Volvo Ocean Race - Alicante In-Port Races
by Volvo Ocean Race media 4 Oct 2008 19:46 BST
4 October 2008
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Win-win situation for Telefónica Blue
Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/Iker Martinez) made it a win-win situation in today’s in-port races held in Alicante, Spain, and now head the leaderboard of the Volvo Ocean Race.
After two races held in the bay of Alicante in glorious Mediterranean sunshine, leading from start to finish in race one, and winning an intense battle from Puma to take race two, Telefónica Blue finished in first place overall in front of their home crowd.
“It was a very difficult day, the wind shifted a lot but we had a good time, both boats did very well and we enjoyed ourselves,” said Bouwe Bekking after his win.
Tension has been mounting in Alicante, Spain, all week in anticipation of today’s in-port race where the eight-strong Volvo Ocean Race fleet showed their form for the first time.
The short windward/leeward track set close to the shore was lined by over 500 spectator craft and thousands of people watched from the many vantage points on the shore. The quay walls which gave an excellent view, were packed, and huge crowds gathered around the big screen in the race village as well as around the screens showing the race live in nearby hotels. Four helicopters hovered overhead, beaming back live footage to www.volvooceanrace.tv.
The first of two races got away at just after 1300 local time in a light south-easterly breeze, and was led from start to finish by Bouwe Bekking and Iker Martinez with local boat, Telefónica Blue, putting in an impressive performance.
The battle for second place in race one was hard fought but at the gun it was Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri) who claimed second place with Green Dragon (Ian Walker) in third. Both Telefónica boats have their training base in Alicante and their experience in this light and fluky breeze was evident, sailing high and fast throughout.
Green Dragon displayed some impressive speed in these conditions and led the fleet across the pin-end of the start line, while the rest of the fleet did not look so comfortable in this wind range.
Race two was postponed just 30 seconds before the start as the wind shifted violently and then carnage ensued at the committee boat end of the line when the gun eventually fired. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp) collided with Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke) and both boats were holed close the water line. Team Russia subsequently took a penalty turn and Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander) had to dip back across the line after being OCS (on course side) when the gun fired.
Puma (Ken Read) smoked away from the fleet looking very impressive, flying her massive Code Zero headsail with ease, but Telefónica Blue was hot on her heels. This short course was very effective in churning out the action today as the rest of the fleet struggled to hoist and drop their massive headsails at the turning marks and the latest generation of Code Zero sails caused problems across the fleet as the boats experimented.
Telefónica Black and Green Dragon scrapped as they approached the spectator fleet in third and fourth place while Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) sailed confidently in clear air and Green Dragon was spat back into fifth as the group approached the top mark for the second time.
Telefónica Blue closed to within a boat length of Puma as they approached the mid-course gate for the final time and Puma struggled to hold onto their lead. Telefónica Blue finally rolled Puma as the American team went slightly wide at the gate and Telefónica Blue snatched the advantage to claim a double victory.
Puma skipper Ken Read said, “We are really pleased with the day. It was an ugly first race, but we’re happy with a third overall. The guys like each other and, after so much time, it’s good to go racing. It was a hard day and you have to put yourself in the right spot.”
The duel for third place between Telefónica Black and Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) continued, while Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon continued to scrap and the two damaged boats, Delta Lloyd and Team Russia held a private fight at the back of the fleet.
The points for the day were calculated from the finishing positions in both races.
1. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/Iker Martinez) 4 points
2. Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri) 3.5 points
3. Puma Il Mostro (Ken Read) 3 points
4. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) 2.5 points
5. Green Dragon (Ian Walker) 2 points
6. Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke) 1 point
7. Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander) 0.5 points*
8. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp) 0.5 points
*one point has been deducted from the Ericsson 3 score as per the jury decision number JN04 2 October.
Two races were held with a mid course gate set as a pinch point in the windward/leeward race course. Points from both races were amalgamated to give an overall score for the day’s racing. Tie breaks were decided by finishing positions in race two.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 is the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Leg one will start from Alicante in Spain, on 11 October 2008 and will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
Podium position for PUMA Ocean Racing in first day of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 (from PUMA Ocean Racing)
Ken Read and the PUMA Ocean Racing team today scored a podium position in the opening day of racing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Two in port races were sailed in 8-9 knots of wind off the shores of Alicante, Spain. Finishing sixth in the former and second in the latter race, the team aboard Puma’s il mostro have secured third place overall in the race standings ahead of the first leg to Cape Town, which begins next Saturday.
After a tricky first race, the PUMA Ocean Racing team aboard il mostro – ‘the monster’ – showed what they were really made of in the second. Narrowly missing out on first place after being overtaken by Spanish boat Telefonica Blue on the final leg, il mostro flew round the course stunning the crowd with their sheer speed and power upwind using a huge new sail – the ‘Code Zero’.
With an audience of thousands lining the shores, and hundreds of spectator boats crowding the racecourse, the atmosphere in the race village was buzzing. In port racing will be conducted in seven ports of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, and count for points towards each boat’s overall score in the race. Whilst contributing a relatively small amount to the overall score in comparison to offshore legs which will cover thousands of miles, the PUMA Ocean Racing team will now go into the first leg of this epic 37,000 mile race with a positive mindset.
PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read commented: “Finishing on the podium was the goal that we set ourselves aboard il mostro for today, so we’re really happy to have achieved that. Our first race was pretty ugly; we didn’t have a great start and then just sailed into a hole, but the second race was great. We got a nice puff [of wind] on the first beat, and got ahead of the fleet. Whilst Telefonica Blue overtook us on the final leg, finishing second, and to be lying in third overall tonight, feels really great. I will say however, that today we really only saw light winds, it’s when we’re offshore we’ll really see what these boats are made of.”
The first leg of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will begin on Saturday 11th October 2008 from Alicante, Spain, taking the fleet 6,500 miles to Cape Town, South Africa. The Volvo Ocean Race is made up of ten legs, finishing in June 2009 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
By joining the race, PUMA has entered a new premium category and is the only Sportslifestyle company to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. For more information about the race, team and the PUMA Sailing collections, please visit www.pumaoceanracing.com
Ericsson Racing Team Skippers happy with boatspeed (from Ericsson Racing Team)
Ericsson Racing Team's two entries in the Volvo Ocean Race showed good boatspeed today during the Alicante In-Port Race, but were undone on the start line.
After each skipper said they had poor performances starting, Torben Grael's Ericsson 4 is placed fourth with 2.5 points and Anders Lewander's Ericsson 3 is seventh with .5 points.
"It wasn't a wonderful day, but it wasn't a disaster either," said Grael, skipper of the International Crew on Ericsson 4. "We're only 1.5 points behind after two disastrous starts."
Grael, an accomplished Olympic skipper with two gold medals, is usually very solid on the start line. Although he put in fine efforts during the practice day, today he was undone by wind conditions that were hardly ideal, and that led to being over early in the second start.
A light south/southeasterly breeze between 6 and 9 knots was accompanied with wind shifts of up to 50 degrees and windless patches that resembled brick walls.
"In the first start the wind got light and I was a little late," said Grael. "In the second start, I got too greedy."
Lewander had similar feelings with the Nordic Crew aboard Ericsson 3.
"We need better starts," said Lewander. "But we were able to sail through the fleet and recovered well. Our starts need to be more conservative. We were too far away from a conservative position. We got caught up in traffic."
Despite the initial setbacks, both skippers felt their crews sailed well on the racecourse. Indeed, Ericsson 4 finished with two fourths and Ericsson 3 two fifths. The finishes were as good as could be expected on a day when the leaders were able to sail away from the pack.
In the second race, Grael and Ericsson 4 were in position to overtake third place approaching the last windward mark, but a sudden windshift headed the crew and they had to duck behind Telefónica Black. They made a good charge on the run to the finish to keep the pressure on, but the wind was too light to overcome their rival.
"We're happy that we were able to come back after the starts," said Grael. "With a little luck in a few situations we could be third."
Lewander had a moment of trepidation at the leeward mark in the second race when he was blinded by the spinnaker. The mishap occurred due to a late decision on which mark to round at the gate, and that precipitated a late drop. When the spinnaker came down it blew back and covered Lewander at the port helm station.
"We should've realized earlier that mark was closer so we could've planned a better rounding," said Magnus Olsson, the inshore strategist on Ericsson 3. "We had bad starts and made a few bad decisions. But there's nothing wrong with the boatspeed. I think we can win a leg."
The Spanish Telefónica boats were the impressive performers of the day. Telefónica Blue, skippered by race veteran Bouwe Bekking, won both races and leads the standings with 4 points. His stablemate, Telefónica Black, skippered by Fernando Echavarri, posted a 2-3 and is second with 3.5 points.
"I have to give Telefónica credit," said Olsson, "but I hope it shows they've gone with light-wind boats."
Tomorrow is a scheduled Pro-Am Race, which doesn't count towards the overall standings.
The Volvo Ocean Race begins in earnest next Saturday, Oct. 11, when the fleet sets sail on a 6,500-nautical-mile leg to Cape Town, South Africa.
Fifth overall for Green Dragon Team (from Lucy Harwood)
Today in the bay of Alicante, Spain the eight boats contending for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008 - 09 squared up against each other for the first time. The Green Dragon Team started strongly, leading the fleet off the line in race one and rounding the top mark in second place. The two Spanish Telefonica Volvo Open 70’s showed they had a slight speed edge in the light winds, but Ian Walker and his 12 strong crew aboard Green Dragon held on to finish in third position, ahead of pre race favourites PUMA and ERICSSON 4.
“We had a fantastic first race, the manoeuvres onboard were clean and I am pleased that we were competitive in some shifty conditions against the rest of the fleet,” commented Ian Walker.
A short postponement due to the light and shifty breeze gave the crew’s time for some changes before race two. PUMA were the only boat to opt to fly their code Zero after a disappointing 6th place in race one.
With the majority of the fleet favouring the pin end off the start line, mayhem followed at the committee end of the line. Team Russia collided with both Delta Lloyd and the committee boat, before taking penalty turns. Ericsson 4 found there was nowhere to go and had to bail out to avoid a collision. PUMA skippered by American Ken Read took charge of the race flying their Code Zero headsail upwind, leading through the first mark, but race one winner Telefoncia Blue chased them hard followed by Telefoncia Black.
After a clean start at the committee boat end Green Dragon chose to go right on the first beat to the mid gate; they rounded the first mark fifth behind ERICSSON 4. PUMA held their lead in to the final mark, but a magnificent sail by Bekking on Telefonica Blue meant PUMA were edged out in the final downwind stretch, rounding off a fantastic day for the home boats.
A late change to the masthead code zero headsail put pressure on the crew of Green Dragon who just managed to hoist the Code Zero and drop the spinnaker in time. This seemed to be paying off as they closed in on the two boats ahead, but Telefonica Black tacked on the Green Dragon forcing a very costly tack away. As a huge right shift brought Ericsson 3 back into the picture a match race developed between the two. It was a very close finish with ERICSSON 3 holding onto their lead, with a frustrating 6th place for the Green Dragon.
“The second race was a little frustrating, we had a good start but a big left shift cost us dear at the mid gate. The crew work was excellent under pressure and we have lots to build on looking forward,” Ian Walker Skipper of Green Dragon.
Team Delta Lloyd sixth overall (from Team Delta Lloyd)
Team Delta Lloyd (NED 1), skippered by Ger O’Rourke (IRL), finished sixth overall after the first two In-Port Races of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Due to its short preparation, the Dutch/Irish syndicate started off conservatively on Saturday October 4th, which resulted in a last position. However, Team Delta Lloyd managed to beat the Russians in the second race. Today’s battle in the Bay of Alicante commenced with a postponement. The south-eastern breeze was too shifty, so the fleet of eight Volvo Open 70’s started ten minutes after the scheduled time. Telefonica Blue, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, took both bullets and is first on the leader board.
The shore crew worked hard to get the Delta Lloyd to the starting line and they succeeded. On Saturday morning, the Dutch yacht was lined up with its fellow competitors. “Congratulations, here you are”, said VOR-reporter Amanda Blackly to skipper Ger O’Rourke, shortly before leaving the dock. For today’s inshore racing, O’Rourke handed over the helm to Sebastien Col (FRA), helmsman and afterguard of the French America’s Cup Team K-Challenge.
Conservative start
Delta Lloyd’s first start was not too bad, but they dropped back more and more. On the finish line, they were pretty far behind the rest of the fleet. Coach Maurice Paardenkooper: “We talked about this on beforehand and agreed on taking it easy. We did not want to damage the sails or anything. You have to start carefully and take it from there.” Bowman Ed van Lierde (NED) afterwards on the dock: “It was a tough day out there, since we did not have much practice as a team.”
Performance driven
By the time the second In-Port race commenced, the breeze had picked up with a few knots. The Russians made a wrong call on the starting line and crashed into the Delta Lloyd. O’Rourke: “Seb did a good job. He locked in two boats between us and the starting vessel. There was no room and the Russians should have tacked, but they did not do that.” They hit the starboard side of the Dutch VO 70, which caused a hole in the hull. The Russians took their penalty turn and continued the race, like the Delta Lloyd did after a quick emergency repair. The Dutch entry was seventh at the upwind mark and managed to keep that position. Paardenkooper: “The crew was really competitive. Especially in the last part of the race. They trimmed very well and discussed the possibilities. You could see the drive to perform coming up. I never expected that to happen within such a short period. I also think it will be easier for the boys after some rest, since it has been hard work for them to get here.”
Seb Col about the team
“Today, I discovered a great team”, said the experienced helmsman Seb Col. “They still have to learn a lot, but they improve rapidly. It is a long race, so it is just a matter of time.” Col about his first race on the helm of a Volvo Open 70: “This yacht is for sure better made for offshore racing. The guys will definitely have fun out on the ocean.”
Scoring
The Volvo Ocean Race is a high scoring event, so the highest score brings the victory. Offshore legs are rewarded with full points. In-Port Races and scoring gates with half points. With two In-Port Races on one day, half of the average of both results is the final score. An eventual tiebreaker is decided on who beat who in the second race of the day, which happened with Delta Lloyd and Team Russia today.
In addition to title sponsor Delta Lloyd, the Dutch/Irish syndicate is also supported by Chieftain Group, Tommy Hilfiger, OHRA Verzekeringen, Port of Rotterdam, Weather News and Hemels van der Hart.