‘Ericsson 4′ Team Comes 1st in 2nd Leg (kochi) Of Volvo Ocean Race

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1 December 2008 No Comment

The VOR (Volvo ocean race) 2008/2009 has arrived into India. The much awaited international race has accomplished its 2^nd leg successfully along with some hiccups during the voyage. The sailing yachts have reached Kochi (India) and the ones out of the 8 teams that made it 1^st from the port of South Africa is the “Ericsson 4″ team which is led by Brazilian Olympic gold medalist skipper Torben Grael. The other team to have made it to the Kochi port is the Telefonica Blue team who will soon be accompanied by the Ericsson 3 team.

Torben Graels team broke the world 24-hour record en route to winning the opening leg, picked up where they left off by first picking up a maximum four points at the scoring gate and then cruising to overall victory in 14 days, 11 hours and 32 minutes which gives them a total of 26 points escalating them right on top of the ladder.

Although the Ericsson 4 team is leading the charts, the skipper has maintained his modesty and said in a statement “Everybody’s very happy. It was a very tough leg with so many different conditions,” said Grael. “It’s just the beginning of the race, and there are some difficult legs ahead of us. A lot of unexpected things can happen, it’s good to be in the position we’re in.”

The winners received a low key welcome due to the recent terror attacks that took place in Mumbai (India) as over 195 people were reported dead and many more injured.

It hasn’t been a happy voyage for all the racers of the VOR as 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 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.

The eight yachts representing seven nations set out from the Spanish port of Alicante, Spain on October 11 for the 10th edition of one of sport’s most grueling and hazardous events.

Where to next?

After India, teams head through ports including Singapore, Qingdao and Rio de Janeiro before ending the 37,000 nautical miles (68,000 kilometers) race in Saint Petersburg in June 2009.

Current positions and standings of VOR teams -

Positions at 0100 GMT Sunday:

1. Ericsson 4 (SWE)/Torben Grael (BRA) Arrived in Kochi

2. Telefonica Blue (ESP)/Bouwe Bekking (NED) 90 nautical miles behind

3. Ericsson 3 (SWE)/Anders Lewander (SWE) + 85

4. Puma Ocean Racing (USA)/Ken Read (USA) + 126

5. Green Dragon (IRL-CHN)/Ian Walker (ENG) + 128

6. Delta Lloyd (NED)/Ger O’Rourke (IRL) + 134

7. Telefonica Black (ESP)/Fernando Echavarri (ESP) + 156

8. Team Russia (RUS)/Andreas Hanakamp (NED) + 523