Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09:
The Longest Leg in the History - Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro
Five Volvo Ocean Race teams are girding themselves for the longest leg in the history of the race - a 12,300 nautical mile marathon to from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The leg starts at 1300 local time (0500 GMT) on Saturday 14 February from a start line positioned just off the Olympic breakwater in Qingdao and will take the fleet into the depths of the iconic Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn before the teams find the relief of the finish line in the tropical conditions of Rio de Janeiro.
Four of the race teams have been in Qingdao for nearly three weeks and, after making various repairs, they competed in the in-port race on Monday. They've since spent their time this week making final adjustments and tune-ups, as well as provisioning for the long stretch ahead.
The fifth team, Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE), is currently racing towards Qingdao, hoping to finish leg four in the early hours of Saturday morning before joining the start for leg five to Rio.
The 12,300 nm course includes two scoring gates (at latitude 37'00.000S and Cape Horn), and two ice gates to keep the fleet to the north and safe from a drifting iceberg that has now broken up, spewing lethal bergy bits and growlers across the ocean. The Islands of New Zealand (East Cape) is also a mark of the course, which the fleet must leave to starboard. The leg is expected to take around 34 days to complete.
Today, the four skippers in Qingdao met the media and spoke of the challenge ahead. The race leader, Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA), is leaving China with a bigger lead than when they finished. A win in the in-port race, and a decision by second-placed Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) to change its rudders at the cost of a three-point penalty, have seen to that. But Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael says he's still looking over his shoulder, despite holding a seven-point lead.
"Telefónica Blue is a very competitive team and I think they will improve their performance," Grael said. "They have shown in the last couple of legs that they are a very strong team and we will have to work very hard to beat them. PUMA is also very strong."
For his part, Telefónica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking said the decision to take the penalty was easy. Following two consecutive leg wins, his team is confident that the new configuration for this leg will make them more competitive in the high winds and waves they're sure to encounter in the Southern Ocean.
"We have a lot of confidence in that set-up," Bekking said. "The first leg (a fifth place finish), we weren't good as a crew and we've learned a lot since then. We've been able to start learning our boat as well...and I think the rudders will help us a lot in these conditions."
Running just one point behind Telefónica Blue is Ken Read's PUMA, which has yet to win a leg although Read thinks that particular streak may be about to end.
"There is so much to look forward to," he said. "We have the team and the boat to win a leg and there's no reason why we can't win this one."
The PUMA skipper has never rounded Cape Horn before and admits that reaching the iconic waypoint will be a massive achievement. Similarly, Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker/GBR is looking forward to his first taste of the Southern Ocean. As a relative newcomer to offshore sailing, this will be his longest passage at sea. He says the experience of the Volvo Ocean Race has changed him as a sailor.
"I'm fortunate to have some very experienced sailors on the team so I've learned lots of specific skills," he said. "But if I had to summarise one thing that I've developed, I'm maybe a little bit more patient than I was before...a little bit. But I'm still working on that!"
At 0700 GMT this morning Ericsson 3 was 191 miles from Qingdao. Routing software is predicting a finish for the team at approximately 0630 GMT tomorrow. The team suspended racing in leg four due to damage, which has since been fixed in Taiwan. After resuming racing just before midnight (GMT) on Wednesday night, the Nordic team is in a dash for the finish line in Qingdao, where the team will make a short pit-stop to provision and pick up crew, before starting leg five. If the weather cooperates, they may even be in time to start with the rest of the fleet.
Live audio commentary of the leg start is available through www.volvooceanrace.org, beginning at 0445 GMT.
Overall Leaderboard
1. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA): 49 points
2. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED): 42 points
3. PUMA (Ken Read/USA): 41 points
4. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR): 30 points
5. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE): 24 points
6. Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP): 21 points
7. Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP): 12 points
8. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT): 10.5 points
Volvo Ocean Race Crew List Leg Five: Qingdao - Rio de Janeiro
ERICSSON 4
1. Torben Grael/BRA - skipper
2. Jules Salter/GBR - navigator
3. Guy Salter/GBR - MCM
4. Brad Jackson/NZL - watch captain
5. Stu Bannatyne/NZL - watch captain
6. Dave Endean/NZL - pitman
7. Horacio Carabelli/BRA - trimmer
8. Tony Mutter/NZL - trimmer
9. Joao Signorini/BRA - trimmer
10. Ryan Godfrey/AUS - bowman
11. Phil Jameson/NZL - bowman
No changes
ERICSSON 3
1. Magnus Olsson/SWE - skipper
2. Aksel Magdahl/NOR - navigator
3. Gustav Morin/SWE MCM
4. Thomas Johansson/FIN - helmsman
5. Arve Roaas/NOR - trimmer/helmsman
6. Magnus Woxen/SWE - trimmer
7. Eivind Melleby/NOR - helmsman
8. Martin Strömberg/SWE - trimmer
9. Jens Dolmer/DEN - pitman
10. Anders Dahlsjö/SWE - bowman
11. Martin Krite/SWE - bowman
On: Arve Roaas/NOR - trimmer/helmsman
Magnus Woxen/SWE - trimmer
Eivind Melleby/NOR - helmsman
Off: Richard Mason/NZL - watch captain
Klass Nylof/SWE - helmsman
Jann Neergaard/DEN
GREEN DRAGON
1. Ian Walker/GBR - skipper
2. Wouter Verbraak/NED - navigator
3. Guo Chuan/CHN - MCM
4. Neal McDonald/GBR - watch captain
5. Damian Foxall/IRL - watch captain
6. Tom Braidwood/AUS - pitman/trimmer
7. Phil Harmer/AUS - helmsman/trimmer
8. Andrew Mclean/NZL - pitman/trimmer
9. Chris Main/NZL - helmsman/trimmer
10. Justin Slattery/IRL - bowman
11. Freddie Shanks/GBR - bowman
On: Wouter Verbraak/NED - navigator
Damian Foxall/IRL - watch captain
Chris Main/NZL - helmsman/trimmer
Off: Ian Moore/IRL - navigator
Anthony Merrington/AUS - watch captain
Ian Budgen/GBR helmsman/trimmer
PUMA OCEAN RACING
1. Ken Read/USA - skipper
2. Andrew Cape/AUS - navigator
3. Rick Deppe/GBR MCM
4. Sidney Gavignet/FRA - watch captain
5. Robert Greenhalgh/GBR - watch captain
6. Rob Salthouse/NZL - helmsman/trimmer
7. Justin Ferris/NZL - helmsman/trimmer
8. Erle Williams/NZL - helmsman/trimmer
9. Jerry Kirby/USA - bowman/pitman
10. Casey Smith/AUS - bowman
11. Michael Müller/GER - helmsman/bowman
On: Jerry Kirby/USA - bowman/pitman
Off: Shannon Falcone/ANT - trimmer/pitman
TELEFÓNICA BLUE
1. Bouwe Bekking/NED - skipper
2. Iker Martinez/ESP - co-skipper/helmsman
3. Tom Addis/AUS - navigator
4. Simon Fisher/GBR- strategist/helmsman
5. Gabriele Olivo/ITA - MCM
6. Jonathan Swain/RSA - watch captain
7. Jordi Calafat ESP - helmsman
8. Xabier Fernandez/ESP - trimmer
9. Pablo Arrarte/ESP Spanish - trimmer
10. Michael Pammeter/RSA - bowman
11. Pepe Ribes/ESP - bowman
On: David Vera/ESP - bowman
Michael Pammeter/RSA - bowman
Off: Pepe Ribes/ESP - bowman
Daryl Wislang/NZL - bowman
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Sophie Luther - International Press Officer in China
MOB: +86 151 9201 1562 Email: sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.org
Xinmin Yan - Media Manager China
Mob: +86 132 6022 7701 xinmin.yan@volvooceanrace.org
Beatriz Pastor - Media Relations Manager in China
Mob: +86 151 9201 1557 Email: beatriz.pastor@volvooceanrace.org
Lizzie (Green) Ward - Senior Race Press Officer (Race HQ - UK)
Tel: +44 1489 554 832: Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Email: lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org
To receive the latest positions and breaking news on your mobile telephone, text "RACE" to +46 737 494949
Full press information can be read and downloaded from: http://press.volvooceanrace.org/
Images
High-resolution images can be downloaded from: http://images.volvooceanrace.org/
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager Email: images@volvooceanrace.org
Tel: +44 1489 554 867 Mob: +44 781 697 5355
Broadcast
For broadcast-standard video, please go to: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/
If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register.
For assistance, please email journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com
Radio/Audio
For all radio reports/interviews audio requests, please contact:
Guy Swindells (English) Mob: +44 7710 295 995 or
Amanda Blackley (Spanish and French)
Mob: +44 7548 543 215 Office +44 1489 554 859
