Bouwe Bekking may have been first to pop the cork on his champagne, but Torben Grael had the broadest grin at the end of the Qingdao in-port race.
Maybe he was just relieved to get the race sailed. After all, two consecutive days of cancellations is hardly ideal preparation for a 12,300-nautical mile leg that begins in less than a week.
More likely he was pleased to have followed up a first place in the day’s opening race with a second in the final session. It was enough to give Ericsson 4 the day’s spoils and grow their lead at the top of the leaderboard by half a point, leaving them four ahead of Telefonica Blue, who finished second after a fourth and a first.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “Things are looking good for us and we keep picking up points. But it was hard.”
No one expected it to be anything but. This region, as shown in the Olympics, experiences light and shifty winds in addition to a strong current and today was no exception. In fact, just seven knots were on offer in the day’s first race and less than five greeted the fleet in the second. Coupled with changes in wind direction – it veered by as much as 25 degrees – it was tricky.
“It’s good to come out of those conditions with a win,” Grael said.
Telefonica Blue and Green Dragon attacked the issues with jibs in the first start and crossed the line first, while Ericsson 4 led the late crossing PUMA on port tack, both with Code Zero sails.
“We figured with the Code Zero we had to minimize manoeuvres, and we wanted to go right,” Ericsson tactician Stu Bannatyne said. “It worked out very well for us.”
At the first windward mark, it was Ericsson 4 from Telefonica Blue, Green Dragon and PUMA, but a lot of changes were in the offing. By the second windward mark Green Dragon were leading Ericsson 4 and Blue held third from PUMA. Both duels became match races and ultimately the teams who had been trailing reversed their orders.
“Very marginal conditions for racing and for a lot of points,” Grael said. “A tough day, but a good day. It couldn’t have been any better so we’re very happy. We did well on the starts and the crew work was very good.”
Bekking was a victim of the variable conditions. “We went after Ericsson 4 at the start, the others took the other gate, got some pressure and sailed away. Very simple.”
PUMA’s Ken Read summed up his race. “We got an awful start and suffered for it. One mistake and that’s it.”
The second race was even lighter. PUMA went over the line early after losing their tussle with Ericsson 4, taking a penalty turn in the process, while a port tack start for Green Dragon was just what Ian Walker wanted. At the first gate, Ericsson 4 and Telefonica Blue were level, but Green Dragon made up lots of ground and crossed ahead of Ericsson 4.
Grael’s crew regained the position on the final beat, but had little chance of catching Bekking, who had streaked away into a huge lead. Green Dragon slipped behind PUMA, who took third for the race and the final spot on the podium.
“It could have been worse, we could have been last,” Bekking said. “It was typical Qingdao conditions, very shifty, a lot of current. We got bitten in the first one and did well in the second, got the pressure and kept extending.”
Read was disappointed with his day. The American and his crew have been superb on the start-line until now, but Read blamed their performances at the gun for both third-placed finishes.
“The first start was simply a mistiming,” he said. “Second start we wanted the pin and we tacked back early. I saw Torben coming in and I thought we were just about on layline for the pin. What we did not pick up was a big right shift in the middle sequence so all of a sudden laying the pin was us laying easy and he could make that lee-bow stick. If it remained just laying the pin he would have been in a tough spot and we probably could have rolled over him easy. We need to be able to pick up that last-minute shift.”
Image: © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race