1:03 AM Mon 26 Jan 2009 GMT
Volvo Ocean Race boat news as some of the fleet battles its way to China.
ERICSSON 3 LEG FOUR DAY 8 QFB: received 25.01.09 1336 GMT
Tomas 'Tompe' Johansson just told me a breathtaking story from yesterday night.
We were passing the north top of the Philippines with 40 to 44 knots of wind and nasty sea state. The wind had been the same during the day, but during the night, you have to feel your way forward since the surroundings are just black.
'We were doing alright, punching our way over the wave with just the storm jib up. Every now and then I saw white water and had to steer away and receive the wave a bit from the side. If you don't turn your boat will not survive for long since breaking waves means free falling after you've reached the top', Tomas said.
'One of these breaking waves was a lot bigger than the others. I was quickly trying to steer away, but as I finished the turn the wave washed over the side of the yacht and hit me hard in the side. I lost my grip and was washed off the steering podium. I managed to hold on to the wheel but the rest of my body was swept away. Luckily I had my harness attached. It abruptly stopped the little detour and with my hands still on the wheel I just managed to crawl back in position without losing control of the boat.
The storm has left some wear behind. Yesterday our wind instruments broke, Jens Dolmer/DEN fell and hurt his ribs, everyone is lacking sleep and we had to spend the entire morning fixing rips in the mainsail. You can easily notice the tiredness. Small mistakes are made and people are a bit grumpy.
On the nice side, this afternoon the wind calmed down quite a bit and we took out two of the three reefs. The sun came out and it was pretty nice there for a while. The reason why we didn't then and still haven't hoisted a bigger headsail is because the sea state still is quite messy. And I hear that it is going to be worse again. Another push is heading our way.
Gustav Morin - MCM
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ERICSSON 4 LEG FOUR DAY 8 QFB: received 25.01.09 1455 GMT
Still being thrown about like a ball in a bingo machine, it just makes everything take so much longer. After the odd specially big wave you can hear various different curses in several different languages and accents around the boat as the wrong button is pressed, the computers crash, the tea is spilt or the footing is changed to make that dry sock wet.
On deck it isn't even registered, just another wave. If you are sat at the back on one of these you could actually get some good air time as you get the little flick which takes you off your feet, but definitely not appreciated when you are there to spend a penny!
We hung back last night waiting for the breeze to subside enough before setting off for the Luzon Strait - we have always highlighted that its better to finish in as close to one piece as possible and if that meant without a win - then so be it . The big picture is the in-port race and the mass of points available on the next leg - but any damage could have put pay to all of this, and that included crossing a strait renowned for strong current, which with strong wind could have compromised the campaign significantly.
It's still been windy and rough today - but good ground has been covered and I have just heard Jules comment that he has spotted Taiwan for the first time in his life.
When we were getting everything tidy, after the mess which comes hand in hand with big winds (especially when sailing on the wind), a clothing crime was highlighted. These crimes come about when someone ' can't really be bothered' to tidy after themselves', especially if the offending article is wet. These articles usually end up in our 'crimes' bag so thy can at least get stacked rather than lurk in a puddle to leeward. This article went straight in the bin - the reason? Because they were a pair of South American underpants in which people can see what the wearer had for breakfast. In fact it was with much pleasure that Phil dropped them in as he had seen enough of Torben strutting around in them some days earlier - and to find them lying around was a real bonus.
To be honest we were surprised to see them lying around as Torben is quite tidy and if he mislays something, his old pal Horacio is there to help - yes Horacio is to Torben what Robin is to Batman - so to speak!
The temperature is dropping and you can notice it every few hours getting colder. Onward and upward to China - looking forward to sitting down without everything shaking in a few days time.
Guy Salter - MCM
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DELTA LLOYD LEG FOUR DAY 8 QFB: received 25.01.09 1215 GMT
Hi all,
First my apologies for not having sent in our QFB yesterday. I had other things on my mind then.
As you all are aware, we had to take shelter after ripping our mainsail whilst trying to start the crossing to Taiwan. We set up the trysail and searched the chart for a good place to anchor. We found a nice spot in the bay of Salomague Harbour. Nicely secluded and giving perfect shelter. First, we all took a rest. After all, it had been a very exciting day. During the night, Green Dragon also arrived in this bay.
After sunrise all gathered on deck and soon we picked up the jobs that needed our attention. The mainsail repairs being the biggest job was taken care of by Stuart Wilson/NZL, Johnny (Gerd Jan Poortman/NED) and Morgan White/AUS. David Pella/ESP. fixed the steering wheel, which was broken on the outer ring.
Meanwhile all sorts of other tasks were done, of which cleaning out the boat was an important one. Luckily, some local fishermen came alongside and were willing to take our garbage ashore. Good riddance.
Progress went well and in the afternoon, we were able to prepare the mainsail. Our goal was to sail at 1800 hours, but, after seeing Green Dragon weighing anchor, the work speed increased even more and we managed to raise the anchor at 1710 (LT).
At present, we are sailing on a swell that has the character of yesterday's storm. Still high, but under the current conditions (11.5 knots wind), no problem. The spirit among us all is to sail as fast as possible to Qingdao. Strangely enough, some of us even long for the cold weather in China...
Cheers,
Frits Koek - navigator
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TELEF?NICA BLUE LEG FOUR DAY 8 QFB: received 25.01.09 0822 GMT
A great team effort brought us through the horror storm. Monster waves and a max recorded wind speed of 55 knots, (then the wind gear busted), which gave us a lot action and the lead in the race.
Unfortunately, our teammates on the black team didn't survive and sustained major damage and had to retire. Up to then they had had a great race, and we were neck on neck when this happened to them.
Being onboard in these conditions is like being in a washing machine, which, in the meantime is continuously hit by sledgehammer, very ,very noisy. We sailed most of the time with three reefs and the storm jib up, with the keel in the middle and all the sails downstairs as well, just to make sure we could sail as slow as possible, but with enough steerage, to avoid big waves.
The only thing I could do was giving my thoughts and input from my bunk, the word 'frustrated' is not strong enough how I felt. The boys did a great job to nurse our puppy through these conditions, and above all, they understood that the main goal was to come through without damage. When they asked for more sail, I said no, until the moment I felt comfortable we sailed that way. Being downstairs, you can feel so much. I can tell who is driving, when it will be a big launch of wave, you feel one with the boat.
Last night we tacked to sail way from the finish, as we started crashing too hard, so invested some of our lead, you can't have it all. Since this morning, we are full in race mode again.
Oh, yes, I am feeling much better and can move around a bit again, so no excuses for not writing more.
Cheers,
Bouwe Bekking - skipper
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by Various Volvo Ocean Race competitors
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