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5:12 PM Tue 19 May 2009 GMT
Telef?nica Blue continues to make her mark on the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 when at 03:11 GMT today, she was first past the scoring gate off Newfoundland, claiming four points. The leading pack's preoccupation with maximum points at the gate has handed the advantage to the hitherto backmarkers on the leg - Telefonica Black leads with Green Dragon second.
The crew of the blue boat had to work hard for their points and at first, according to skipper Bouwe Bekking, it wasn't looking good at all.
'For some reason, we had been losing ground and were in fourth place, a couple of miles behind the leaders. We had been checking our foils regularly, but nothing to see. But, during one more check, Pepe Ribes saw something.'
The team immediately sailed the boat backwards to clear the keel and then, the fight was on. 'Slowly, but surely, we reeled the boats ahead in,' described Bekking. In the end, the team clawed past PUMA by less than a minute, crossed through the gate and tacked immediately to avoid the western perimeter of the ice exclusion zone.
Meanwhile, Green Dragon gave up the chase for points long ago. Ian Walker's men rounded last of the seven-boat fleet at 11:47 GMT, over eight hours behind the leading trio. Walker figured that the push for points at the sharp end would enable the Dragon to make a blind-side move. A damaged daggerboard soon after the start, which has hampered their boat speed, also shaped their thinking.
'We are hoping that the leaders get distracted by their battle for the scoring gate and allow us to gain some precious miles towards the waypoint (ice box),' Walker wrote yesterday. 'The next few days look like they will be made up of much of the same before the downwind ride to Ireland begins.'
By the 16:00 GMT Position Report, Telefonica Black, the most southerly boat, held a six-mile lead over Green Dragon, who has entered the fray for the first time on this leg.
PUMA (+8) and Telefonica Blue (+9) were locked together in the middle of the course along with Ericsson 4(+9), Delta Lloyd (+9) and Ericsson 3 (+10).
Green Dragon's sudden upturn in fortunes has lifted spirits on board. 'Today is a very good day,' Walker said. 'First and foremost we are out of last place and are less than an hour behind all the other boats after making big gains to the south.
'The sea is flat and the boat is dry inside and out. We have just opened a huge block of Award Winning Irish Farmhouse Cheese. Sadly we don't have any red wine to wash it down with but we did find some spicy sausage to accompany it.'
The position of the ice exclusion zone is the reason for the fleet having to turn south and Telef?nica Black, the easternmost yacht is parallel to, but 106 nm from, the western corner of the zone. The fleet must now sail 175 nm along the bottom of the zone, while still keeping a careful lookout for ice, before they can swing north again. The northeast corner of the box has today been extended to latitude 40 degrees west, due to ice sightings in the region.
Volvo Ocean Race - Scoring Gate Order
1. Telef?nica Blue at 03:11.24 GMT
2. PUMA at 03:12.04 GMT
3. Ericsson 4 at 03:33.05 GMT
4. Ericsson 3 at 04:06.02 GMT
5. Telef?nica Black at 04:36.54 GMT
6. Delta Lloyd at 06:16.00 GMT
7. Green Dragon
Volvo Ocean Race - Leg Seven Day 4: Positions at 16:00 GMT
1. Telef?nica Black ESP (Fernando Ech?varri/ESP) DTL 1840 nm
2. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +6
3. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +8
4. Telef?nica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +9
5. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +9
6. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +9
7. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Berm?dez/ESP) +10
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
by Volvo media
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Marion Reef, QLD
Kitesurfing - Kites
Foiling - Prone/Surf Foilboards
Foiling - Foils Complete
