Volvo Ocean Race - Rio Inshore Race
by Volvo Ocean Race media 26 Mar 2006 11:01 BST
25 March 2006
Action from the Volvo Ocean Race Rio Inshore Race © movistar sailing
Seamless win for ABN AMRO ONE
ABN AMRO ONE sailed a faultless race out on Guanabara Bay to win the fourth in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 in front of a fleet of 1100 spectator boats.
Skipper Mike Sanderson and his crew took an early lead in the race and crossed the finish line just under two and half hours later to beat second placed movistar by a little over two minutes.
A delighted Sanderson said: “The boat was immaculately prepared for today’s race and the guys onboard did a great job – it was just magic and I was lucky to be holding the wheel.”
He continued: “We didn’t put a foot wrong. We started well and did not get overtaken by a single boat the whole way through the race. It is one of the best days yachting that we have had on this boat.”
During the race all five of the other boats held second place at some stage and the points were extremely hard fought. After plenty of jostling, movistar went on to take second place and after facing a race against time to repair the boat after leg four, movistar skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED) was content to settle with this.
“I am quite happy about our result” said Bekking, who continued by saying:
“You always race for first but today second feels good. ABN AMRO ONE sailed a superb race and deserved to win. We manoeuvred the boat well around the course but ABN AMRO ONE had slightly more speed upwind. It couldn’t have been a better day out on the bay and it was great to see all the spectator boats out to watch the race.”
Paul Cayard’s Pirates of the Caribbean looked set to take second place at one point until a boat handling error saw them drop down the fleet.
Cayard explained: “We had a snowballing effect at mark four. We gybed too soon and we missed the lay-line to the mark, which was the first problem and then we had to do two quick manoeuvres, two gybes and a spinnaker drop, which wasn’t the end of the world, but when we gybed the jib got wrapped around the headstay and then it got snagged, so even after we unwrapped it we had to drop it.”
For the team onboard The Pirates the day got worse as they took the wrong side of the downwind leg and dropped back to sixth place overall.
Cayard concluded: “It was a tough day and it happens. It is not pleasant to go through but you have to keep your chin up and keep going. In the big scheme of things it’s just a minor set back as we still have a good team, we still have a good boat and everything was going great for first couple of legs and we were racing well. ABN AMRO ONE is just simply faster. We have the capability to race well and we just have to get back on it next Sunday.”
With the points being so sought after a couple of the teams were a bit over zealous at some of the mark roundings. At the first mark local hero’s Brasil 1 were penalised by the on-water umpires with a one turn penalty after infringing a racing rule and tacking within two boat lengths of the mark.
Grael commented: “I think we got a bit too close at the first mark, it probably was a good call from the umpire but I have not seen any video yet so can not judge. When I tacked I thought we were below the other boats line but it was quite marginal so a penalty was understandable. We were pushing hard as we wanted to get a good result and I probably ended up being too anxious.”
Skipper Sebastien Josse (FRA) on ABN AMRO TWO also received a penalty when he touched the buoy at the penultimate mark rounding.
In the end the podium positions went to the boats that made the least errors, and after moving up from fourth place overall, it was Ericsson who took the final podium spot.
New skipper John Kostecki (USA) summed up the teams day: “The guys did a good job today. Our goal was to get a podium finish and we accomplished that so we are all quite happy. We had an okay start, it wasn’t as good as we hoped and we felt we gave the rest of the fleet a little advantage, but we managed to recover nicely and the crew did a fabulous job. We minimised the mistakes and the other teams made more mistakes.”
He concluded: “It was a fun race. There was a lot of lead changing so it was exciting and you could feel the energy on all of the other boats and so it was a fabulous race. I would have to say it is probably the most fun in-port race to date.”
The teams returned to the dockside at the Marina da Gloria in front of a magnificent crowd of 19,000 spectators who cheered all of the boats home, and especially their local hero’s on Brasil 1.
The teams now have a week to prepare for the leg re-start which sees the boat leaving Rio on Sunday 2 April for the 5000 nautical mile journey to Baltimore.
In-port race results:
1st ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 3.5 pts
2nd Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 3 pts
3rd Ericsson Racing Team, John Kostecki (USA) 2.5 pts
4th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 2 pts
5th ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 1.5 pts
6th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 1 pt
Current Leaderboard: [position/team name/skipper/race points to date]
1st ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 52.5 pts
2nd ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 36.5 pts
3rd Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 31.5 pts
4th Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 31.0 pts
5th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 28.5 pts
6th Ericsson Racing Team John Kostecki (USA) 23.5 pts
THREE IN A ROW FOR ABN AMRO ONE
Sanderson and crew sail ‘perfect race’ to clock up three straight in-port wins
A faultless display from Mike Sanderson and his crew secured a third straight in-port victory in Rio de Janeiro today and extended the lead of ABN AMRO ONE at the top of the leader board of the Volvo Ocean Race. After a well executed start, ABN AMRO ONE lead into Guanabara Bay breaking away from the rest of the fleet – they went on to gradually lengthen the gap to the following pack from 55 seconds at the halfway point to 2 min 5 seconds at the finish.
Speaking from Marina da Gloria, Rio Mike Sanderson said, “That was the perfect race for us. The boat was in beautiful condition, it had been well prepared and the crew work was awesome. The guys should be very proud today, they sailed a fantastic race. To be honest we had worried about this in port race since the start because we knew the conditions were unlikely to suit us. This morning everything looked a bit light but by the time we were out there it all picked up and we had 17 knots at one point.
“The team was magic today – faultless. We got the perfect start and everything went to plan after that – it’s a great day for ABN AMRO ONE and I am very proud to be part of this team.”
There was less fortune for ABN AMRO TWO as Seb Josse and his crew who, despite a slow start, managed to gain third place by the penultimate leg. But as they made the turn the spinnaker hit the marker buoy forcing the crew to make a 360° penalty turn taking them back to last place. A final fight from the young crew on the last downwind leg however, saw ABN AMRO TWO catch The Pirates of the Caribbean to finish 5th just 3 seconds behind Brasil 1.
“We did not have a good start”, said ABN AMRO TWO skipper Seb Josse. “We were slow over the line and had to work hard to make up the ground but the crew did well and we went into the last lap in third place. We had a good fight with Paul Cayard on the final straight - it shows that our boat is fast. A few more meters and I think we would have caught Brasil 1 too.
“I was frustrated that we had to put in a penalty turn but that is sailing, the crew is also young and we are learning all the time. On the last lap when everything came together we showed that we can be very fast.”
MOVISTAR BAGS SECOND PLACE IN RIO COASTAL RACE
Saturday in Rio de Janeiro was the scene of the fourth coastal regatta in this edition of The Volvo Ocean Race. With barely three hours training in Rio waters, the Spaniards managed to finish in a fantastic second position behind the USA’s ABN AMRO One. Movistar were especially happy to finish ahead of two of their main rivals for a place on the podium: ABN AMRO Two and Pirates of the Carribbean, which both came in at the tail end of the fleet.
Team Director Pedro Campos shared the wheel with Bouwe Bekking on Movistar today.
“I am very happy indeed, not only with the great result, but with the handling of the boat as well. We didn’t expect to have a particulary good day’s sailing at all, but we enjoyed sailing with more wind than we had hoped for. This has been a very tactical and technical regatta.”
“On a personal note I think that Fernando and Stu called some great tactics, whilst Bouwe and I took turns at the wheel. Basically, I took over the downwind stretches, but with a boat like this there isn’t a moment’s peace, and I’ve even done a fair bit of grinding today! HM King Juan Carlos of Spain was the first person to ring us from Spain to congratulate us.”
With this fantastic result in the bag, Movistar are steadily closing in on their rivals in the general rankings. The team now find themselves just 0.5 points away from third place Pirates of the Carribean, as well as reducing a previous gap of 7 points down to 5.5 points in relation to second place occupiers ABN AMRO One.
Debut for Fernando Echavarri
Fernando Echavarri had his debut as part of the Movistar team on the Spanish vessel today. He gave a few comments about the experience, upon his return to the Marina de la Gloria dock in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m really pleased with this result not only because it puts us on a better footing in the general rankings, but also because I think it was the morale boost that was all needed. Finishing in second place is great, especially when you finish ahead of some of the toughest rivals in the race.”
“I felt really comfortable on the boat. I think I was able to carry out my work with some ease, although physically it is incredibly draining, and I don’t think I stopped working for even a moment during the entire race. Although it was hard, I can definitely feel the benefits of all the training I had before coming here, and the seven kilos I gained for the event in just one month.”
“The boat handled really well and we definitely called the right tactics. ABN AMRO One was faster even at the beginning, when the wind was much stronger, so much so that they manged to get away from the pack fighting for second place behind them. Once we’d won that battle we just didn’t have the time to catch up with them.”
A great day for racing
The race began at 13:00 (16:00 GMT) on a windward/leeward type course with eight stages. The Spanish team managed to complete each of the legs in the top positions. “The weather forecast we got was somewhat different to the conditions we found out there,” said Pepe Ribes. “In the end it was a great day for sailing and the race was just spectacular.”
ABN AMRO One, Movistar and Pirates of the Caribbean were the three vessels dominating the leader positions in the first three legs, but then things broke up in the fourth leg. Pirates with Paul Cayard encountered problems as they hoisted the Genoa, which gave Movistar room to move in to second place and to concentrate on catching up with ABN Amro One. At this point the regatta split up into two flotillas, with ABN AMRO One and Movistar in one group and then the rest Ericsson, Pirates of the Caribbean, ABN AMRO Two and Brasil fighting for third place.
As they eight legs were completed the lead positions were secured, yet third place was to go to Ericsson, who managed to resist the rival’s threats. At the tail end of the fleet were ABN AMRO Two and Brasil who were desperately trying to catch up.
In the end, ABN AMRO One Movistar, and Ericsson took to the podium in that order, while Pirates fell into last place. This allowed the Spanish to practically cancel out their point deficit in relation to the Americans after the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Wellington (NZ) to Rio de Janerio.
The show must go on
There’s still work to be done, and there’s certainly no rest for the Movistar team. This week they will be finishing off the repairs and getting the boat into ship-shape for the next fleet rendez vous, which will be at the start line of the fifth leg in this race, the race from Brazil to Baltimore (USA). Pepe Ribes comments, “The boat’s behaved well, although we still have a couple of faults in the hydraulics system that need to be smoothed out. Right now we’ve got a tough week ahead, because we’ve still got stuff to fix before we head out for Baltimore.”
Ericsson Racing Team back on podium in Rio in-port race
The Ericsson Racing Team finished third in the Rio de Janeiro in-port race, behind ABN Amro One and movistar. The team was joined by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, godmother of the Ericsson yacht, as onboard guest during the race.
The fourth in-port regatta of the Volvo Ocean Race started at 13.00 local time in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro (BRA). Conditions were perfect, with a southerly breeze of 12 knots building to 16 knots by the end of the afternoon.
This race was the first under American John Kostecki's leadership. Kostecki, also inshore tactician, commented: "It was a fun race with a lot of position changes. You could feel a lot of energy in all the boats; it was the most enjoyable out of all the in-port races so far."
A few seconds before the start of the race, Ericsson's keel got momentarily blocked - a late consequence of the lightning that struck the boat just before the arrival in Rio. "We didn't have such a good start because of this," commented Neal McDonald. "From then on we kept battling and fighting our way back."
Despite the late start, Ericsson had a good speed over the line. She benefited from fresh wind and good shifts, reaching the top mark close behind Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar, in fifth place. Brasil 1 rounded second after ABN Amro One, but had to perform a 360 degree penalty turn for obstructing the following boats. The six VO 70's headed downwind on the first of four windward-leeward legs. ABN Amro One led throughout the race, whilst positions amongst the rest of the fleet changed continuously.
Pirates of the Caribbean twisted its genoa at the beginning of the third beat, allowing Ericsson to pass and move into third. Next it was ABN Amro Two that was punished for touching the leeward mark on the final rounding. The team performed a 360 degree turn and from then on Ericsson covered the rest of the fleet and held onto third place. A hard fought battle concluded with ABN Amro One the clear winner, movistar second and Ericsson third, earning the team a strongly desired place on the podium.
The previous legs of the Volvo Ocean Race have been tough for the Ericsson Racing Team. It arrived into Rio in a disappointing fifth place, and has a lot to do in order to move up the leaderboard. Today was a great day of racing, and initial signs following the changes that have been made are encouraging.
"It was a difficult race because the course was quite short," commented McDonald; "the sort of race where whoever makes the least mistakes gets to the front of the fleet. We made fewer mistakes than others and finished third." His team mate Guillermo Altadill (ESP) added: "We managed to keep it simple, and anticipated the maneuvers well. Thanks to this, we were able to catch up well."
All crewmembers acknowledged the fact that the crew work was efficient and proved key to today's result. "The only changes to the usual set up were that Ross Halcrow (NZL) was trimming and Dingo was on the bow", explains McDonald. "So despite Roscoe, who fitted in easily, we were used to this setup."
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was the team's onboard guest. After enjoying lunch with the sailors at the Ericsson Racing Team compound yesterday, climbing onboard today made her feel even closer to the crew. "It was terribly exciting," said The Crown Princess, "and I was very impressed with the guys. I expected their work to be hard, but not to this level. The interaction between crewmembers, and the way they work as a team is very spectacular to watch from onboard."
Now is time to turn a new page. "We have a lot of work ahead of us", confesses John Kostecki. "We had a little problem with our keel and the electronics didn't work properly, so we are far from ready for the offshore."