12:17 PM Sat 20 Dec 2008 GMT
In the latest Volvo Ocean Race boat news, it appears the frustration of sailing upwind for a very long period, may be getting to the Green Dragon skipper. And Team Russia doesn't seem impressed either.
GREEN DRAGON LEG THREE DAY 8 QFB: received 20.12.08 0944 GMT
OK enough is enough. Let's get to Singapore.
This is by far the longest I have ever been sailing upwind in my life. Even when we got to the Pulau We scoring gate and could turn right, the wind shifted right with us so it was dead on the nose again. It has been upwind and very shifty in the Malacca Straits, which has meant lots of tacks. This is a nightmare for all the crew as it is hard to get any rest when off watch and you have to repeatedly carry all the stack of sails from one side to the other, as well as everything inside the boat down below.
Tactics are very hard, as you have to balance what shifts are worth tacking on against the hassle and loss of speed involved. Nothing is worse than tacking only to find the wind shift back and having to go through the process all over again. You only get one or two of those before the crew have had enough!
We have not gone well upwind in terms of boatspeed and we are very much trying to minimise our losses in the hope an opportunity will open up later in the leg. It feels like the last few days have gone quite well for us despite 6th place at the scoring gate being below our high standards.
Onboard everyone is hot and a bit fed up of sailing upwind - it is all work and no pleasure. We have also had a major battery-charging problem and at one point were very much looking like having no power for the last few days. That would have meant no food, water, lights, instruments or communications. Andrew (Andrew McLean/AUS) (Animal), James (James Carroll/IRL) and Steve (Steve Hayles/GBR) have been on the tools all day and fortunately we are now able to charge off our main engine again - the generator regulator is broken - and we are stocking up with fresh water just in case of further problems.
The shipping lane is getting busier and busier but no sign yet of many fishermen or pirates. But there is a lot of debris in the water like bits of bamboo and tree trunks. We have a permanent spotter during daylight but will have to keep our fingers crossed at night. It will only be a matter of time before we hit something. Hopefully it won't be something as big as the tree we have just sailed past that stuck 7ft up out of the water!
On the bright side, we have made good progress against the clock and Christmas on dry land is now looking more than likely. We now have less than 500 miles to go.
Ian Walker - skipper
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KOSATKA TEAM RUSSIA LEG SEVEN DAY 8 QFB: received 20.12.08 0619 GMT
For the first time since we left the southern tip of India, we have seen land again. Even some hints of civilization were greeting our eyes this morning on the hills of the island of Palau We. Being the very most northern tip of Indonesia this apparently is a perfect place for antenna masts as there are more than a dozen scattered on the hilltops. Even some houses can be identified, and it makes us wonder who is living at this isolated northern tip of Sumatra? What is keeping them busy? Do they have any idea that eight boats in the Volvo Ocean Race have spent seven days beating upwind to pass by their houses? Can just imagine someone waking up this morning with the curious sight of some Volvo 70s at their doorstep!
Passing Palau We means passing the scoring gate as well as entering the Straits of Malacca. Traffic has tripled; there are big cargo ships everywhere, there are plenty of floating objects in the water, and the seas have flattened. What hasn't changed is our wind angle. Uphill we continue with our 1000 NM beat from hell.
By the end of today that will come to an end. Reaching and downwind spinnaker sailing is on the menu, and we are all looking forward to a flat world. Living at 23 degrees of heel just makes everything rather inconvenient you see. Mugs and food bowls slide and tip. We go through life one handed as the other one is used to hold on, and the neck gets rather sore from being angled 23 degrees to one side all the time. No, downwind under spinnaker is the way to go for sure.
Over the last day we have closed the distance to the group considerably, and we have now all our guns pointed at the Chinese-Irish Green Dragon team. Although they are currently 30 nm ahead of us, we are on the verge of entering the fluky winds of the Straits in which such a distance can be eaten up in a matter of hours.
Spirits are high and we are hungry. Pirates, fishing boats, massive traffic? Bring it on; they are our passing opportunities over the next days.
Wouter Verbraak - navigator
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TELEF?NICA BLUE LEG THREE DAY 8 QFB: received 20.12.08 0836 GMT
We had our first negative example of this piece of water. Without any warning, a big cloud appeared and sucked up all the wind. For nearly two hours we were struggling badly and only wiggled ourselves out of the wind hole.
We knew it was going to be a bad position report for us, but even worse, we saw Puma and Ericsson 3 appearing on the horizon. We just managed to cross Puma. The pressure is on again. In the meantime, Ericsson 4 just carried on. But what comes around goes around; hopefully that was the only parking spot for us.
Of course, the crew is not happy at all, and they are all wondering why this is happening to us. Nobody is moaning or blaming, they know what can happen. So at least we are in the same piece of water, and can see the opposition. It is time to strike back.
Cheers,
Bouwe Bekking - skipper
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ERICSSON 3 LEG THREE DAY 8 QFB: received 20.12.08 0850 GMT
It has been an intense time since we passed the scoring gate. We have done a couple of sail changes and all hands have been needed on deck, which means no sleep for the guys.
Everyone was in a really nice mood when we passed the lighthouse on the north tip of Sumatra in third position, but now I think everyone is a bit tired. No one is really grumpy, but you can tell when the energy is on top and when it's not. The boat is quiet and you can't hear as much joking and laughing as usual.
Or maybe everyone is extremely concentrated on sailing the boat, to make it go faster than ever. We really do need it. We did not do very well after the scoring-gate.
From keeping Puma behind us for hours and hours, we split after the gate and in just a few hours, they gained 13 miles on us. Not very fun.
But everything can happen. Parking, screaming reaching, slamming upwind, you name it. This is the Las Vegas of sailing.
Gustav Morin - MCM
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