8:09 PM Tue 17 Feb 2009 GMT
Latest news from the Volvo Ocean Race, leg 5 to Brazil.
ERICSSON 4 LEG FIVE DAY 4 QFB: received 17.02.09 0446 GMT
We are now leaving behind the cold water and cold air as we enter the Pacific and continue our march to the east. You may wonder why we are all heading predominantly east and not taking a straighter route towards New Zealand.
Well, the answer is simple really. These Volvo 70s like the wind to be free so we can sail fast angles and really keep the boat moving along at wind speed or higher. To this end, we are using the northerly winds we now have to make some miles to the east before we join up with the north east trades in a few days time. If it all pans out then by the time we get headed we will have enough of an easterly position to head south and keep the boat sailing the fast angles that it loves. This should enable us to reach the scoring line at 36 south a lot sooner than taking the direct route.
The Volvo 70s, more than any previous Volvo/Whitbread design, use their incredible reaching performance to sail around unfavourable weather at much faster speeds than sailing direct. What this means in practice for leg five is that for a 12,300 mile leg we will probably end up sailing close to or even more than 1,000 miles further than that in order to arrive in Rio as quickly as possible. We knew it would be a long leg but thinking about the best routing option being so much longer is hard to take! Anyway, back to it, three days gone and only 11,500 nm to go. Or should that be more like 12,500?
Stu Bannatyne - Watch Captain
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ERICSSON 3 LEG FIVE DAY FOUR QFB: received 17.02.09 0504 GMT
Black and white
Life onboard a Volvo 70 is very different from day to day, everything depends on the weather and winds.
As a media crewmember, it is more black and white than for the sailors. When it's windy you are full on. That is the best time to take stills and video and, at the same time, you need to pump the bilge out every hour. That is also the time when the crew really appreciates help with all that, and it includes food and drinks. It is also the most important time to send media material, since everyone on land wants to know how the boats and crews are coping with the heavy conditions.
When it's calm weather everything is more calm. You still need to take pics and video, but everything is easier and takes less energy since the boat is not rocking like it was an earthquake. It's also time to catch up with everything you couldn't do when it was windy.
But now, this early in the race when I don't have a massive amount of material from before to deal with, and without the possibility to send video due to the satellites being unavailable, I am pretty much living in luxury. I still take photos and do video and editing, to have material to send when the satellites gets back in business on the 24th. But there is no stress.
This morning was really a luxury one. We had around 16 knots of wind and almost flat water. The boat was behaving calm and controlled and there was no water to bilge out.
I had a six hour nice sleep. Woke up at five and made porridge for the guys, as usual. Then I indulged myself with some muesli with pieces of fresh orange and pear. We still have some fruit onboard and it is a fantastic fresh contrast to the freeze-dried stuff. After that I 'worked from home' a couple of hours, which means I was sitting in my bunk with the laptop in my lap.
Quite a contrast to the days before when the boat was rocking constantly doing between 20 and 36 knots in up to 40 knots of winds. You really have to enjoy the luxury moments when you get the opportunity.
Gustav Morin - MCM
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TELEF?NICA BLUE LEG FIVE DAY 4 QFB: received 17.02.09 1110 GMT
Hi There,
After our unplanned stop we are well on our way. It was a shame to find ourselves back in Qingdao so soon after we had left, but I have to admit that I managed to take full advantage of what I saw as a bonus meal while the boat was sat on the dock for repairs and, as a result, I left Qingdao (on the second attempt) full of steak, pizza, chicken nuggets and any other junk food that happened to stray in my direction! Hopefully that junk food fix will last me the next 40 days (unlikely though I think!!!). Early Sunday morning, after some fantastic work by the shore team we, with a keel as new, said goodbye to our loved ones once again and set about getting back into this 12,000 mile marathon.
Once we finally left the dock, we were underway pretty swiftly and have been blast reaching since we left the waters of Qingdao. Korea then Japan flew by and with it the water temperature has been steadily climbing make things warmer on deck even though the spray continues to pelt us non-stop. We have had pretty good pace since the start, but it is going to be a long process to grind down the opposition and get ourselves back into the race. However, we must remain patient, stay motivated and keep alert for the opportunities that arise, however small in order that we can close the gap to the four in front.
As for me, I am very much enjoying a return to things on deck. It is nice to be back on the wheel, driving the boat hard and focusing on making us go fast once again. With the wind at 25-30 knots at times and things on the edge I once again get to feel the adrenaline rush of having to go on deck and push the boat hard, but, at the same time, keep it on its feet and under control.
I have to admit I am also rather enjoying a return to a more regular sleeping pattern too and cannot remember the last time a spent so relaxed and refreshed after a couple of days into a race!! That said, it is important that with our rivals so far in front we do not get too settled - it is up to us to keep the pressure on ourselves, to get the very best out of the boat as the other boats are not around to push us on.
With that said, I am going to put my head down for a couple hours before returning back to the fresh air and salt spray in order to push hard again for another four hours.
Until tomorrow,
Simon Fisher - strategist/helmsman
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