9:38 PM Sun 12 Apr 2009 GMT
Latest news from the Volvo Ocean Race fleet during leg 6. Rio was the start port of this leg and Boston is the finishing line, however from the emails that trip is so far long and slow.
On Green Dragon things seemed strangely normal, on Ericsson 4 the team is slipping back into the watch system and on Ericsson 3 its rollin', rollin', rollin' in the swell. Read on....
GREEN DRAGON LEG SIX DAY 2 QFB: received 12.04.09 1547GMT
It seems strangely normal being at sea again. Even though the stopover was short at only two weeks I felt ready to leave.
The surroundings are all too familiar out here with very little wind and quite big waves bouncing off the land. The crew are busy trying to squeeze any speed out of what little wind and current we have in the hope it will get us to something better.
So far the first 24 hours have gone well. We made a good start and protected the favoured side of the course to stay in touch with the leaders. The key has been the current which has largely been helping us to get west with the exception of one dreadful 30 minute period when we got caught in an eddy behind an island losing two boats and a couple of miles in the process.
Since then we have done well and made the best of the land breeze to get into second place just behind Telef?nica Blue. We are almost level with these guys right now and we both have small headsails up in light winds to try and drift along as best we can.
As always we can feel the pressure of Puma and Ericsson 4 as they grow ever larger on the horizon behind us. It is strange how little needs to be said onboard anymore. This crew have sailed over 25,000 miles to this point and where 10 words were once needed now two or three will suffice. We are already well into our rotating watches and soon the days will be merging into one.
After 42 days on the last leg 16 - 20 this time will seem more like a short offshore - or I hope so anyway.
Ian Walker - skipper
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ERICSSON 4 LEG FIVE DAY 2 QFB: received 12.04.09 1338 GMT
We can see the entire fleet as we all plod past Cabo Frio. It's a mere 65 miles from Rio but it has still taken us 19 hrs to get here.
Had a fantastic send off as we exited the bay, rounded a mark off Copacabana beach and headed for Boston - I think that most people were out to get a glimpse of Brazil's top Olympian and favourite son - Torben Grael - a few would have lost their voices due to the amount of cheering and good luck wishes aimed at Ericsson 4 and this warm send off reflected the hospitality we all received whilst in town. It was a very welcome break at the end of 40+ days onboard and we all just wish to convey our thanks to all involved in the Rio stopover.
At the moment we are switching between the code zero and the code 3 jib as we get a slight tidal push up around the uninhabited island which hosts Cabo Frio.
Torben spoke earlier of the military owned island and its wonderful diving and its unspoiled beauty and it sounds like a nice area to visit - if only we had the time!
This is my second time round the headland and both times with the code 3 jib up - but this time we are using the jib as a wind seeker as it is smaller and doesn't bask against the rig as much as a larger lighter sail. In the 1 - 2kts of wind there is a hell of a lot of flapping and this is accentuated by the huge lazy rolling seaway we have to contend with - plus its rebound coming back off the land.
Going forward onto the bow you almost need to clip on what with the seaway and the flapping jib - but if you did end up over the side you could easily swim back to the boat as the top speed of the last hour has been a staggering 1.2kts!
Everyone is trying to slip back into the watch system and this is one of the hardest times of a leg as the sleep pattern isn't second nature and the real world and its luxuries are still very fresh in the mind - not including the thoughts of the loved ones who we will not have contact with for the next couple of weeks.
We are expecting breeze soon (hopefully a light sea breeze which is due anytime) and as we head north with the trades it is likely to be a little bit of a procession, so keeping close and in touch with the leaders is critical.
That's about all for now
Guy Salter MCM
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ERICSSON 3 LEG SIX DAY 2 QFB: received 12.04.09 1551 GMT
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'.
It sounds cool when the words come from the rock band Limp Bizkit. But in reality, when sitting on a sailboat, those words are not what you want to think about.
The last 12 hours we have had absolutely no wind, only massive old swell rolling in to make the boat roll uncontrollably and very uncomfortable. If you have any trouble with seasickness this is not a very nice situation to be in. I haven't seen anyone suffer from it but I do feel a bit strange, sleepy and without appetite, and I believe it hasn't got to do with the enormous amounts of wonderful Brazilian food I've had the last couple of weeks.
The big swells have also caused some problems with the sails. In light breeze we usually try to sail with our mast head zero as much as possible, but in the big swells it is risky business. The sails are flapping dramatically and sometimes the zero hits the spreaders so badly it causes rips. That has happened a couple of times the last 12 hours and our sailmaker Martin Str?mberg has had a lot on his mind.
'We have to be more careful with this sail. But it is very frustrating,' he says. Richard Mason adds, 'To get four rips in the zero the first night of racing is like buying a brand new Porsche and hitting the side barriers the first thing you do.'
We still have all the boats in sight and Puma, Telef?nica Blue and Ericsson 4 are just about 100 metres away. Getting the wind first will be crucial.
Gustav Morin MCM
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 | Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael (BRA), chasing Telefonica Black, at the start of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston - Dave Kneale-Volvo Ocean Race © |
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