Puma Leads, But Pressure Is On

After more than 5,000 miles of racing, PUMA (Ken Read/USA) takes the lead, but has both Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) and Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE) in sight.  Slightly further west, Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) lurks just over the horizon, with Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) close by.   Sailing is no different from other sports in that when the competition is close, the pressure is on to up the game.

“A little shift one way and Telefónica Blue could be leading.  A shift the other way could see PUMA in front.  Stuck in the middle are Ericsson 3 and ourselves,” wrote bowman Phil Jameson from Ericsson 4 earlier today, an illustration of how tense it is out in the South Pacific.

Rick Deppe (MCM PUMA) says that Ericsson 4 tried to taunt his team’s boat into a gybing duel.  “We ignored them and, over the next few hours while they presumably played the clouds, we sailed straight on and put a couple of much needed miles on them,” he says, although PUMA’s skipper Ken Read said, “I don’t think we have seen the last of them.”

The scoring gate at latitude 36 degrees south is just 433 nautical miles away, a tantalisingly close distance, but still more than a day’s sail at the current speeds of around 12.5 knots.  “It’s going to be impossible to predict the outcome,” says Phil Jameson.  “I’m sure there will be hearts broken one way or another,” he adds.

Currently, the seas are calm and the wind moderate, and for the first time since the start in Qingdao, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet has spinnakers set.  In fact, it all sounds perfect.  If you were cruising and not racing that is. 

“We have the big asymmetric spinnaker up, 10 knots of wind, flat water, sun shining and almost 30 degrees in the water.  A cruising sailor couldn’t ask for more.  But we can’t enjoy it fully,” described Ericsson 3’s MCM, Gustav Morin.  “If you were cruising, you would definitely jump in the water and drag behind every now and then,” he says.

Onboard there is no escape from the heat and no refreshing drinks for those on deck whose work is exhausting in the overhead sun.  Telefónica Blue’s helmsman, Simon Fisher, says it is the hottest day since the start, especially with the lack of apparent wind blowing over the deck because of their downwind course.  “Grinding the spinnaker quickly saps your energy and the water in your bottle quickly becomes warm, and, quite frankly, not that refreshing,” he says. 

For the off watch, conditions down below are less than pleasant.  It is not a nice, air-conditioned environment, although the fans whirring away in the bunks provide some relief.  Onboard Telefónica Blue, the carbon step in the hatchway has heated up to such a temperature that it will easily burn the feet of an unsuspecting crewman.  There is no wildlife to watch to relieve the boredom.  Bouwe Bekking’s theory is that any birdlife tends to stay close to the islands.  Once down in the Southern Ocean, however, it will be a different story, with the magnificent albatrosses joining the party, something everyone is looking forward to. 

Tom Addis, the navigator from Telefónica Blue, says to make the most of the current conditions as the mood is changing and today could be the last warm, sunny flat day for the next two weeks or so. 

With no stop in New Zealand to break up this mammoth leg, thoughts are turning the Southern Ocean, which, for some will be a first-time experience, and for others, in the words of Rick Deppe, the ‘jewel in the crown of the race’. 

“The Southern Ocean.  It’s why people want to do the race and it’s why people keep coming back,” says Deppe who’s been there before.  “It’s a chance to test themselves against the best sailors in the world in the most extreme sailing conditions.”

“If we imagine that the scoring gate is the start line for the race in the Southern Ocean, we would all now be in Auckland, making the final preparations for the leg.  Shore crew would be crawling all over the boat, making their final check of the onboard systems.  Sailors would be eating big, healthy dinners and hanging with family and friends, taking time to say their goodbyes and probably having the odd nervous moment thinking about the leg ahead.  But that is just in my imagination.  When we arrive at the ‘start line’ (scoring gate) in the next day or so, we will have already sailed about 6,000 miles,” he explains. 

In contrast, Deppe says, “Various bits and pieces are actually hanging off our boat.  Some things don’t work any more.  Things leak.  Items have been lost over the side.  We are worried about running out of food – well the nice food anyway.  And the crew is knackered.”

This will be the first visit to the Southern Ocean for Phil Jameson on Ericsson 4.  “I really don’t know what to expect,” he says.  “The veterans basically tell me to plan for the worst, so anything better is a bonus.” 

Leg Five Day 17: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions