Guy Salter / Volvo Ocean Race
Leg 3 - Cochin to Singapore
"The best finish ever," raved Ericsson 3's Magnus Olsson as his team pulled up to the dock at Sentosa Island in Singapore, following its third place finish in leg three. The irrepressible Swede, a veteran of six editions of the race wasn't finished: "It was just incredible. If you like sailing, you have to love the Volvo Ocean Race...2,000 miles and just a few seconds between us? Come on, it was great."
Olsson was referring to what was surely the closest finish between four boats in the history of the race, as the top four boats crossed the line within 20 minutes following 10 days of racing.
Fighting for every inch, Telefonica Blue, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, crossed the finish line at the end of leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race to score a memorable victory in Singapore.
The 1,950 nautical mile leg, which started from Cochin, India, on December 13, was a leg of mental and physical torture for the crew, and took nine days, four hours, 51 minutes and 22 seconds to complete (09:04:41:22).
PUMA, led by skipper Kenny Read claimed second, 17 minutes behind the Spanish team, while the final podium spot went to Ericsson 3 skippered by Anders Lewander, who beat stablemate Ericsson 4 to take third.
Ericsson 4 was relegated to fourth place, the first leg the team hasn't won, although skipper Toben Grael will take some consolation from passing through the scoring gate at Palau We in first place earlier in the leg. They still lead the race overall, but the margin has narrowed to just 4.5 points over Telefonica Blue.
It was a torturous leg in many ways. After the teams streaked down the continent and turned left into the Bay of Bengal, the fleet had to deal with a strong opposing current, made all the worse by an exclusion zone south of Sri Lanka which forced them further south and into the stronger flow.
Telefonica Blue built an early lead well to the south of the rest of the fleet while Ericsson 4 and PUMA led the group to the north. It's a huge gamble for Bouwe Bekking as he splits from the other seven boats.
Delta Lloyd suffers a tremendous setback when its keel ram separates from the bulkhead, limiting the team to sailing with the keel pinned in the middle. At first, skipper Roberto Bermudez looks for a port to head towards to make repairs. But as the hours tick off, it becomes clear the team is able to sail the boat, albeit more gingerly than usual.
As the fleet converges ahead of the scoring gate, Ericsson 4 slips into the lead and collects the maximum four points on offer. But Telefonica Blue isn't far behind and Ericsson 3 is in third place.
The fleet turns right and enters the busy Malacca Strait for the final push to Singapore. And as they close in on the line, it becomes clear this isn't going to be an ordinary finish. The top four boats are all very close, certainly within an hour of each other.
In fact, it turns out to be the closest group finish in race history, with the top four boats within just 20 minutes. Bouwe Bekking and his men on Telefonica Blue break Ericsson 4's winning streak and close the gap with the overall race leader who can only manage a fourth place finish.
After crossing the line off Singapore, Bekking and his crew are ecstatic.
"It is a very sweet victory. Very special - just before Christmas - a nice little gift for us and very nice because all the families are here," Bekking said. It will be good to see all the happy faces when we get in.
"It was incredible for us. We were in the lead, then we lost it and then took it back again. In the final six or seven miles, the breeze died completely and the other guys got very close, then we got a little puff of breeze and I managed to bring her home.
"I have never seen the guys so happy. I have known them for quite a while and normally they are very cool, but they were just ecstatic when they went through the finish. It is a huge thing for us."
Ken Read on finishing second said: "I have never done anything like this before and I'm not really sure I want to do it again. Unbelievable. Hats off to the Telefonica guys, they did a nice job, congratulations. Nobody can remember the last time they either slept or ate. It has really been all hands on deck."
The second half of the fleet wasn't far behind, with Telefonica Black securing fifth place ahead of Green Dragon. Team Russia was seventh, while Delta Lloyd limped home just in time for Christmas.