Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson 3 hopeful of podium spot in St Petersburg

11:33 AM Wed 29 Apr 2009 GMT

'Ericsson 3, skippered by Magnus Olsson (SWE) finish second on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston, crossing the finish line at 21:17:58 GMT 26/04/09' Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race &copy Click Here to view large photo

Volvo Ocean Race. They are closer to fifth than they are third, but the in-form crew of Ericsson 3 have not abandoned hopes of snatching a space on the podium when the race finishes in St Petersburg.

Magnus Olsson and his Ericsson 3 team have been formidable in the last two legs, winning the fifth stage in breathtaking fashion before claiming second in the race to Boston.

Their skipper was keen to keep expectations down when they arrived on Sunday, but the 11-point gap between them and third-placed Puma is not insurmountable, according to watch captain Richard Mason.

'We are going to have to work really hard to get on the podium,' he said. 'So we have a lot to do but there is every chance we can get on or damn near the podium.'

One reason for such hope is their offshore form. The team has collected podium positions on five of six legs - they were second when they suspended racing in leg four before resuming to take fifth - comprising three third-placed finishes, one second and one win.

Only Ericsson 4 has an equal record, albeit with three wins, while at the six scoring gates Ericsson 3 managed a first, two seconds, a third and two sixth-placed finishes. That's the second best tally in the fleet - again Ericsson 4 is leading with three wins and three seconds - but the Achilles heel of Olsson's crew is found inshore.

Mason said: 'The focus returns to our in-port performance which is pretty dismal. It needs to improve.'

Navigator Aksel Magdahl added: 'I think it is very difficult and we have a lot of challenges, especially in the shorter legs and the in-port races.'

To illustrate his point, the figures show they have been very poor around the cans. In addition to missing the Qingdao in-port race because of their late finish in leg four, they have scored two sixth-placed finishes and one seventh. Only Team Russia has a worse record, having raced just one of the inshore courses.

Another area where they have suffered is in the Jury room. They lost four points for having a non-compliant keel - comprising a one-point deduction for the first in-port race and also the scoring gate, and two from their first leg score - and they lost a further point for entering an exclusion zone on leg three.

Without such penalties they would be six points adrift of third place with four legs, three in-port races and one scoring gate to go. Instead they face a hefty task.

But, as Magdahl said, it's not impossible. 'If we sort out the inshore races - which might be a little too much to expect - and keep doing this well offshore, we have a chance,' he explained. 'We are the most consistent on podiums offshore. It is difficult but we will try all we can.

'We are still improving so we can do well.'

Ericsson 3, skippered by Magnus Olsson (SWE) finish second on leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston, crossing the finish line at 21:17:58 GMT 26/04/09 - Dave Kneale-Volvo Ocean Race &copy

www.volvooceanrace.org

by Riath Al-Samarrai

Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Sailing

Sailing

VHF Radio on the Water: Channels and Calls

Sailing

The Figure-8: Return to a Person Overboard

Sailing

Reefing Early: Shorten Sail Before It's Too Late

Sailing

Reefing Early: Shorten Sail Before You Must

Sailing

Heaving To: Park the Boat in a Blow

Sailing

The Beaufort Scale: How We Learned to Rank Wind

Sailing

Heave-To: Sailing's Emergency Pause Button

Nearby
North Head, NSW	5 kn SSW
Little Bay, NSW	9 kn SW
Cronulla, NSW	16 kn SW
Windiest in Australia
Wattamolla, NSW	31 kn S
Most Windless in Australia
Halls Creek, WA	Calm	26°
Hottest in Australia
Karijini North, WA	7 kn S	33°
Coldest in Australia
Falls Creek, VIC	12 kn SSE	-3°
Wettest in Australia
Hervey Bay, QLD	23.2 mm

Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson 3 hopeful of podium spot in St Petersburg

Read the Wind: Judge Its Force Without a Gauge

Overnight at Anchor: Setting Up Right

Reefing: Read the Signs, Act Early

Live Weather

Nearby

Windiest in Australia

Most Windless in Australia

Hottest in Australia

Coldest in Australia

Wettest in Australia

Sailing Articles

Buy & Sell

F-One Mirage Carbon Foil & Mast

2018 Ozone Enduro

2024 SMIK Custom Wing Board And Stokr Sup

2026 Duotone V2 Stash Excellent Condition

Starboard Combat

2021 Reedin Super E V2

2027 Axis Pocket Trench 40L

Know before you go

Download the Seabreeze app for iOS or Android.

Weather

Activities

About

Other

Support