] fight, but we handled it well and actually overtook the il Mostro.'

A pre-race goal of the Nordic crew entry was to give offshore experience to a group of sailors who are solid in their own right, having backgrounds in the America's Cup, Olympic classes and other grand-prix sailing, but had never done a circumnavigation race. Many of the crewmembers were picked by skipper/watch captain Magnus Olsson, who's competing in his sixth Volvo Ocean Race.

'I thought we would have bigger problems with Puma and Ericsson 4. They are a little bit faster than us in these power-reaching conditions,' said Olsson, who was named skipper during the stay in Taiwan.

'I think we've done well,' Olsson continued. 'We weren't as well rested as we should've been because we fixed the boat and came late for the start and it was a big drama and everybody had the mindset we had to finish Leg 4 before we could start Leg 5. So it wasn't ideal, but I'm very, very happy with where we are. It couldn't have started better for us.'

There have been other changes to the crew list. Johanson, the primary helmsman on the initial legs, became a watch captain when Richard Mason had to stand down for this leg due to an injury concern.

Two other crewmembers were also added for Leg 5, Arve Roaas of Finland and Magnus Woxen of Sweden, who have previously raced in the Southern Ocean.

Their experience is welcome as seven of the 10 active crewmembers and the media crewman are participating in their first circumnavigation race.

'I would say we are a bunch of very different guys but with same determination, winning spirit and never-give-up-attitude,' said Johanson. 'We are all on a mission and trying the best ever we can to show ourselves we can do this race. Well, not only to finish,but to be on the podium. We have the talent but not the experience. Gladly we are fast to learn.'

Of the remaining crew, there has been a shuffle of responsibility. Jens Dolmer, the boat captain, pitman and former farmer, has become backup to navigator Aksel Magdahl, the youngest navigator in the race. Johanson describes Dolmer as the boat's 'heart and soul.'

'He likes to be close to the nav desk, so he is now working as a floater and is Aksel's backup, but also as our pitman,' said Johanson. 'He surely is a workhorse who's always checking the systems and [pushing] others to try to get to his level on their different responsibility areas.'

ERICSSON 3 LEG FIVE DAY 12 QFB: received 25.02.09 25 February 2009 0722 GMT
We are still in the tricky Doldrums, fighting closely with Puma. The wind and weather is changing extremely quickly in this convergence zone and the wind just went from 10 to 30 knots. It was really what we call a ‘shitfight’, but we handled it well and actually overtook the Il Mostro.

We are now in second place.

Between the squalls and heavy air it’s really nice and calm onboard, and today I took the opportunity to give you some info about my fellow crew mates: So, who are we onboard?

I would say we are a bunch of very different guys but with same determination, winning spirit and never-give-up-attitude. We are all on a mission and trying the best ever we can to show ourselves we can do this race. Well, not only to finish, but to be on the podium. We have the talent, but not the experience. Gladly we are fast to learn.

We have, since the start, developed to a core team with some new faces joining lately.

No 1:Aksel Magdahl/NOR, our navigator and brains, is a young smart and sometimes grumpy guy, only because his nav station is so exposed to everybody and he gets the same questions 100 times a day. Who would not get a bit grumpy? He is also sneaking candies inside the nav desk. In short, an extremely competitive nature.

No2: Martin Strömberg/SWE is the next youngest onboard. He is always in a happy mood and would never say a bad word about anybody. ‘Strumpan’, as we call him, is a solid trimmer and takes care of all our sails and there is, every once in a while, a lot to do. He has really grown into his boots during the race.

No3: One of our two bowmen, the crazy Swede Martin Krite. He is a good laugh, joking all the time. But when he is in front of the mast there is definitely no room for jokes. He hates mistakes and if you make one, you will hear it loudly. He takes care of his job with a lot of attitude and pride, double check, even triple check if necessary. He has a good feel as a trimmer as well.

No4: Anders Dahlsjö/SWE, our other solid bowmen and one of the members of the Scandinavian coffee club. ‘Big Anders’ is boat captain Jens Dolmer’s right hand man, always working hard and technically very skilful. One of the guys you really need when stacking. Anders also makes a good helmsman giving his watch mate Mange Olsson sometimes a bit of rest.

No 5: Usually Richard Mason but on this leg our newcomer Arve Roaas/NOR, a race veteran. Coming to a Volvo boat for the first time during a night and starting immediately racing with a crew you don’t know and who had been together for 17 months, is not an easy task.
Arve is a happy fellow and has fortunately adapted very well in the team and his Norwegian is understandable, even for a Swedish-speaking Finn like me.

No 6: Eivind Melleby/NOR, one of the principle helmsmen. A dinghy sailor with a very nice feel for the boat. ‘Faster, higher, fortare!’ He knows a lot about the stars and maybe that’s why he is sometimes dreaming.

No 7: Magnus (Mange) OIsson, our skipper and motivator and the other member of the Scandinavian coffee club. He is always in a good mood and makes others happy too. The race veteran has played a vital role to have a Scandinavian boat and this crew in the race. He was one of the key people in the selection process and he has done a lot for our team. He is enjoying being with the boys and with the boat, although he is not allowed to do all kinds of maintenance jobs on shore. He likes using Sikaflex, which usually ends up everywhere.
No 8: is me, a rookie in this race, coming from the Olympic racing scene but really enjoying these boats, this team and this race.

No 9: Our second new crewmember on this leg, Magnus Woxén, a race veteran who has blended in very well with the team. He is a skilful, solid trimmer and helmsman with right attitude. He is the other principle helmsman.

No 10: Our boat captain, former farmer Jens Dolmer/DEN, the boat’s heart and soul. He surely is a workhorse who is always checking the systems and making others try to get to his level in their different responsibility areas. A real stacking police and if you are in a ‘shitfight’ you can count on Jens. He fixes anything from al