Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 2 Start
by Volvo Ocean Race media 15 Nov 2008 19:11 GMT
15 November 2008
Spectacular start
Under the gaze of a huge spectator fleet, and a clutch of helicopters buzzing in the sky, the 4,450 nautical mile leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cape Town to Cochin in India got underway today at 1120GMT (1320 local time) in beautiful, classic Cape Town conditions.
Andreas Hanakamp, skipper of Team Russia summed up the atmosphere among the crews on the dock this morning when he said, “You can never come to this place for long enough, but let’s set the horses loose. We are here to race, so let’s race.”
As the eight crews gathered onboard, saying their goodbyes and spending a few precious minutes with their families, under the blazing South African sunshine the fleet was blessed by the Reverend Rowan Smith.
After a short postponement to allow the wind to stabilise, the gun echoed out across Table Bay signalling the start of leg two, which, for the first time in the history of the race, will finish in Cochin, India in December.
PUMA (Ken Read/USA) scorched off the start line, leading the fleet from Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA). With her huge red masthead gennaker set and going like a freight train, PUMA blazed the trail, with water pouring over the deck and a small number four jib working as a staysail set underneath the gennaker. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) was in third position, and Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) was up with the pack, while Delta Lloyd with new skipper, Roberto Bermudez/ESP made a disappointing start.
Unfurling their big headsail first, Green Dragon benefitted from good speed in her position down to leeward of the fleet, while some of the other teams struggled to manage these huge, unwieldy sails.
Torben Grael’s Ericsson 4, flying a more conservative fractional gennaker, was sucked up under Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) in the big chop, whipped up by the wind and the armada of spectator boats. PUMA, however, made the right choice of sail and almost laid the first mark before the crew furled the sail shortly before rounding the first of three marks on the triangular course set in Table Bay.
PUMA, continued to streak away, in 15 – 20 knots of wind, opening up a healthy lead, while Torben Grael took Ericsson 4 outside a large container ship sailing hot and fast with slightly eased sheets. PUMA judged the lay-line perfectly, sailing just four boat lengths on port tack before rounding the mark. Green Dragon lost a lot of ground going into the shore early, as PUMA, flying just a mainsail and heavy air jib, made a perfect hairpin turn at the mark, eased their sheets and shot off like an express train.
There was a big gap to third place, which was snatched from Green Dragon by Bouwe Bekking and Telefónica Blue, who made a big gain. A great manoeuvre by Team Russia allowed them to jump ahead of Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) at the mark, but then a terrific battle followed as Telefónica Black took revenge and passed them to windward. In the approach to the mark, Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE) ripped the leach of their headsail when they tacked, catching on the radar dome and wiping it off the mast.
But, instead of leaving the fleet standing as promised, halfway down the final leg, PUMA came to almost a complete standstill as the wind dropped and the fleet compressed, surfing up behind in typical Cape Town fluky conditions.
Code Zeros were hastily unfurled as wind dropped to almost nothing and it was a frustrating time for the crews who were very aware that whoever found the breeze first would make a huge gain. This race has been won and lost in this bay before, and to be first out of Cape Town can make all the difference.
The race became a drifting match, with the fleet desperate to find any breeze at all. PUMA ran into problems trying to unfurl their Code Zero, needing three men on the bow to fix the problem and, in the end, dropping the sail to the deck.
Delta Lloyd, to leeward of the fleet, looked well placed for the new breeze, and might well have picked the right path through the glassy calm. Ericsson 4 led PUMA and Green Dragon, but were not safe at all. PUMA was furthest off shore, but Telefónica Blue was rock-hopping along the shore, hoping to sneak round the fleet, but the forecast is for strong south-westerly breeze offshore, which means creeping along the coast may not pay off.
The first point scoring opportunity on this leg will be when the fleet crosses from west to east - the line of longitude 58 degrees E, anywhere south of the latitude 20 degrees S.
Overall Leaderboard:
1. Ericsson 4: 14 points
2. PUMA: 13 points
3. Green Dragon: 11 points
4. Telefónica Blue: 10 points
5. Telefónica Black: 7 points
6. Ericsson 3: 5 points*
7. Delta Lloyd: 4 points*
8. Team Russia: 4 points*
*leg one scoring volvooceanrace.org/news/article/2008/november/scoring-explained
The next position report will be issued at 1300 GMT tomorrow. Positions are available every three hours on www.volvooceanrace.org . Click on RESULTS at the top of the page to go straight to the points table and onboard data.
Ericsson Racing Team early pacesetters on Leg 2 (from Ericsson Racing Team)
Ericsson Racing Team's two yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race are the early pacesetters on Leg 2, a 4,450-nautical-mile jaunt to Cochin, India.
Team observers reported that Ericsson 4, skippered by Brazilian Torben Grael, and Ericsson 3, led by Sweden's Anders Lewander, were running 1-2 as they cleared Camps Bay slightly more than two hours after the start, with Green Dragon third.
The start occurred in glorious conditions, even though it was delayed by about 20 minutes due to the spectator fleet crowding the start line. The wind built from around 10 knots at the time of postponement to 15 to 20 knots by the time the fleet cleared out of Table Bay.
When the start gun fired, Ericsson 4 was second boat from the committee boat end, just to leeward of Puma, and flying a fractional gennaker. Ericsson 3 was farther down the line with a masthead asymmetric spinnaker set.
The fleet completed a short triangle around Table Bay before heading out to sea. Puma led around the triangle, but Ericsson 4 was second at each of the three marks.
Ericsson 3 was set to round the second mark in fourth, climbing up from seventh at the first mark. But its progress was hampered during a tack when the leech (back end) of the small jib caught on the mast-mounted radar. The leech tore and the radar fell off the mast. The sail can be repaired onboard, but it's unclear whether the Nordic crew will have use of the radar for the approximately 18-day leg.
After the fleet rounded the second mark they turned southwesterly and onto a power reach. Spray flew off the bows of the boats as they took off at 25 knots under mainsail and small jibs - power reaching conditions for which the Volvo Open 70 was designed.
Moments later, however, the quick sailing was halted when the crews fell into a big hole caused by the shadow of Table Mountain and the incoming west/southwest wind. Boats that stayed closer to shore, such as Ericsson 4 and Green Dragon, seemed to fare better than those just slightly farther offshore, such as Puma.
PUMA makes superb start to Leg Two (from Puma Ocean Racing)
The PUMA Ocean Racing team made a superb start to Leg Two of the Volvo Ocean Race this afternoon, storming out of Table Bay in Cape Town en route to Kochi, India. PUMA led the eight boat fleet round two marks in the bay, in the shadow of Table Mountain, followed closely by hundreds of spectator boats. After making a perfect start to the leg, PUMA consolidated their lead in perfect sailing conditions.
As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet made their way south, to round the Cape of Good Hope at the foot of South Africa and pass from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, the fleet encountered fickle conditions with sudden areas of light winds, typical of Cape Town’s changeable weather. Some say that being first out of Cape Town can make all the difference in a leg like this, but as the fleet heads towards Asia for the first time, anything could happen.
Having said an emotional goodbye to family and friends on the dock at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town this morning, the PUMA team felt well-prepared for this 4,450 nautical mile leg into the unknown. Leg Two of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 takes the fleet to Kochi, India, a route never sailed before during any professional yacht race. Expected to take around 18 days to complete, the PUMA team anticipate tricky sailing conditions along the way, with tough currents to battle, the Maldives to navigate around, monsoon conditions possible on the approach to India, plus the potential threat of piracy in these waters.
Speaking ahead of the leg start in Cape Town Skipper Ken Read commented: “Our boat il mostro is in great shape, thanks to our fantastic shore team. I have never entered a race or a leg of a race so confused about how the outcome may turn out. I’m expecting the unexpected in this leg. This is certainly a road never travelled – rather than less travelled – so we have to be smart, with our eyes open, and also lucky in this leg too. There are many obstacles out there, both above the water, such as unlit fishing boats, but also in the water that we have to look out for.”
“There are so many different route possibilities; we could all end up hundreds of miles apart. It’s going to be interesting for us, but it could be a hard leg to follow back home. It may be hard at times to see which boat is really ahead, and who has the advantage. It certainly keeps me awake at night. The racing we do here in the Bay today could also be interesting – it’s like we’re about to run a marathon for the next 15 days, but we have to run a bunch of sprint races here first! Hopefully we’ll get into our rhythm pretty quickly. It’s like any other boat race. For me, as soon as the gun goes, any apprehension just goes out of my system. All of a sudden you’re focused.”
Strong start from the Dragon (from Green Dragon Racing)
After a short delay, the start of Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 kicked off in style in Table Bay, Cape Town today. PUMA screamed off the line breaking free of the chasing pack as they approached the first mark. Green Dragon, found clear air off the line and held their speed against Ericsson 4 and Telefoncia Blue, following PUMA and Ericsson 4 around the first mark in third place.
It was PUMA and Green Dragon who chose port tack, as the remaining fleet tacked to starboard towards the second mark, a move that paid off for the Dragon and the cat as they sailed into a stronger breeze. But it wasn’t to last. Ericsson 4 came storming across the Dragon’s bow slipping ahead of them around the second mark, followed by Telefoncia Blue. Ian Walker and his crew were hot on their heels in fourth, but the 25 knot conditions did not last. Shortly after rounding the second mark the fleet began to line up like ducks in a row as they headed along the coast to Camps Bay.
PUMA, who had dominated the fleet from the start were caught in a hole, Table Bay had swallowed them up as the rest of the fleet crept up from behind. Ericsson 4 took over pole and the big cat was stalled on the water. It was clear that the boats needed to find the wind shift as they hunted out the south westerly breeze that was expected. The crews watched in dismay as they found themselves becalmed. For PUMA it would prove to be a frustrating afternoon. They were soon to find themselves at the back of the fleet overtaken by Delta Lloyd and struggling to hook into the breeze.
But it was the Dragon who made the first move in the chasing pack, edging out of the hole and away from the fleet. They made a strong break, sticking close to the shore taking second place, and chasing hard behind Ercisson 4.
Skipper, Ian Walker, commented before the start, “We have had a few problems over the last few days, I’m incredibly glad that we managed to get some time out on the water. Breaking a spreader so close to the start was hard, but both the shore crew and several members of the sailing team have worked around the clock to replace the broken section. We really can’t wait to get out there and start this leg. It is going to be a tough one for everybody. Conditions over the next few days look tricky as we sail through incredible lights airs and into heavy conditions. It’s certainly going to be an interesting one and I really hope that we can hold our position on the leaderboard”.
Current forecasts show shifty conditions over the first 24 hours. The fleet will face a moderate southerly 10 knot breeze as they head south, with the potential to get caught in a band of high pressure with winds as low as 5 knots. It should be a tricky road to India as the teams face a long tactical battle ahead.
New enthusiasm for Team Delta Lloyd (from Team Delta Lloyd)
On Saturday November 15 2008, Team Delta Lloyd started the second leg with new enthusiasm. A light offshore breeze took the fleet of eight VO 70’s away from Cape Town, in the direction of Kochi in India. Delta Lloyd with new skipper Roberto Bérmudez de Castro (ESP) on the helm, were in fifth position while leaving behind thousands of people on spectator boats and onshore.
‘Safety, joy and speed… and in this order’, summarized skipper Roberto Bérmudez de Castro briefly his goals for the second leg. De Castro about his personal ambitions with his new team: “Delta Lloyd proved to be still quick. Now I would like to bring a little bit more organization onboard, as everybody will have their own responsibilities. My target is to not losing contact with the fleet, not making big mistakes and to learn the boat and the sailors. This project started late, we cannot forget that. We have to take it step by step.”
The crew has also been strengthened by Dutchman Peter van Niekerk (36), who is an experienced sailor in different classes. It is his second participation in this race. Together with newcomer Morgan White (23, AUS) on the bow, Team Delta Lloyd chose for specialists on the various positions onboard.
New route
For the first time in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race, the fleet will set sails to Asian stopovers. That results in un-known challenges for all navigators, including important decision taking moments. At the time, the fleet is heading south to the Roaring Forties, away from the Cape. According to shore navigator Frits Koek (NED), they will not go further than a southern latitude of 37 degrees. From there they will pick up the strong westerly on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Their race to the east will last two or three days.
It is up to navigator Matthew Gregory (USA) and skipper De Castro to choose the right moment of heading north to India. Soon after that decision, they will enter the southeast trade wind on their way to the Doldrums, followed by the monsoon.
In addition to title sponsor Delta Lloyd, the Dutch/Irish syndicate is also supported by Chieftain Group, Tommy Hilfiger, OHRA Verzekeringen, Port of Rotterdam, Discovery Channel, Weather News and Hemels van der Hart.
Snakes and Ladders (from Team Russia)
”Are we Whale watching or sail watching?” asked commentator Guy Swindells, as the race organisers postponed the Start of Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race to wait for the breeze. Huge crowds lined the beaches around Cape Town’s Table Bay and an unruly spectator fleet made the start line extremely crowded and difficult for the racing teams.
As the race organisers did their best to clear the start line, the expected 15 – 20 knot winds kicked in.
After a 20 minute delay the gun went and Puma “launched” off start line, reaching down to the first mark. The rest of the fleet followed in spectacular sailing conditions, with teams opting for different sail combinations for the first short leg of the course.
In a building breeze of around 22 knots, after a safe start, Team Russia took the right hand side of the course. For a while, when the breeze lessened it looked like they might struggle to lay the first mark. But as the pressure increased, they looked in good shape.
Puma rounded first with an enormous lead, followed by Ericsson 4 and Green Dragon. Team Russia rounded in 4th place, ten seconds behind the Dragon, in a tight pack with the Telefonica boats, and tacked away to keep clear wind on her sails.
The fleet then had a lively beat back towards the Race Village and the spectator fleet, which had been left behind as the boats rocketed away from the start line.
A very tactical leg unfolded with much place changing as teams chose when to tack towards the shore, for the anticipated extra wind. At the top of the beat, Puma rounded first, followed by Ericsson 4, Telefonica Blue and Green Dragon. In a tight boat on boat tactical situation, Team Russia just rounded the mark in 5th place with Telefonica Black close on her heels.
The two boats then had a real ding-dong battle as they started the journey south along the Cape Town shoreline.
But then, everything changed! At the front of the fleet, just off Green Point, the leaders were stopped in their tracks. In typical Cape Town conditions, the breeze shut down, as the boats, one by one, sailed into the area of wind shadow caused by the mountains. The whole fleet compressed close together right next to the beach.
The race restarted here. Puma tacked out to the middle of bay in search of wind. Team Russia was the only other boat to tack away to the right.
Now all the boats were almost stationery, looking for tiny patches of wind, in complete contrast to the first 40 minutes of the race. Instead of wild spray, a glassy sea showed itself. A game of “snakes and ladders” start to play out with different boats accelerating, then stopping, then gently squeezing forward again, despite the wash kicked up by the over enthusiastic spectator boats.
One by one the fleet found the breeze, except for Team Russia, who got trapped between the old breeze, fighting with the very light and patchy sea breeze trying to fill in from the opposite wind direction.
And, so we leave them until we receive the first report from the boats in blazing sunshine and light airs; an ideal Cape Town summers day. So, for now, it’s frustrating and difficult conditions for Team Russia as they head south for the Cape of Good Hope.
However, that’s yacht racing for you, and there’s everything to play for. It’s currently a light airs lottery out there – so they will keep rolling the dice.
The rest of Leg 2 promises to be a complex and tactical race as the fleet rounds Africa into the Indian Ocean on route to Cochin.