Volvo Ocean Race - Fast reaching, squalls and keep up the motivation

11:30 AM Tue 14 Apr 2009 GMT

'Telefonica Black, skippered by Fernando Echavarri (ESP) leads the fleet, at the start of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston' Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race &copy Click Here to view large photo

Latest news from competitors on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Rio to Boston. On Telefonica Black they are fast reaching, on Delta Lloyd its a minefield of squalls and on Ericsson 3 they are keeping the motivation up.

TELEF?NICA BLACK LEG SIX DAY 3 QFB: received 13.04.09 2321 GMT

Right now we are fast reaching along, 70 nm off Cabo Caravelas, after quite a frustrating day. Going against one knot of current is one thing but seeing our closest competition, slowly but surely, sailing away from us is another far more frustrating fact.

Yesterday afternoon, when, after delayed delivery, the first breath of SE trades appeared, we had already noticed Delta Lloyd moving fast on the southern horizon. She was well offshore, passing us and others with help of the weak SE'ly gradient wind. Telef?nica Blue and Dragon chose going close to land, picking up a weak sea breeze and also moved well.

Puma, Ericsson 3 and 4, were, like us hanging out in 'no man's land, just after Cabo Frio, an area with almost no wind which reminded us of the night before - again the four of us, being too far off from the coast in order to pick the nightly weak, but existing land breeze. Also not far enough to reach any wind offshore that might not even have been there within our reach.

We had all passed Cabo Frio, in the minimum of wind, when we managed to squeeze ahead of Puma, Ericsson 3+4. Then, finally, the south east wind came, much later then predicted, but still very welcome.

When the trades picked us up and threw us into the darkness of night, we were still barely ahead of our near rivals, Puma, Ericsson 3+4. Telef?nica Blue and Dragon had again been smarter than the four of us, by clinging to the coast, trusting thermal sea breeze effect more then over optimistic computerised weather models which were frustratingly wrong when it came to timing!

As the night matured we could just notice how Puma passed us on the leeward side, Ericsson 3+4 on our windward side. Our new large masthead code zero looked fine, but the others were just a bit faster, passing us close, left and right, in the same breeze, not nice..!

Hope was changed into at least a temporary frustration. What to do next..? Just looking for new chances to be the overtaker instead of the overtaken. Otherwise all well on the Black boat. Happy to hear that Mike (Michael Pammenter) had no fracture in his foot, which means much faster recovery and a fit foot for next leg!

Yours
Roger Nilson - navigator
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DELTA LLOYD LEG SIX DAY 3 QFB: received 140.04.09 0907 GMT

Who ever said that trade winds are constant? Winds are varying from seven to 18 knots and the wind direction is all over the place. A varied mix of clouds is being thrown at us at random from the east. Some big, some small, some windy, some with no wind at all. Champagne sailing? Forget it! Half drunk coffees are spread through the cockpit and the galley is full with unwashed bowls. Normally these are big no no's, but the last 24 hours we have been going from one sail change to the next and back. Bad things happen. You just have to deal with it the best you can.

The furling sails are proving to be the best way to get through the mine field of squalls. We can quickly furl the masthead code zero, survive the squall wit the small furling J4 jib and then reverse the process once we are through with it all. The big thing is trying to anticipate the squalls and be one step ahead. Sometimes we manage, sometimes we get caught out, and it is these moments when things get hectic. Sheets and halyards everywhere, torches flashing, sail bags from the front to the back of the boat. One wonders how we can still operate, but we manage somehow.

Overall it means that gains and losses are varied over the fleet, with some boats doing well one sked and others another. We are trying to stick with our easterly route as much as we can as there are less squalls and better wind further away from the shore. On average we hope to come out a little better than the guys to leeward. Less than 800 miles to the scoring gate and we are determined to get there in the top three.

We are racing our hearts out and having fun doing it, which is very important. Despite our relatively new team with a lot of new guys, we are working better and better together, refining our communications and maneuvers. Exhausted but happy and determined is the best description of the mood on the boat at the moment. Not sure we can lose the first feeling, but sure working hard on keeping the last two!

Going to have a little nap while I can. Out.

Wouter Verbraak - navigator
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ERICSSON 3 LEG SIX DAY 3 QFB: received 13.04.09 2331 GMT

'To win the last leg was without doubt the biggest moment of sailing in my life', Martin Krite says and continues: 'To arrive in to Rio in first position was indescribable and the prize-giving was fantastic, well everything about the last leg and the time in Rio was just a thrill. But now we have to look forward'.

The stopovers are nowadays extremely short and since we arrived almost a week later than anticipated there was not much time left for rest and socialise. We never really had time to put the sailing aside, do something else and get the motivation back. First we had a couple of days off and our hardworking shore team helped us big time to get the boat ready for the in-port race.

We were scheduled to come back to work three days before the in-port race, but most of us were there before, to go through our areas. You can't really relax until you feel you are in control of what needs to be done before the start.
After the in-port race we were full time working again, which was necessary to get everything ready in time. Families, girlfriends and friends had to wait until the evening.

This race is not over until it's over. Even on land the race is 100 per cent full on. The stopovers are like pauses in between the rounds in a boxing game; you just have time to take a few breaths and then get into the fight again. The one who catches his breath and recovers quickest is the one who steps up on the podium in the end.

'To be honest I thought it would be really hard to get the motivation back to get out on the water again after the last marathon leg. But after 44 days at sea this leg almost feels like a cruise in the archipelago. We think it will take 16 to 18 days. It is nothing', Martin Krite says.

But it is a truth with modification.

'Well, we haven't started very well but fortunately we are still in the scrum and this seems to become an incredible drag race. Every inch will be important, no space for catching the breath', Krite says.

We still have a very good mood onboard and it is fun to have Mr Mason back on the boat. We feel confident after the last leg and when Magnus Olsson reflected back on how we sailed the boat a couple of months ago, he could just conclude:
'We have made some big improvements! Now I really feel we can keep up with everyone in any conditions.'
So, now it all comes down to keeping the concentration for the next 16 days.

Gustav Morin MCM
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