Thursday 11 June 2009

VOR: ERICSSON 3 LEG EIGHT DAY 5 QFB: received 10.06.09 1121 GMT


A tired Magnus Olsson, on leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Galway to Marstrand. Image copyright Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race.

by Gustav Morin

It ain’t over

No breeze and an ETA which said we had six days to go to Marstrand. That’s what we were looking at this morning and, at the same time, we were still at the back of the fleet, with only PUMA behind us. And they were doing good speed...

Now, at lunchtime, we have got some breeze back, around 10 knots from 300 degrees and it seems that the centre of the low pressure has now moved from our shoulders. Nice.

We spent the time in the light to sleep, repair and telling stories. Our sailmaker Martin Strömberg was the busiest. Our big gennaker needed some love. We ripped the foot of it in a gybe yesterday and Martin now repaired it with spray glue and some ‘sticky back’. The clew also needed some reinforcement which Martin solved with some good old needle and thread work.

Of course we are not to happy about our situation here along the coast of Denmark, but we keep on struggling, hoping that some kind of over taking lane will show up as we get closer.

“This place is always very tricky. On the Round Sjaelland races I have sailed the wind has always done unexpected things”, says Thomas Johanson.

“Well, we will for sure not give up before the fat lady has sung”, Richard Mason concludes.

Volvo Ocean Race

No comments: