Volvo Ocean Race, dilemma amletico

[singlepic=787,250,170,,left]Volvo Ocean Race – Cape Town – Dopo la difficile partenza di ieri, gli otto VOR 70 protagonisti della Volvo Ocean Race hanno trascorso la prima notte in mare e gli equipaggi stanno pian piano riprendendo confidenza con i ritmi di bordo.
Il gruppo è ancora compatto e i navigatori si trovano ora davanti all’amletico dubbio: buttarsi a sud in cerca dei Quaranta Ruggenti per volare con maggior decisione verso il cancello o tenersi più a nord. dove le arie sono più leggere ma la distanza dal traguardo inferiore? Il dato di fatto è che, allo stato attuale, tutti paiono piuttosto decisi nel seguire una rotta sud-est.

Tracciare un bilancio di queste prime ore non è cosa facile: i distacchi sono minimi e anche il computer stenta in alcuni casi ad attribuire la leadership. Per ora, il leader è il Team Delta Lloyd di Roberto Bermudez, posizionato tra il grosso della flotta e la costa meridionale del Sudafrica. A tre miglia dalla barca olandese, ex ABN Amro One, staziona Il Mostro di Ken Read, seguito da Telefonica Blue e dalle due barche dell’Ericsson Racing Team.

Leg 2, day 2, 13.20 GMT, rankings
1 – Team Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DTF 4274nm
2 – Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +3 nm
3 – Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +5 nm
4 – Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +6 nm
5 – Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) +6 nm
6 – Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +6 nm
7 – Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +9 nm
8 – Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +38 nm

Per seguire la regata sul Race Tracker clicca qui.

Per accedere alla galleria video clicca qui.

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS: LEG WIN OR SCORING GATE POINTS?
[singlepic=788,170,250,,left] [Volvo Ocean Race Press Release] After a dramatic, and then frustrating, start to leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race yesterday in Cape Town, the fleet of eight boats has now spent one night at sea and the crews are settling back into the rhythm of eating, sleeping and yacht racing.
Il Mostro (Ken Read/USA) and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) have picked up where they left off on leg one and the battle for supremacy has resumed. But, it is a perplexing time for the skippers and navigators: whether to go further south and into the stronger breeze for maximum scoring gate points, or stay further north, in lighter conditions but closer to the finish.

With the fleet spread out across a north/south divide of just under 40 nautical miles, the leaderboard is distorted as it is based on distance to finish, which will favour boats which are further to the north, although tactically, the position in the south, with its stronger winds will more than compensate for the extra distance to be sailed.
In the north is Team Delta Lloyd with her new skipper, spaniard Roberto Bermudez, showing the shortest distance to finish, while furthest to the south is Andreas Hanakamp/AUT with Team Russia’s Kosatka.

Puma Racing Team and Ericsson 4 are just four nm apart. Puma is to windward and north of Ericsson 4, but sailing considerably slower than Ericsson 4 who has sunk slightly further south. The rest of the fleet is in a tight bunch.

Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE) has recovered from yesterday’s mishap when the jib got caught on the radar dome, ripping the sail and detaching the dome from the mast. Overnight the sail has been satisfactorily repaired, but the crew is still trying to come up with a solution to repair the dome. “Not a very nice feeling when you are heading for the Southern Ocean and later up to India, passing the equator, where squalls are very common and the radar can guide you through them,” explained Gustav Morin, Ericsson 3’s media crew member.

Ian Walker/GBR is pleased with the position of Green Dragon, just to windward of Puma Racing Team. “Ian Moore (navigator) has put us in a good spot,” he said this morning. “Conditions are very comfortable with a building westerly breeze,” he added.

Puma Racing Team has recorded the highest 24-hour run during the period, of 268nm, but Ericsson 4 has averaged the highest boat speed during the last hour of 21.5 knots.

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.

Leg 2, day 2, 13.20 GMT, rankings
1 – Team Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DTF 4274nm
2 – Puma Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +3 nm
3 – Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +5 nm
4 – Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +6 nm
5 – Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) +6 nm
6 – Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +6 nm
7 – Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +9 nm
8 – Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +38 nm

To follow the race on Race Tracker click here.

To visit the official video gallery click here.

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