Ericsson on course for triumph in Volvo race
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 12, 2009 00:00
MARSTRAND - Sweden’s Ericsson 4 was on course to take the Volvo race around-the-world yesterday after extending its lead with a home win in the eighth stage of the grueling nine-month event.
The yacht arrived in the port of Marstrand near Gothenburg in southwest Sweden at around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) after covering the 1,250-mile leg from Galway in Ireland in 12 hours and 57 minutes.
It finished just minutes ahead of U.S. entry Puma Ocean Racing and Sino-Irish boat Green Dragon at the end of a tight race.
Ericsson 4, skippered by Brazil’s two-time Olympic champion Torben Grael, now has a 15-point lead in the event, with just 20 points left to be won in the two remaining stages and one in-port race, and its overall victory appears all but certain. Puma snatched second place in the overall standings from Telefonica Blue, which finished fourth in Marstrand.
"It was a very important result, a very close race," said Grael. "Green Dragon was sailing really well and they had an excellent leg. We're very close to winning the race, but we're not there yet."
Puma skipper Ken Read said he was "very proud" of his team after a difficult race in which the spinnaker broke.
’Amazing’
"Many people have asked if I could write a book about this around-the-world adventure and the truth is I could write a book about this leg only," he said. "It has been an amazing ride--and to think it has only four and a half days."
The seven teams will now spend three days in Marstrand before leaving Sunday on the short 500-mile leg to Stockholm, where Ericsson 4 is expected to confirm its overall victory in the capital of its home country.
The Volvo race, which began in Alicante, Spain in October, is to conclude in Saint Petersburg, Russia, late this month after negotiating 10 stages over 37,000 nautical miles.
It finished just minutes ahead of U.S. entry Puma Ocean Racing and Sino-Irish boat Green Dragon at the end of a tight race.
Ericsson 4, skippered by Brazil’s two-time Olympic champion Torben Grael, now has a 15-point lead in the event, with just 20 points left to be won in the two remaining stages and one in-port race, and its overall victory appears all but certain. Puma snatched second place in the overall standings from Telefonica Blue, which finished fourth in Marstrand.
"It was a very important result, a very close race," said Grael. "Green Dragon was sailing really well and they had an excellent leg. We're very close to winning the race, but we're not there yet."
Puma skipper Ken Read said he was "very proud" of his team after a difficult race in which the spinnaker broke.
’Amazing’
"Many people have asked if I could write a book about this around-the-world adventure and the truth is I could write a book about this leg only," he said. "It has been an amazing ride--and to think it has only four and a half days."
The seven teams will now spend three days in Marstrand before leaving Sunday on the short 500-mile leg to Stockholm, where Ericsson 4 is expected to confirm its overall victory in the capital of its home country.
The Volvo race, which began in Alicante, Spain in October, is to conclude in Saint Petersburg, Russia, late this month after negotiating 10 stages over 37,000 nautical miles.