If we were handing out Oscars for performances in the last 72 hours, then the crew of Green Dragon would be the Slumdog Millionaires of the fleet. The Dragon’s red-carpet entrance to the Intertropical Convergence Zone certainly turned heads.
The decision to gamble on an easterly approach to the Doldrums was worthy of a scene from Ocean’s 13. And as reported in today’s TEN ZULU, it was Ian Walker’s men who emerged from the cashier’s queue with the biggest payout.
The Data Centre shows that the Dragon has gained 140 miles Distance To Leader (DTL) on Ericsson 4 since 13:00 GMT on Saturday.
Best supporting role must surely go to the Doldrums. For it is the Doldrums, not for the first time in this race, which has brought about compression in the fleet and put a whole new complexion on the leaderboard.
But what of the others? Well Ericsson 3 is worthy of a special mention in the comeback category. Conceding seven hours to their rivals at the start of this leg, Magnus Olsson’s crew are now within four miles of second-placed PUMA, who in turn are 24 miles adrift of Ericsson 4.
Green Dragon was +129 and Telefonica Blue, which gave the pack a 19-hour head start out of Qingdao, was +134.
The understudies continue to trim the deficit to the leading men. Boat speeds hover around 10 knots, although, for the past few hours, Telefonica Blue has averaged 12. Green Dragon also gets the award for the best 24-hour run, with 315 nautical miles. E4's run stood at 247.
The concertina effect will play a part for at least the next few days before the entrance to the Southern Ocean proper.
In an email entitled “Rolling The Dice” (the gambling habit is catching), Ericsson 3’s Media Crew Member Gustav Morin talked of the 50-mile gain on the shoe boat in the past 24 hours and of the roulette wheel that is the Doldrums.
For Sweden’s Morin, it is still a “högrisk spel” (high risk game) out there. Conditions overhead are clouding the situation, he adds.
"We have reached the Doldrums and the game of rolling dice can begin,” he said. “Even though the convergence zone is not as big as it has been in the last crossings (Leg 1 and 2), it is still impossible to predict what’s going to happen with the wind over the next few days.
"We have to keep 100 per cent watch for the clouds and try to find the best way around them. Otherwise you can easily get stuck, like PUMA did earlier.”
On Telefonica Blue, Bouwe Bekking reported that a message of volcanic proportions landed in the inbox of their navigation warning system. It read: "North Pacific, Nanpo shoto. Discoloured water with submarine volcanic activities observed. In vicinity of 24-17.1N 141-29.0E”.
"Yes, indeed a volcanic ‘eruption’ very close where we crossed this position a couple of days ago,” Bekking said. “Good it didn't happen when we were there, as not sure how we would have reacted... and rather don't want to know the consequences.
"So what other ‘dangers’ are out here? Radioactivity is one of them, a big thanks to the countries who have been playing here with atomic bombs about 30-40 years ago. Some of the atolls are still highly radioactive, and the Pacific pilot recommends a wide berth around these atolls.
"The Pacific pilot has provided us some nice reading material, and it is a shame that we are racing through this area. Wouldn't it have been nice to make several stops here and to explore some of the atolls? The pictures say it all. It is paradise.”
Speaking of pictures, Bekking reported that Media Crew Member Gabriele Olivo had to be a little inventive with his camera angles on deck owing to a scene straight out of “How To Look Good Naked”.
The calm conditions and the hike in temperature had meant shower time on the Blue boat and Olivo confined his focus to portrait photography.
"As it was sunny and no water over the deck it was drying out time,” Bekking said. “The only shots Gabri could take were restricted to face shots, as we were we all running around half naked, all desperately trying to dry out underwear and our bodies.”
Ericsson 3 also took the time to wash away the labours of the past week. Spring cleaning was also on the jobs list. “It has been warm the last couple of days but since it still has been wet sailing we haven’t been able to open up the hatches,” Morin said. “
"Today we could open both hatches over the galley and aft and make the air flow all the way through the boat, and for the first time in a long while, the smell is actually acceptable down here. At least someone from the outside would no longer faint from just sticking his nose under deck.”
It hasn’t all been a clean bill of health on Green Dragon as Walker reports that a bug is picking off the crew one by one. The team has taken the precaution of sterilising food containers.
Walker says the on-board reality is that if one person gets ill, it is a fair assumption that everyone will. Freddie Shanks is the latest victim and he has commandeered Media Crew Member Guo Chuan’s bunk as a sick bay.
“The lurgy is having an increasing hold on our crew,” he reports. “Over half the crew has suffered so far with a queue for the head (toilet) not uncommon. I am probably next in line and funnily enough I can feel a sore throat coming on. I'm off to find the vitamin pills.”
Finally, for PUMA, a new arrival, as revealed by Rick Deppe. “We just got news that Michi’s (Michael Mueller) partner gave birth to a healthy little girl - Mia Carlotta. Congratulations to you both and a message for mum Meike - we will try and get to Rio as quick as we can so that we can stick Michi on a plane ASAP.”