11:33 AM Wed 29 Apr 2009 GMT
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 © |
www.volvooceanrace.org
by Riath Al-Samarrai
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