Volvo Ocean Race, cambio al vertice: ora guida Telefonica Black

[singlepic=621,250,170,,left]Volvo Ocean Race – Fernando de Noronha – E’ stato Kosatka, il VOr 70 del Team Russia, l’ultimo scafo a transitare attraverso al cancello di Fernando de Noronha. Ora che tutti gli scafi si trovano nel Sud Atlantico si può dare uno scafo alla classifica provvisoria, accorgendosi di una situazione quanto meno singolare. I punti raccolti allo scoring gate dell’isola brasiliana, infatti, hanno riequilibrato i rapporti di forze, ponendo cinque barche a pari punti: Green Dragon, Il Mostro, i due scafi spagnoli ed Ericsson 4.
Superato l’importante traguardo volante gli equipaggi hanno proseguito nella loro navigazione verso sud e nel cosro della giornata si è registrato il sorpasso di Telefonica Black ai danni di Green Dragon, scalzato dalla piazza d’onore provvisoria anche dal Puma Racing Team.
Vista la situazione meteo attuale, i Dolldrum paiono ormai un lontano ricordo: le barche viaggiano a buone velocità e gli equipaggi paiono godere di queste ore tutto sommato tranquille per riposarsi in vista dell’impegnativo rush finale, che dalle coste brasiliane li porterà a Cape Town.

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Telefonica Black is the new leader
[singlepic=620,250,170,,left][Volvo Ocean Race Press Release] At 1300 GMT today, Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri) snatched the lead to head the field by just two miles, with Green Dragon (Ian Walker) and Il Mostro (Ken Read), breathing down their necks, just two and three nautical miles behind them.
The last 24 hours have been full of action for the crews as the fleet crossed the Equator, were visited by King Neptune who gave his blessing as the fleet crossed into the Southern Hemisphere, and the first points were scored on this leg to Cape Town.
But it’s back to business now as the fleet charges down the coast of Brazil, trade wind sailing, Southern Hemisphere style. There is still over 3,000 nautical miles to the finish and before the fleet can head for the ‘tavern of the seas’, they have to skirt the South Atlantic High which means at least 1000 nm of sailing in what almost feels the wrong direction.
“It’s quite depressing to be sailing and getting no nearer to the finish line,” wrote the skipper of Green Dragon, Ian Walker, who’s fragile lead has just evaporated. “Today feels a bit like the morning after a big night out – only without the hangover. Personally I feel a bit tired right now and I am sure it is down to not eating and drinking enough. Green Dragon is not sailing as fast as, Ericsson 4, Puma and Telefónica Black. “It is clear that the boats behind are a little quicker than us in stability conditions, but we are going to fight tooth and nail,” Walker said.
The fleet is jib top sailing approximately 55 nm off Sao Luis do Quitunde on the Brazilian coast, with masses of water over the deck as the teams sail almost upwind on port tack. “Man, are these boats wet,” exclaimed Andreas Hanakamp (Team Russia). “Every hour we bail 10 buckets out of the boat.”
As the boats head south, Stu Bannatyne from Ericsson 4 reports that subtle changes to living conditions are now occurring. “With each passing day, the temperature is slowly decreasing and with it we can use the bunk fans a bit less, and even some extra items of clothing are now appearing,” he says. He added that he is now wearing sea boots after a period of days when just barefoot was preferable.
As this leg reaches its half way point, the food menus onboard have now rotated several times and meal times are less of a focal point. For some, like Ian Walker, they are an evil necessity.
“I hate freeze-dried food. I have perfected the art of getting the food (that’s what they call it), from my spoon to my throat with minimal contact with my mouth, lips or tongue – the teeth play a key role in getting it off the spoon – there is certainly no chewing required,” he described today.
For now the teams can only look forward to the anticipated freeing breeze which will make conditions for sleep easier than the back-breaking jolts the crews currently have to put up with.
During the last three hours (1000 position report), the fleet has been making steady inroads into the lead. The top four boats are within eight miles of each other after 14 days of racing and the spread of the fleet, from first to eighth is 87 nm.
Team Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke) and Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander) who enjoyed a spell at the head of the fleet, are toughing it out together, just two miles apart, while Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking) is only 24 nm off the lead. There was no visit from King Neptune to this boat, but Bekking had had a personal chat with the King who agreed to visit the boat at a later date. “We are racing and not partying right now,” says Bekking explaining that King Neptune will now become angrier. “Harder torture for the first-timers,” he says. “It is the first time for Pablo Arrarte and he is very worried.”
The fastest 24-hour run has been Telefónica Black (378nm) but the whole fleet has averaged over 325 nm. Telefónica Black had the highest average boat speed of 17 knots over the last three hours, two and a half knots faster than Green Dragon.

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