Mark Covell/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race
Thursday, 30 October - Updated at 07:30 GMT
Ericsson 4 burst through the 600-mile barrier yesterday, with the telemetry off the boat topping out at 602.66 miles in a 24 hour period. (Like all distance records, this will be subject to later ratification by the authorities). Skipper Torben Grael and his crew spoke at length about ‘being on the edge’ the entire time, pushing the boat and the crew as hard as possible.
Further back in the fleet, the Telefonica Black crew discovered what happens when you get on the wrong side of that edge. With the gale force winds whipping the sea into a frenzied state, Fernando Echavarri’s boat, roaring along at more than 25 knots, launched off a particularly large wave.
The crew momentarily lost control of the boat and crash landed only to find that one of the rudders had sheared off and part of a daggerboard and the bowsprit were gone. None of the crew was injured and the damage to the yacht was quickly assessed. The crew has mounted an emergency rudder and are continuing on course to Cape Town, albeit rather more slowly.
Telefónica Syndicate Head, Pedro Campos, said that the safety of the crew was the first priority and reported that all are well and unhurt. He confirmed that the damage to the yacht was not thought to be structural in any way but, understandably, the crew is very disappointed to have to nurse the yacht into Cape Town.
Out on the race track, Ericsson 4 continues to ride her record breaking pace at the head of the fleet. On the 04:00 GMT report, Grael and his men had stretched their margin ahead of second placed PUMA to more than 60 miles. What makes their streak so amazing is that they’ve managed to flirt with the 600 mile mark for the better part of a full day, while their rivals, in similar conditions, have come nowhere close.
Ericsson 3 - not to be outdone
Their stablemates, Ericsson 3, have had a fantastic 48 hours as well, passing three boats to move into third place. Skipper Anders Lewander has positioned his boat to the north of Green Dragon and is now furthest north in the fleet. His navigator, Aksel Magdahl, describes the night:
“200 squalls, or sailed in one squall the whole way depending on how you look at it New top speed for Ericsson 3. New max wind speed with spinnaker up - 46 knots and this was during black night in rain and bad sea state. It felt just fine from the navigator's bunk.
“Three sail changes within two hours, two involuntarily, costing lots of miles. 11 wet guys. Three bent and jammed carabineers on harnesses after people being washed along the deck Waking up in the bunk with cramps from holding on while asleep Waking up in the bunk ahead of your own after digging the bow in downwind. We were IN the cold front rather than ahead of it like Ericsson 4 and PUMA. We dropped off the front but have caught up with it again and this could be decisive one way or the other. No spinnaker last night after remembering the night before.”
The leading pair have opened a nice margin over Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon while at the back of the fleet, the gap between Team Russia and Delta Lloyd has closed right up, with both chasing the Telefonica boats in the race to Cape Town.