Photos: L ©Oskar Kihlborg R © Oskar Khilborg
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Sat, 04 Feb 2006 05:30:00 UTC
In-port race results - PROVISIONAL TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL): 2hr 28 min 12 sec 2. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA): + 1 min 31 sec 3. Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED): + 1 min 44 sec 4. Ericsson Racing Team, Neal McDonald (GBR): + 1 min 59 sec 5. Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA): + 5 min 8 sec 6. TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA): + 6 min 53 sec 7. Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS): + 12 min 48 sec
Current Leaderboard - PROVISIONAL 1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 32.5 pts. 2nd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 25 pts 3rd Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 18 pts 4th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 16.5 pts 5th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 16 pts 6th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 14.5 pts 7th Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 11.5 pts
0530GMT. Very close finish between Pirates, movistar and Ericsson. Pirates come back to take second even after their spinnaker problem. movistar come through in third, Ericsson take a terrific fourth place. Brasil 1 hang on to take a marvellous fifth, followed by ABN AMRO TWO and then Brunel.
0528GMT. The gun goes and ABN AMRO ONE wins.
0525GMT. This race has been a nail-biter from start to finish. Even in the last leg there has been place changing and thanks to the changing wind we have seen the real difference between the boat designs. Under 12 to 15 knots of wind the Farr boats are on terms with, if not slightly faster than the Kouyoumdjian boats, but once the wind steps up to over 15 knots the Dutch boats are in a different league. Luckily for the spectators there has been everything from tight tactical sailing to out and out speed to entertain them - what a race! Last mark times are as follows: ABN AMRO ONE lead at two hours 16 minutes, then Pirates one minute eight seconds back, movistar one minute and 53 seconds behind the leader, Ericsson two minutes and 23 seconds from ABN AMRO ONE, Brasil 1 five minutes and ten seconds.
0520GMT. Pirates are in trouble with their spinnaker after the mark rounding. ABN AMRO ONE are well in the lead, but Pirates could be caught by movistar and Ericsson. It looks as though Pirates have torn their spinnaker and are having to drop to set a new one. movistar made a superb hoist at the mark and look like overtaking Pirates to go into second. As they say, never count your points until the race is over. Will Pirates get going quickly enough to at least hold on to third? Will Ericsson overtake and grab a surprising podium place after their premature start? Pirates have hoisted a new spinnaker and are fighting to hold off movistar and Ericsson.
0515GMT. The wind shifts left and movistar and Ericsson have overstood the mark. ABN AMRO ONE is still leading from Pirates, then movistar and Ericsson. Brasil 1 limp on on fifth and ABN AMRO TWO and Brunel bring up the rear. Paul Cayard must be pleased with his second place, well clear of the battle for third between Ericsson and movistar.
0510GMT. The wind has probably picked up to 15 to 18 knots, just the range in which the ABN AMRO boats seem to excel. Interestingly the race was very close in the winds under 15 knots, but now the wind has increased and the sea has build up in the shallow waters of Port Phillip Bay. The leading boats are on starboard in the middle of the course heading for the final windward mark. In the increasing wind Torbel Grael must be worrying about his rig and seems to have slowed as little to ensure that they bring the boat home in one piece.
0505GMT. ABN AMRO ONE is showing amazing speed in the increasing wind. ABN AMRO ONE and Pirates rounded the last mark overlapped, but now ONE leads by about 100 metres half way up the final windward leg.
0500GMT. Mark timings at the last leeward mark are as follows: ABN AMRO ONE leading after one hour 54 minutes, Pirates 15 seconds in arrears, then the times between the boats are as follows: movistar at 46 seconds, Ericsson at 18 seconds, Brasil 1 at one minute 56 seconds, ABN AMRO TWO at one minute 17 seconds more. The wind has built and is playing into the hands of Mike Sanderson and the ABN AMRO ONE team. They are pulling out on the Pirates in the increasing wind. movistar is covering Ericsson carefully to try to prevent the hard charging Ericsson from taking back that third place.
0455GMT. Pirates have closed on ABN AMRO ONE and as they come to the mark it looks as though they might be very close. ABN AMRO ONE gybe drop at the mark, Pirates come inside ABN AMRO ONE, but are half a length behind. Can ONE point high enough to force Pirates to tack off their hip? movistar and Ericsson come to the mark, movistar round first, Ericsson have trouble in dropping their spinnaker, but their headsail is in quickly as they come inside movistar. This is still anybody's race. ABN AMRO ONE lead by about a length, but you can't discount any of the boats. Poor Brasil 1 have to be pitied, but what about the performance of Ericsson? Over at the start, but back to third for a moment and still a very close fourth. movistar covers Ericsson as they head to the right hand side of the course.
0450GMT. Out at the front ABN AMRO ONE are doing a great job now they are in the lead. It shows that the ABN AMRO boats, ONE at least, can compete in moderate conditions with the Farr-designed boats. The hard work done on sails and the crew work of the event leader counts when it is needed, but there is still a long way to go with one more windward leg and one more downwind leg to the finish. Ericsson and movistar are still fighting it out for third, with movistar on starboard coming towards Ericsson. Just a few metres between the two, but Ericsson haven't got that podium place in their pocket yet. Brasil 1 in fifth seem to be able to hang on ahead of ABN AMRO TWO and Brunel.
0440GMT. Brasil 1 have problems with their spinnaker and they have had to drop the sail to resolve the trouble. ABN AMRO ONE leads from Pirates, then Ericsson amazingly now in a podium place ahead of movistar. Poor Brasil 1 has huge problems in fourth, then ABN AMRO TWO and Brunel. But there are two and threequarters legs left in the race and only boat lengths between the five leaders. Brasil 1 has had to hoist a headsail as it appears that there are serious halyard or mast problems on the boat which has taken the shine off their fantastic proformance so far. Such a shame for the blue and yellow boat.
0435GMT. The boats approach the windward mark with Brasil 1 having sailed their own race to the mark. Ericsson has come up to fourth ahead of movistar. The race for the lead is very close as the left hand movement of the wind has brought the boats together. It looks like Brasil 1 in the lead from ABN AMRO ONE, then Pirates, then the amazing Ericsson, followed by movistar. At the mark it looks as though ABN AMRO ONE have come through inside Brasil 1. Incredible effort from Mike Sanderson and his crew. Pirates in third and Ericsson and movistar next.
0425GMT. Last mark roundings were Brasil 1 in the lead after one hour 15 seconds, then the time between the boats were Pirates 37 seconds back, then ABN AMRO ONE 17 seconds, movistar ten seconds, Ericsson 16 seconds, ABN AMRO TWO one minute and 55 seconds, Brunel three minutes and 15 seconds. The wind has shifted left and movistar has gained from the position they took to the left at the start of the leg. movistar came to ABN AMRO ONE and Pirates and there seemed to be a port and starboard incident between movistar and Pirates as they approached. movistar apparently had to go head to wind for a moment. The on water umpires will have been on the spot, however, and will have doubtless made their adjudication.
0420GMT. At the second windward mark Brasil 1 drops and this time manages to round without the headsail wrapping the forestay. The yellow and blue boat has extended its lead. movistar is in second, though at the mark Pirates cut inside as movistar have a problem with their spinnaker in the water. movistar even lose another place as ABN AMRO ONE cuts inside too. Now Paul Cayard is in second, ABN AMRO ONE third and movistar right alongside in fourth. Ericsson haven't lost by their hard right gamble and the problems that the other boats had and the battle between them has allowed Ericsson to close on the boats in front. movistar go out to the left side of the course to look for something to get them back the two places they lost, the others all head right, Ericsson goes for the middle.
0415GMT. ABN AMRO ONE and Pirates are close together, fighting for third place. Downwind the ABN AMRO boats are slightly slower, though those long daggerboards seem to be doing the job upwind. Brasil one are doing a great job at the front of the fleet, movistar is second with battle royal raging for third between ABN AMRO ONE and Pirates, with Pirates probably in third. Ericsson will find out soon what is the result of their gamble by going hard right. ABN AMRO TWO and Brunel are perhaps ouut of it at the moment. Last mark roundings were as follows: Brasil 1 at 59 minutes, movistar 48 seconds behind, then another eight seconds to ABN AMRO ONE and 22 seconds to Pirates. Ericsson was 30 seconds behind Pirates, ABN AMRO TWO one minute and 37 seconds further back and Brunel then two minutes and 25.
0405GMT. Ericsson are making inroads on Pirates in fourth. John Kostecki and Neal McDonald, with Tim Powell on the wheel and the rest of the crew all doing their jobs wonderfully. It makes you wonder what might have been the situation if they hadn't been over the line at the start. The wind has increased slightly. Ericsson has gone a long way to the east, perhaps half or threequarters of a mile on the others who have sailed more in the centre of the course.
0400GMT. Brasil 1 approaches the windward mark on starboard tack. movistar have crossed in front of Pirates and look to be still ahead of ABN AMRO ONE. Brasil 1 round with a good lead, but struggle with their spinnaker hoist. movistar seem to have pulled aweay from ABN AMRO ONE by a small margin. Pirates hoist with a wrap in the spinnaker, but it pulls out without causing too much problem,. Ericsson come in towards the mark with great speed and the boys on board that boat are sailing out of their socks to gain aso much after that premature start. They have gained a lot of distance on ABN AMRO TWO. Have TWO got a keel problem? It seems that they have more heel than the other boats. Brasil 1 leads, rounding after 59 minutes of racing.
0355GMT. Pirates have tacked and are heading towards ABN AMRO ONE and ONE has tacked on top of Pirates to give them dirty wind as Pirates have closed on the third place boat. movistar seems to have dropped back from the remarkable Brasil 1 and are falling into the clutches of ABN AMRO ONE and Pirates. Pirates tack to clear their wind, ONE continues on and passes astern of Brasil 1 by a good way. The Brazillians seem to be sailing superbly and the team have done a fantastic job with a boat that was only rigged less than 12 hours ago. This is a real fairy story for the most popular team in the race. The sailing team are everyone's friends, and the shore team have endeared themselves to everyone with their willingness to help anyone who needs it - something fresh in this highly professional world of sponsored racing.
0350GMT. Mark two rounding times were: Brasil 1 at 37 minutes 54 seconds, movistar 27 seconds in arrears, then ABN AMRO ONE at another eight seconds, Pirates 38 seconds behind ONE, then ABN AMRO TWO another 39 seconds, Ericsson another 28 seconds, then Brunel at a further two minutes 15 seconds. The spectator fleet has grown by scores with a massed fleet at the next windward mark.
0345GMT. Just over four and a half minutes covers the whole fleet from Brasil 1 to Brunel. All the boats apart from Brunel are giing to the right side of the course. Brunel has to try something different to get back into contention, but you wonder if they can really do anything. At the front the first three are very close together following their mark rounding problems. Brasil 1, movistar and ABN AMRO ONE are in a real dog fight. Neal McDonald must be disapointed with what has happened to his race thanks to being over the line at the start. This was the one he needed to salvage something from their race of problems so far,
0335GMT. The battle for second place is the one to watch. movistar seems to be in second from ABN AMRO ONE with Pirates closing. Brasil 1 drops their spinnaker on deck as they come to the mark and gybe. They have a problem with the headsail which has wrapped round the forestay and almost stops the boat. They appeared to be worrying about the rig and gybed too carefully which caused a problem which has allowed their lead to to be chopped in half. movistar and ABN AMRO ONE came to the mark together with movistar making a superb gybe and mark rounding. ABN AMRO ONE dropping to leeward with a bad spinnaker drop, a bad one also for ABN AMRO TWO which has lost them time on Pirates. Ericsson partially drop in the water, but round tightly inside of ABN AMRO TWO and grab a place. The short handed crews on these boats having big problems in the spinnaker drops.
0333GMT. Mark rounding times were: Brasil 1 at 21 minutes 58 seconds, then ABN AMRO ONE at 27 seconds, movistar eight seconds more, Pirates one minute 21 seconds, ABN AMRO TWO five seconds behind them, 38 seconds behind was Brunel and 25 seconds behind them it was Ericsson.
0330GMT. ABN AMRO TWO seem to be closing on Pirates, Ericsson closing on Brunel. Brasil 1 gybes towards the the mark in the lead. movistar has sailed deeper and faster and are now gybing onto ABN AMRO ONE's wind. movistar sail over ABN AMRO ONE and take second place. Ericsson has gybed inside the fleet and are looking for a different wind to close the gap on Pirates and ABN AMRO TWO.
0320GMT. Brasil 1 round the first mark in the lead for a fairy story tale of success. They have done a magnificent job to get that boat back into the water in time for this race. ABN AMRO ONE rounds just a metre of so in front on movistar. Then Pirates; ABN AMRO TWO have overtaken Brunel, Ericsson chasing down the Australians after being over the line at the start. Times are: Brasil 1 at 21 minutes 58 seconds, ABA AMRO ONE 27 seconds behind, then eight seconds to movistar. Brasil 1 not losing any time to ABN AMRO ONE.
0315GMT. Brasil 1 tacks onto starboard, movistar ducks behind ABN AMRO ONE. Brasil 1 seems to be sailing in a significent lifting wind which will help them extend their lead. Pirates are dissapointingly lagging in conditions that were really thought to favour them. Ericsson playing catch up after their over the line exploits. Brasil 1 and movistar cross and Brasil 1, on starboard are leading, but it could be close between Brasil 1 and ABN AMRO ONE. ONE crosses behind Brasil 1 and tacks before movistar. They are laying the windward mark.
0315GMT. Brasil 1 and ABN AMRO TWO tack onto port towards the middle of the course. Brasil 1 on the left perhaps leading, movistar in the middle second, ABN AMRO ONE in third. Brasil 1 looks as though she will cross movistar, but might have a close call with ABN AMRO ONE. The wind is building slightly. A stronger wind might favour the ABN AMRO boats, but puts Torben Grael on Brasil 1 in a dilema - they are worried about their mast if the wind gets up; will they carry on in the increasing breeze if they are leading, or will thay, as they said, retire to save the stick. The course has been reduced in size, with three mile legs, four windward leewards totalling about 24 miles.
0310GMT. Looking south into the wind the people on the spot say that the right side might be favoured. ABN AMRO ONE is on the right and have sailed away from Pirates and Brunel. movistar more in the middle of the course. Ericsson has followed ABN AMRO TWO and Brasil 1 to the left, but the right looks favoured at the moment. So far a spectator fleet of something over 100 boats on the water in the sun. Interestingly, Brasil 1 is sailing with a non-overlapping headsail, most of the others have big overlapping headsails, but Brasil 1 isn't losing with their smaller sail.
0305GMT. Two boats returning after premature starts; Ericsson well behind after a late return. Tremendous pressure on John Kostecki and Neal McDonald. Five boats heading right with Brasil 1 and ABN AMRO TWO going left. Breeze 12 to 13 knots, flat water, Brasil 1 going well under a smaller headsail. The race committee have decided on the shorter course of 28 miles. A big debate on which side of the bay will pay in the fleet as the two groups are both heading apart. Brasil 1 looking very good, Brunel had to tack to clear their wind from movistar. Pirates, Brunel and ABN AMRO ONE close together fighting. ABN AMRO ONE going well.
0300GMT. Start gun goes, boats approached the line on starboard. Pirates on the committee boat end - the square rigger James Craig - ABN AMRO TWO looked for the pin end. ABN AMRO TWO looked best at the start on the gun going the fastest, but TWO were over early and have to return. Leader across the line is between Ericsson and Pirates. Ericsson over early too and had a late call to return again, leaving the start and pole position to Pirates.
0255GMT Five minute signal goes. All the seven Volvo Open 70s on the course. Mixed sail choice. Brasil 1 with a smaller headsail, the others with larger ones. Brasil 1 reportedly with worries about their rig and they may pull out if the wind increases over about 15 knots.
0250GMT. Ten minutes to the start. Hundreds of boats on the water in Port Phillip Bay. Wind about ten to twelve knots from 190 degrees. The current opinion is that this race could signal a new era in the Volvo Ocean Race. Is this the day on which the ABN AMRO boats show their vilnerability? Brasil has nmade the start with a superhuman effort, but are they ready enough to compete? They have only had their mast in for a few hours and have been working to correct a rigging fault ever since. We will see.
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