Podium complete

As Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon reach Cape Town at the end of leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race

This morning the third and fourth boats have completed leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3, skippered by Sweden’s Anders Lewander crossed the finish line at 0408 GMT (0608 local time) today, after 22 days, 16 hours 08 mins and 50 secs at sea to take third.

“I am very proud of the team,” said skipper Anders Lewander. “It is fantastic coming to Cape Town: what an achievement for us. We have fought really hard and come back with great attitude. All the hours of preparation were worthwhile. We have had a lot of hard work, but we’ve got through and built on our spirit.”

Ericsson 3 is sailed by an all-Nordic crew, with the exception of Kiwi watch captain Richard Mason, who is an honorary Swede having lived in the country for a number of years and married a native. Mason has done this race twice before while his counterpart on the other watch, veteran sailor, Magnus Olsson, is on his sixth race.

Speaking about the tough conditions the crew faced, watch captain Magnus Olsson said in his usual upbeat way: “We all love those conditions; that is the reason we do this. You don’t need to sleep, you can’t sleep. It is so fun, you don’t know where you are, water everywhere, the boat is going so fast and you don’t know if you are going to die or survive. It’s fantastic.”

At the start of leg, Ericsson 3 led the fleet, with Ericsson 4, through the Straits of Gibraltar. Going straight between the middle of the Cape Verde islands, the Nordic-crewed boat then had a challenging passage through the Doldrums before having to stop briefly at the scoring gate in Brazil for a spare part.

Ericsson 3 went into battle with the wounded Green Dragon last week, overhauling Ian Walker's team by gybing out of the front later. They finished the race just 27 miles ahead of Green Dragon.

Ian Walker's team arrived just over three hours later, at 0712 GMT (0912 local time) to take fourth and making her time at sea 22 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes and 35 seconds.

Walker commented, “It is definitely good to be here. The first 10 days of this leg were easy and then it got tight and tactical with four or five race leaders right across the leg. Obviously, we were very happy coming first at the gate and the boys did a great job. Waking up this morning and seeing Table Mountain was a great feeling.”

Navigator, Ian Moore added, “I’ve done this leg of the Volvo before, but it did seem that this leg was windier but easier, but it still seems like a very long way. I honestly love being back in Cape Town, it is a very special place. We saw the outline of the mountain at dawn, with the lion’s head, and we always have a fantastic warm welcome here, there is a special atmosphere. It was an exciting finish to the leg and I am pleased with what we have done. “

It has been a harsh opening leg for first-timer Ian Walker. The team found itself parked for hours off Gibraltar and the good lead they built up was lost when Puma and Telefónica Black sailed right up to them in the dying breeze. In the approach to the Cape Verde islands, Walker played his Stealth card, secretly sailing Green Dragon straight though the middle of the islands, but emerging still in fourth place.

Fortunes turned on day eight and the Dragons, by taking up a westerly position came storming up through the fleet. As they pulled into first place coming into the Doldrums, navigator Ian Moore had a smile on his face at last. They led out of the Doldrums and clung on to the Fernando de Noronha scoring gate. But, their position was under attack and, on day 14, Telefónica Black snatched the lead.

As the fleet geared up for the 40-knot gale and the sleigh ride to Cape Town, Walker predicted that the boats which did not keep up with the pace, would drop off the back of the weather system and lose hundreds of miles. By day 18, Green Dragon was down to third place, and the most southerly yacht in the fleet.

Then, the Dragon was wounded, burying her bow so hard that the spinnaker came back and stove in the pulpit and forward stanchions before ripping to pieces. This was followed by her suffering a collision with an underwater object that brought her to an almost complete standstill. As they reached the latitude of 35 degrees south, another spinnaker was shredded as the crew pressed the boat in attempt to catch Ericsson 3. But to no avail.

Leg One Finishing Order into Cape Town:

1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA)
2. PUMA USA (Ken Read/USA)
3. Ericsson 4 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE)
4. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR)
Overall Leaderboard (Provisional)
1. Ericsson 4: 14 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 13 points (FINISHED)
3. Green Dragon: 11 points (FINISHED)
4. Telefónica Blue: 6 points (RACING)
5. Telefónica Black: 6 points (RACING)
6. Ericsson 3: 5 points (FINISHED)
7. Delta Lloyd: 2 points (RACING)
8. Team Russia: 1 point (RACING)


Telefonica Blue is expected in later today. From on board Bouwe Bekking writes:

Yes, there are still boats on the water, and Telefónica Blue is one of them, but not for long, as the barn door is only 50 miles away.

So far so good, we have shaken the ruskies again back to a comfortable 60 miles. We sailed tactically well this last couple of days, and played the 'stealth' card very well. Even though we are sailing for fifth position, the crew has been working as hard as if it had been for a 1st place. This is like winning an extra point and the position reports were followed with great interest.

From a team's perspective, it is good to see that our mates on the black boat are moving well, and it looks like they will stay out of the grips of the high-pressure system, so gaining valuable time to do the necessary repairs.

I am proud of them. Okay, they had a little mishap, but they showed great pace in some stages of this leg and above all great seamanship to keep 'racing'. Well done boys.
So, another 3 hours and we are there, everybody looking forward to see their families and loved ones. Holiday...no, not immediately, first all our medical checks and debriefs, then we will find time to relax.

More photos on the following pages....