Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 - Ericsson 4 Takes Line Honors

Cochin, India - The first and second yachts have made port in this leg of the 'round the world Volvo Ocean Race, and what a nasty leg it's been.  Yikes!  Several boats sustained major damage in the first days, and those that haven't crossed the line yet are in for a long, slow sail into India as the the winds have continued to drop.  Team Russia, for instance, has reported making less than 46 miles in 24 hours.  Leg two conditions can be best described as too much, followed by too little.

Line honors go to Ericsson 4, with a total time of 14 days, 11 hours and 32 minutes for this leg from South Africa to India.  Navigator Jules Salter said:  "When we entered the first layer of Doldrums we went pretty hard east and it was a key moment because it gave us a big lead. Also taking the southern road to the scoring gate enabled us to get there first." Salter, who attributes much of his team's navigation success to luck (while they attribute much to him), said that what has allowed Ericsson 4 to win is confidence in the boat.  "What makes a difference is that the guys feel comfortable pushing the boat hard all the time because the shore crew and designers did such a good job on it."

Telefonica Blue also pulled into port, happily taking second for the leg, and more happy to have pulled a mere seven points away from number one overall.  "This race is not over yet," said skipper Bouwe Bekking. "The gap between us is closing all the time and we are only going to get better. We can definitely win this race."  Interestingly, it's in the case of Telefonica Blue that luck definitely played a big part, though, as a broken daggerboard forced the team to change tacks last week, and this eventually put them into some unexpected wind, allowing a move from 6th to 2nd.  It seems the skilled attribute their success to luck, and the lucky attribute theirs to skill. 

Behind these two lie the fleet, and the boat presumably in third, Ericsson 3, invoked the "StealthPlay" rule, meaning their position is made unavailable to the other teams for 12 hours.  Smart call, since it is clear that the entire fleet is follwing them, looking for wind.  This blackout is a use-it-or-lose-it "race device" available on the longer legs (next on leg 5), to help encourage a bit more cloak and dagger, and a bit less follow the leader.  The teams are learning to use this to their advantage, as a lot can happen to shake things up in 12 hours.

While the bulk of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet will be in within the next day or so, the back of the pack is a terrible place to be.  Team Russia has had a tough time of it, clocking a measly average speed of less than two knots yesterday, and it's just been getting worse.  While the boats approaching land have been able to pick up local breezes, out there the air is just barely moving, and it's going to be a long wait for cold beer and dry beds.  At last report, Team Russia is over 400 miles out, sitting in the millpond.

- Brad Hampton exclusively for YachtPals.com

Volvo Ocean Race Current Standings Leg 2
Position/Yacht/Distance to Finish
Ericsson 4 FIN
Telefonica Blue    FIN   
Ericsson 3 79
PUMA Ocean Racing 122
Green Dragon 125
Delta Lloyd 131
Telefonica Black 142
Team Russia 576

Volvo Ocean Race Current Standings OVERALL
Position/Yacht/Points
Ericsson 4 26.0
Telefonica Blue 19.0
PUMA Ocean Racing 14.0
Green Dragon 14.0
Telefonica Black 8.5
Ericsson 3 8.5
Team Russia    6.5
Delta Lloyd    4.0

Read more about the Volvo Ocean Race:

• Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 - South Africa to India
• Sailing Photo of the Week - Volvo Ocean Race in Cape Town
• New Sailing World Record - Ericsson 4 Breaks the 600 Mile Barrier in Volvo Ocean Race
• Sailing Photo of the Week - Volvo Ocean Race
• Volvo Ocean Race - Worthy of the Hype?
• Volvo Ocean Race - Yacht Troubles and Pirate Dangers
• Sailing Photo of the Week - Volvo Ocean Race - On the Sea, or In it?

Sailing Video: Volvo Ocean Race leg 2