Ericsson 4 sitting pretty after Qingdao success

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-10 14:36

Ericsson 4 extended their lead in the Volvo Ocean Race Monday following two in-port races in Qingdao.

Yachts compete during in-port races of the Volvo Ocean Race Monday in Qingdao. The race, one of the most arduous in sport, will end in St Petersburg, Russia, in June after nine months spent negotiating 10 stages over 37,000 nautical miles. [Xinhua]

Only four of the seven boats that arrived in the Chinese port took part in the two rounds of races, which were postponed from Saturday due to inclement weather conditions including fog and insufficient wind.

The latest results tally with the overall leader board coming into Qingdao, with Ericsson 4 leading with four points, followed by Telefonica Blue (3.5 points), PUMA (3) and Chinese yacht Green Dragon (2.5).

Green Dragon had a fantastic first race Monday morning that saw them claim second place and push Ericsson 4 hard for first. But the second race did not go their way, and the yacht lost ground on the fleet after rounding the first mark. It was a case of playing catch up from there on in. They pushed hard but were unable to close the gap on PUMA, who took third leaving Green Dragon second and fourth at the end of the day.

When the grueling ocean race began last October it had a fleet of eight but this had been whittled down to four by the time they arrived in Qingdao, marking the conclusion of the fourth leg.

The leg, which ran from Singapore to Qingdao, saw Telefonica Blue finish first, followed by PUMA, Ericsson 4 and Green Dragon.

Team Russia pulled out before the latest leg. Spain's Telefonica Black and Irish-owned Delta Lloyd failed to complete it due to the severe damage they picked up en route. Both will be shipped to Rio de Janeiro on a cargo vessel to continue the race.

Meanwhile, Ericsson 3 pulled into Taiwan after cracks were found in her hull. A replacement will be made in Italy then air freighted to Taiwan for assembly.

Ericsson 4 now leads the overall ranking with 49 points. Telefonica Blue stands second with 45, edging PUMA into third (41) and Green Dragon into fourth (30).

The in-port races, of which Qindgao marked the third series of this year's challenge, are equal to half an ocean race leg. As such, they provide each syndicate with a perfect opportunity to get back in the running with the help of some valuable extra points.

There are 10 ocean legs and seven in-port races on the calendar this year for the race that spans 37,000 miles and demands a commitment of about nine months.

After Qingdao, the regatta will depart on Valentine's Day (Saturday) for Rio. This 12,300-mile stretch marks the longest leg of the race and will see the fleet leaders arrive in the Brazilian port on March 20.