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5:05 AM Sun 18 Jan 2009 GMT
At 1300 local time (GMT + 8 hours) on Sunday 18th January, Green Dragon will line up against the rest of the fleet for the start of Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09. Whilst the 2,500 mile leg is one of the shortest, it is also set to be one of the most challenging for the crews.
The upwind conditions are set to test the seven boat fleet. The crews will experience a rather severe wind chill for the latter half of the leg, as well as sailing through unchartered waters, strong currents and a route that is full of geographical challenges, which means Leg 4 could prove to be a nervous time for the sailing and shore crews alike. Qingdao is a relatively short stopover that allows little room for extensive repairs. An In Port race will also mean limited time for the boats to come out of the water before the epic 12,300 mile leg to Rio.
'We are looking to see if we need to bring the rig out in China,' said skipper Ian Walker. 'Let me put it this way, we have done as much as we can possibly do here in Singapore, in a hope to cut the job list down in China. Clearly we didn't want to leave a lot of jobs that needed resin work in China, temperatures in Qingdao are not conducive to making repairs with resin. But it is a tough leg ahead, so we will see'.
Whilst forecasts had suggested that the fleet would sail straight into a 40 knot headwind, latest forecasts now show that conditions have eased for the first part of the leg. We caught up with Green Dragon Navigator Ian Moore to ask his thoughts on the leg ahead.
What is Leg 4 looking like at this stage?
'It's looking exciting, but the forecast is changing a little bit, I think we have all been terrified looking at the forecast the last few weeks. Every time you look at it, its been 35 - 40 knots on the nose. It's still going to be upwind the whole way to China, but it looks like there will be a softer phase. It looks like it is going to be more of a 10 - 20 knot forecast than a 30 - 40 knot forecast for the first part of the leg. But, that doesn't mean we are going to get away Scott free, I think in the latter half of the race there is going to be another cold push and we will get a lot of wind on the nose. This will probably happen through the Straits of Taiwan, or near Taiwan. Either way on this leg, there will be plenty of work for everybody onboard!'
Can you talk through the geographical challenges?
'There are a few issues. There are a number of islands, especially on the eastern side of the race track. The Spratly Islands, are a big stretch of coral atolls, creating some dangerous sailing ground, which is a bit of a worry! There are a lot of obstacles and traps you could get in, and maybe struggle to get out of again. Some of the route is unchartered, and some is chartered badly! So we will all need to be very careful out there'.
At the skipper's press conference, the general mood seemed to be on getting to China in one piece, rather than focusing on winning the actual leg! 'I know everyone of these skippers, and I know they have been talking about backing off and getting there in one piece. But they will all be fighting for every last inch on the start line, and they will only back off if they think the world is going to come to an end! They might say it, but I suspect doing it will be another matter!'commented Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker after the press conference. The crews have also received an additional medical briefing for this leg, this briefing included information regarding frostbite and hypothermia.
Green Dragon Fast Facts
The Spratly Islands
A group of more than 100 reefs, islets and islands in the South China Sea between the Philippines and Vietnam. They comprise less than five square kilometres of land area, spread over more than 400,000 square kilometres of sea. The Spratlys, as they are called, are part of the great sweep of archipelago comprising more than 30,000 islands and reefs and which so complicates geography, governance and economics in that region of Southeast Asia. Such small and remote islands have little economic value in themselves, but are important in establishing international boundaries. There are no native islanders but there are rich fishing grounds and initial surveys indicate the islands may contain significant oil and gas.
About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km?. It is one of the largest sea bodies after the five oceans.
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km?. In China, the sea is called the East Sea. In South Korea, the sea is sometimes called 'South Sea', but this is more often used to denote only the area near South Korea's southern coast.
Read more news at greendragonracing.com
by Lucy Harwood
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