9:25 PM Sat 29 Nov 2008 GMT
As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet make their way steadily towards Cochin, the excitement and anticipation is building.
DELTA LLOYD LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 0421 GMT
We've crossed the equator. Since I was asleep, hunched over the keyboard of my nav station, during my first crossing, it was gratifying to be conscious for my second crossing to see the 'S' change to an 'N'. It's a cool thing to watch if you are a 'navigator type'. For some reason it may only be sailors that make such a big deal about crossing the equator. On airplane flights, they make hardly a mention about it at all. Out here, the equator crossing ritual is taken very seriously.
As our offering to King Neptune, we donated tomorrow's ration of beef jerky.
Unfortunately, those of us that were punished by King Neptune on our first crossing during leg one didn't have the opportunity to pass along the 'spirit' of the punishment tradition onto a new comer on this leg. This would have been a brutal passing for a first time crosser. As Stu Wilson, who's been over the equator an uncountable number of times, commented, 'Neptune seems to be angrier the slower the boat speed and the calmer the wind'.
Considering we were blast reaching along at 15 knots of boat speed during the leg one crossing, it was all Neptune could do to organise a slurry of food to dump on our heads. I got off easy. In becalmed conditions and where the first time crossers are outnumbered by 10 to 1, Stu has instigated 'ceremonies' that have lasted the entire day - his favourite: Duct taping first timers hands to the grinding pedestal handles.
The Green Dragon is still along side of us, just 200 metres away. The 'drag race' continues.
Matt Gregory - navigator
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PUMA LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 0745 GMT
It's like running a marathon, you have four or five miles to go to the finish and you can see two runners in front of you.....one about 150 metres and the other about 400 metres. The road to the finish is straight, with no corners or turns and, right now, has a slightly downhill gradient, so everyone is running smooth and loose with not many passing lanes.
Right before the finish, there is a hill and there may be some opportunity for passing boats there, but, for now, you have to just try and run a little faster than them both without hitting the wall and, at the same time, hoping that they a) run out of steam just a little bit sooner than you, or b) have the misfortune to break a shoelace or experience some other minor mishap.
Obviously, the four miles I'm referring to is the 400 miles we have to the finish in Cochin, India, and the two other runners are Green Dragon and Ericsson 3 and the road gradient is the wind.
So it feels like no one's talking about Pirates anymore, and I'm guessing it's because the news cycle has a new story. I wonder if we'll be doing phone interviews along the lines of 'what does it feel like to be sailing towards a conflict zone', in the same way that we had questions regarding pirates at the start of this leg.
We have been getting snippets of information about the dramatic situation in Mumbai and although I make light of things, we know for certain that sadly a number of people have died in horrible circumstances. It's a bit worrying knowing that your own and other people's families, friends and shorecrew are there waiting for us in Cochin, not a million miles from Mumbai, but we mustn't let it get to us, as that's what those people want. We're looking forward to getting to this new and exciting port and all of the adventures it brings.
Rick Deppe MCM
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ERICSSON 3 LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 1600 GMT
'Please don't die'
They are Magnus Olsson's words. It feels like he has spelled them out enough times in this race. The weather reports are quite unreliable in this part of the world and it would be nice if the report I heard about the wind dropping as we come closer to the finish turns out to be wrong.
We have gained on the others the last scheds and we have had good, but extremely shifty breeze, which means many sail changes.
When it comes to signs of wilderness, this trip has been boringly calm. Until yesterday, we had only seen fins of a bunch of small whales and some albatrosses in the Southern Ocean. They are fantastic birds with a gracious way of flying. To follow ones track for a couple of minutes really takes an effort. They are flying in between the waves, almost touching the surface and they are using the wind so efficiently that they don't have to flap their wings more than a couple of times per day. Fantastic.
But I was hoping for more than the amazing birds. I was thinking more of sharks, whales and the never-boring dolphins. So far, we only saw the fins of really small whales and we had close contact with a small fish the other day. First, he was caught on our daggerboard. And when he let go of that, he managed to get stuck on the rudder as well. Not good for us and certainly not good for him. I actually think he snapped in half after a while.
Yesterday was the big moment. A huge whale jumped up in the air about 50 meters to leeward. In Swedish, it's called a Kaskelott. It's one of those really big ones with a flat nose and no teeth. It was an amazing moment. The only pity about it was that I didn't see it. Just three guys in the crew did. And they were ecstatic. I have to figure out a way to never miss those moments. Any ideas?
A tired Gustav Morin - MCM
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TEAM RUSSIA LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 1502 GMT
It hurts, but we have to realise that our strategy from five days ago didn't work out; it was already quite obvious 36 hours ago, now it's safe to accept that we will not overtake anyone on an easterly route.
Still, we are happy that we tried, that we had an analysis, discussions, and a decision we believed in and that we did go for it. It looked good for some time, which seemed to confirm our theory and then it turned really bad and we were stuck in a windless hole with no options left. It doesn't mean we surrender, we were prepared to take the blow and we get on with it. But we will keep looking for better solutions than just rhumbline sailing.
There are still endless 600 miles ahead of us and not a lot of breeze.
Currently we are on the wind against 7 knots of breeze from where we want to go. That's ocean sailing as well, that's what connects us with the seafarers of old age. On the sea, the desert and the mountains, you are with nature, that's why we are out here.
Andreas Hanakamp - skipper
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ERICSSON 4 LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 1547 GMT
We are currently approaching Cochin in very light winds, 2 miles offshore of the sub-continent, trying to find some night breeze to get us to the finish line.
The air smells damp, earthy and of wood smoke which is generally a good sign that we may get a few zephyrs to move us on our way. The day has been frustrating and we have been slowed by clouds rain and a peak of 5.6 knots of wind speed.
This leg has ended like the lamb rather than the first week of lion-like conditions. We have seen the fleet strung out over 600 miles yet still to me, the final outcome is unsure as the weather is so variable and light, and the factor that these boats are capable of such high speeds.
This time last night I couldn't type as the boat was bouncing around sitting on 26 knots in 30 knots of wind and I was watching us take 40nm a 3 hour sched out of boats...tonight we are doing 3 knots and losing 40nm a sched.
The tension is mounting amongst the crew that all our hard work on the leg will end with us being overtaken at the finishing post, so some hard night hours ahead, trimming the sails and the boat.
Jules Salter - navigator
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TELEF?NICA BLUE LEG TWO DAY 15 QFB: received 29.11.08 1009 GMT
The last miles don't come easy. Some huge super cells we had to sail through last night, one moment 4 knots and, within minutes, gusts up to 35 knots. ............and in addition buckets loads of water coming falling down from the sky, so that sometimes the rain was worse than the spray coming over the deck.
But we did well, in these conditions we are sailing with two types of sails, one massive and the other relatively small which is predominantly up when it blows hard. We were becalmed this morning for nearly two hours, in big seas, so the sails were flapping like mad, and it is in these conditions that you can do a lot of damage.
We were thinking already of taking a hit for a huge loss in the position report, then all of a sudden the breeze picked up to 30 knots, and we were sitting on 25 knots, and all thinking the same: every minute longer, sailing with this speed will reduce the damage, and the report confirmed, only a small loss. From that point on, we have been sailing in 15-20 knots, so all smiles.
I am feeling a bit (only a bit) for Oleg (Oleg Zherebtsov), the owner of the Russian boat. This is his first leg in the Volvo Race, his dream has become true, but he knows now how cruel and extreme this race can be. Not only on his body, but also as well his mind. He has now experienced all the highs and especially lows involved in this race. He has deserved better, but now they have a long way to go in not a very flash forecast. Keep going strong Oleg!!
So just under 200 miles to go, with a light forecast not sure when we will arrive, but hopefully during the daytime. A first impression of an unknown city in daylight is always exciting.
Cheers,
Bouwe Bekking - skipper
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www.volvooceanrace.org
by Various Volvo Ocean Race competitors
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Cape Byron, NSW
