Volvo - Green Dragon gains on Ericsson 3's overall points score

by Lucy Harwood on 5 Apr 2009
After racing was postponed for several hours in Guanabara Bay today the In Port race got underway in a six to eight knot sea breeze. Green Dragon made a strong start at the pin end of the line and the rest of the fleet followed suit.

Elsewhere Puma chose to sail their own race on the right hand side of the course nearly sailing right into the large spectator fleet that had gathered in the bay. The other six boats stuck close together on the left hand side fighting for clean air. At the top mark it looked like Puma’s move had paid dividends as they rounded in first ahead of Ericsson 4.

Telefonica Blue and Delta Lloyd who had been caught in the middle of the fleet on the upwind leg rounded the top mark and then were the only boats to choose the right hand side of the course as they headed downwind at pace in the stronger breeze. From this point on Telefonica Blue took control of the race and led the fleet down to the bottom mark. Delta Lloyd fresh out of an extensive re-fit showed that the practice sessions in the bay had paid off as they squeezed in front of Ericsson 4 and Puma to snatch second.

In a close call at the middle gate on the second upwind leg Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 were caught in a port starboard incident and Ericsson 3 were penalised for tacking too close to Telefonica Black. The young Nordic crew were given a penalty turn which pushed them to the back of the fleet, and they were forced to play catch up as the fleet carried on without them to the final top mark. Telefonica Blue rounded the mark in first and extended from Puma and Delta Lloyd who were chasing hard for the podium places. The battle for fourth place in the middle of the fleet proved the most exciting, as Ericsson 4, Green Dragon and Telefonica Black were racing less than a boat length apart.

After the middle gate Ian Walker and his crew tacked across to the right hand side of the course in search of the stronger breeze that was pushing the leading boats home. It was to be a fight to the finish as the three boats pushed hard to take home some valuable points. Torben Grael and his crew found some stronger breeze and managed to cling onto fourth place, Green Dragon were caught in a battle with them to the line and in doing so they lost ground to Telefonica Black who squeezed The Dragon out as they crossed the line for fifth. Sixth place for Green Dragon means an additional 1.5 points bringing them a crucial point closer to Ericsson 3 on the overall scoreboard.

IN-PORT RACE RIO: RESULTS
1. Telefonica Blue - 4 pts
2. PUMA - 3.5
3. Delta Lloyd - 3
4. Ericsson 4 - 2.5
5. Telefonica Black - 2
6. Green Dragon - 1.5
7. Ericsson 3 - 1

OVERALL LEADERBOARD
1. Ericsson 4 - 66 points
2. PUMA - 56.5 points
3. Telefónica Blue - 54.5 points
4. Ericsson 3 - 44 points
5. Green Dragon - 41 points
6 Telefonica Black - 22.5 points
7 Delta Lloyd - 15 points
8 Team Russia - 10 points

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