SAILING VOLVO OCEAN RACE:THE PODIUM places in the toughest leg in recent memory of the Volvo Ocean Race were decided here yesterday when the leaders fought a close battle to the line at the end of the 2,500-mile course from Singapore to China.
Ireland’s Green Dragon, sailing to its unofficial second home port, is the only other boat still competing in the leg.
Yesterday’s finish saw five-time race veteran Bouwe Bekking maintain the lead his Telefonica Blue team has held since they persevered in the storms and high seas seven days ago off the Philippines, and again this week off Taiwan.
That lead and the eight points they picked up for the leg win came at the expense of overall leader Torben Grael on Ericsson 4, who had opted for prudence and sheltered while Bekking set out to cross the Strait of Luzon.
Grael eventually reeled in Bekking, even to within 30 miles, but an encounter with bamboo fishing nets two days ago handed second place to American Ken Read on Puma Ocean Racing, who has been sailing with a broken boom.
“It was the hardest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race ever. It is just great to be here in one piece and we are in one piece,” Bekking said upon arrival in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta venue. “I am so happy with the team, they showed great seamanship. We have Olympic medallists and offshore sailors on board and they just got on with it and came together.”
Bekking’s win is the second consecutive victory for the Spanish boat, and, with Grael’s 11th-hour drop to third, the overall stakes have narrowed to just 3.5 points.
Green Dragon is expected to reach Qingdao tomorrow, though freshening headwinds could extend this. The crew is nursing the Irish and Chinese-backed boat for fear of exacerbating the damage to a forward bulkhead caused by the pounding to the hull into six- to eight-metre waves that peaked at twice that height.
But at 300 miles behind the first three finishers, skipper Ian Walker has not been under pressure to catch up. Equally, with one other boat formally retired and two others suspended racing, it seems certain the double-Olympic medallist will move up into fourth.
The other boats, Ericsson 3 and Team Delta Lloyd, which are in Taiwan hoping to be repaired, could yet score points if they resume racing and deliver to Qingdao.
In the light of the significant damage caused to the fleet over the past 10 days, this year’s speaker for the RNLI Lifeboats “Sailing by the Lee” fund-raising dinner next week should be able to offer a unique historical perspective from personal experience.
In 1971, Chay Blyth became the first person to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world against the prevailing winds and current, and he was a skipper in the first Whitbread Round the World Race.
Twenty years ago, he launched the British Steel Challenge that enabled first-time sailors to “pay-to-play” in a round-the-world race following his route against the prevailing conditions, a taste of which the professionals got in spade-loads over the past 10 days.
Supported by North Sails Ireland, tables of 10 at €500 each for Sailing by the Lee at the Maryborough Hotel, Cork, next Friday are available from Kinsale RNLI on 087 918 3337, or email Susie at kinsale@gmail.com.
