Equipo Telefonica

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Fighting for every inch, Telefónica Blue, skippered by Dutchman Bouwe Bekking, crossed the finish line at the end of leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race to score an emphatic victory in Singapore today at 1451 GMT (2251 local time).

It was among the closest finishes in the race history, with the top four boats finishing within 20 minutes following nearly 10 days of racing.

The Spanish team takes a valuable eight points towards their overall score, which now stands at 30.5 points, putting them into second place overall (subject to protest).

The 1950 nautical mile leg, which started from Cochin, India, on December 13, has been a leg of mental and physical torture for the crew, which took nine days, four hours, 51 minutes and 22 seconds to complete (09:04:41:22)

Telefonica Blue arrives victorious in Singapore. 22 December 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

PUMA, led by Kenny Read/USA claimed second, 17 minutes behind the Spanish team, (finish time 1508 GMT) adding seven points to her tally, giving her a total of 27.5 points and third place overall. (Elapsed time: 09:05:08:01)

The final podium spot went to Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander/SWE), who beat their teammates on Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) to take third, and a total of 23.5 points overall. (Finish time 1509 GMT, elapsed time 09:05:09:48s)

Ericsson 4 was relegated to fourth place, adding five points to the four they earned for passing through the scoring gate a Palau We in first place. They still lead the race overall, but the margin has narrowed to just 4.5 points over Telefónica Blue. (Finish time 15:10:28 GMT elapsed time 09:05:10m28s).

After crossing the finish, Bouwe Bekking and his crew were ecstatic. Speaking from Telefónica Blue as they motored to Race Village at Sentosa Island and the waiting crowds and families, Bekking said:

“It is a very sweet victory. Very special - just before Christmas – a nice little gift for us and very nice because all the families are here. It will be good to see all the happy faces when we get in.

“It was incredible for us. We were in the lead, then we lost it and then took it back again. In the final six or seven miles, the breeze died completely and the other guys got very close, then we got a little puff of breeze and I managed to bring her home.

“I have never seen the guys so happy. I have known them for quite a while and normally they are very cool, but they were just ecstatic when they went through the finish. It is a huge thing for us.

“I told the guys to take it easy as especially in this part of the race, the seas can change in half an hour, and then we sailed a really good race from that point on. We had a couple of really good shifts and, tactically, it went our way and the guys sailed very fast in light airs, which is was why we won. It shows that Ericsson 4 is not invincible and it is really good overall for the race itself.”

Puma arrives in second position in Singapore. 22 December 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

Ken Read on finishing second said:

“I have never done anything like this before. Not really sure I want to do it again. Unbelievable. Hats off to the Telefónica guys, they did a nice job, congratulations. Nobody can remember the last time they either slept or ate. It has really been all hands on.”

Anders Lewander, skipper of Ericsson 3, the Nordic team, said:

“It’s been so enormously tough - all of this leg…but it’s been really amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it because of the close tactics and the mix of conditions. It’s hard work but the close encounters and the whole situation on this leg has been really challenging.

“I must admit that on several occasions during this leg, I truly believed we were able to win. I’m really proud and happy about our achievement…this short gybing and close encounters is really good racing.

”The Malacca Strait was challenging with night sailing up the shoreline…then the line-up with the four of us in very variable, light wind conditions. It was a bit of a lottery situation. But it was important to keep in mind the big picture and not necessarily look just at the short term.”

The next boat to finish will be Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) at approximately 1800 GMT.

Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 7 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 4: 5points (FINISHED)

Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA : 27.5 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon: 17.5 points (RACING)
6. Telefónica Black: 13.5 points (RACING)
7. Team Russia: 8.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 8 points (RACING)

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

It’s been seven days of working hard on “Telefónica Blue” since the boat was hoisted out of the water last Sunday for the usual post-leg checks and repairs to get the boat back into shape after facing the gruelling conditions that this race throws up. Today (Monday) at 12:30 GMT+1 the boat co-skippered by Íker Martínez and Bouwe Bekking was back on the water and ready for the pre-leg training sessions before she heads off to Singapore on December 13th.

With the entry back on the water the final jobs are now being carried out on the mast and the rigging; final touches that will be completely finished by Friday according to the shore team manager, Campbell Field.

The team themselves have been able to enjoy some rest, although there’s still work to be done for them too: “We’ve rested a bit and we’ve been out seeing the area, but we’ve been trying to keep up the gym sessions because they’re very necessary to physically recover well after each leg, because you lose a lot of mobility in your legs”, commented double Olympic medallist Íker Martínez.

This leg, which is 1,950 miles long, is shorter than the previous legs and light winds are expected. “We’re approaching this India-Singapoure leg in a similar way to how we approached the others. The only thing that changes really is that there are fewer miles and the fact that light breeze is expected means that might affect aspects such as weight etc. which become more important. We’ll be looking to be as light as possible, and we’ll be working hard at that as it could give us an edge speed-wise”, concluded Martínez.

Tom Addis takes over from Laurent Pages onboard Telefónica Blue a few days ago the Telefónica team doctor Cristina Pérez announced that the “Telefónica Blue” crewmember Laurent Pages would not be able to compete in the India-Singapoure leg of the race. The Frenchman suffered an injury a few days after departing from Cape Town, which meant he was unable to carry out his watch duties until the end of the leg at Kochin (India). Once the boat docked in India medical services evaluated the situation and discovered that Laurent had suffered an intraosseus contusion in his left shoulder.

Today the Telefónica team has officially announced the name of the person who will take over from Pages: Tom Addis (38) from Australia who is not only a sailor, but also one of the team’s meteorologists will be filling his shoes. He is an experienced man who took part of the Team New Zealand in the 32nd America’s Cup held in Valencia (Spain) as meteorologist and he has sailed on the Maxi “Alfa Romeo”.

“Unfortunately the injury means that Laurent won’t be with us for this stage”, said co-skipper onboard Telefónica Blue, Íker Martínez today. “Tom is already part of the team, and has worked with us for months as a meteorologist. We know each other well, we all know how we work together as a team and he knows the boat well as he has trained with us frequently since Alicante”.

It’s more than likely that the crews are going to find themselves with a real ‘lucky-dip’ of weather conditions during this leg, so Addis’ knowledge will definitely be a valuable contribution to the team.

“We’ve known him for months and I’m sure that he’ll bring as much to the boat as a crewmember as he has as a meteorologist onshore”, said Martínez.

Provided there are no last-minute changes “Telefónica Black” will also be back on the water tomorrow ready for training on Wednesday

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Fernando Echávarri from Spain brought Telefónica Black into Cochin, India, in fourth place on leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race, earning five points, which when added to their scoring gate total of 1.5 points, brings their total to 13.5 and sixth place on the overall leaderboard. The team was second in the in-port race in Alicante, but last on the first leg of the race from Alicante to Cape Town after suffering damage.

The team took 16 days, 00 hours, 40 minutes and 26 seconds to complete the leg, crossing the line at 1200 GMT (1730 local time). Although this is the first time that Echávarri, fresh from a Beijing gold-medal win in the Tornado class, has skippered a boat in the Volvo Ocean Race, he was part of the crew of the ill-fated movistar in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race. Movistar was skippered by Bouwe Bekking, who took second place on this leg yesterday, racing the second of this Spanish two-boat campaign, Telefónica Blue.

Echávarri, and his team were delighted to move up the order after spending much of this leg in the back third of the fleet of the fleet.

“We are really happy to be here after all our issues,” said Echávarri on arrival. “It is nice to be with our family and the Volvo family. We got really close to the other boats in the last few days, and we had to play it sharp and hug the coast to get pass them,” he explained.

Swedish navigator, Roger Nilsson, on his seventh lap of the planet, said: “Yesterday, we had the idea that if the other teams went to the beach, we would stay offshore. We then realised that offshore would not be good, so we didn’t care where the others were, we just got as close as one or two miles off the beach. I was surprised the other boats allowed us to do that and I was not surprised we gained. The sea breeze was very useful with its angle, and we came out the good way.”

The leg was not without its dramas for Telefónica Black. On day seven, 21 November, a problem with a halyard meant that Mike Pammenter from South Africa had to go to the top of the mast in 25 knots of wind. The boat heeled badly and he lost his grip on the mast, swinging round it twice before regaining his hold and completing the job. He returned to the deck, had his breakfast and went to bed, as if nothing had happened.

Echávarri and Nilsson chose the western route through the Doldrums, which for several days, looked as if it would not pay off, and on day 12, they were 112 nautical miles in arrears.

The team moved up to seventh place on day 13, 27 November, and stayed there, making their remarkable comeback over the last 48 hours, and going into StealthPlay in the closing stages of the leg.

Leg Two Finishing Order into Cochin, India
1. Ericsson 4/SWE (Torben Grael/BRA)
2. Telefónica Blue/ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED)
3. Ericsson 3/SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE)
4. Telefónica Black/ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP)

Overall Leaderboard (Provisional)
1. Ericsson 4: 26 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue: 19 points (FINISHED)
3. Ericsson 3: 14.5 points (FINISHED)
4. PUMA: 14 points (RACING)
5. Green Dragon: 14 points (RACING)
6. Telefónica Black: 13.5 points (FINISHED)
7. Team Russia: 6.5 points (RACING)
8. Delta Lloyd: 4.5 points (RACING)

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

We manage just to hang in with the leaders. What has happened to us is big disappointment for me and the rest of the guys, as we were, in our minds, ready to make more gains. We know that power reaching is a strong point for us.

We will investigate the daggerboard once we will reach Cochin. There was only 15 knots of breeze, but I reckon an impact with an object is the most likely cause. It is like a window in your car, it is very strong, but one little stone can shatter the glass into a thousand pieces.

I suspect that an impact damaged the board and this created the chain reaction. Frustrated, yes, but can’t change it back, keep chipping away and see what the future will bring us.

The boat is not easy to steer in these conditions, as we as we don’t have anything to prevent us sliding sideways. So every big wave, and there are many, hard pushes the bow down, resulting in making a big correction with the rudder, which of course creates drag. Normally if you look backwards, you can see a close to near straight line from the stern water, but now you can see that we zigzagging over the ocean. On deck it is back to normal, wet, wet, wet, the helmets and ski-goggles are out again, and the guys drive as hard as we can, as we know we are still in there.

Bouwe Bekking - skipper

Life aboard Telefonica Blue during leg 2. Southern Indian Ocean, 21 November 2008. Video copyright Volvo Ocean Race

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Bouwe Bekking] Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 starts Saturday, November 15th. This time the fleet faces 4,450 nautical miles from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cochin, India, the first completely new and unknown leg of the race to be sailed by the eight participating boats. No knowledge of these waters means that the teams will have to rely on statistics instead of experience. Now in his sixth round the world race, Bouwe Bekking feels confident in the days before the start of the second leg thanks to the preparatory work done with navigator Simon Fischer.

“We have studied data of this area collected from the last 16 years, so we have good understanding of what can happen in general. But clearly it will be a matter of keeping an open mind and adapting as we go along.” 16 years means 16 different situations for this time of year to study, but prudence may be the key to success, or in Bouwe’s words: “Stay close the fleet, and don’t do anything drastic, that’s our idea for this Leg. I think the boat will do all the good work for us.”

Strategy plays a very important role on this Leg, especially when one faces light to medium conditions, which is the theoretical situation for most of Leg 2. “Hang in there for the first couple of days and then strike once getting close to the equator,” Bouwe explains. The weather forecast for these first days of racing may shows a contrasting scenario in comparison to the theory, but the team of TELEFONICA BLUE is working with the forecast they have been given: “First we can go upwind as we leave Cape Town, then run in big breeze once we start heading North in the Indian Ocean.”

Big breeze is exactly what hit Cape Town this last week with gusts up to 60 knots, an unwelcome and unexpected situation that is destroying the teams’ schedules. “The locals have told us that it is never like this. We have been talking about what you would do if you had conditions like this at the start; common sense says you wait until the gale is over. But if you see others leave, you can’t stay behind. Luckily we don’t have to make that decision, as the wind will lighten off. The topic of discussion for the last few days has been how quick you can be back on the water after these stormy days here in Cape Town. My opinion is not to rush as I prefer to keep everything in one piece.”

Since the finish of the first Leg some of the teams have made crew changes. This is not the case with TELEFONICA BLUE as Bouwe explains: “I was happy with my team, so there is no reason for changes. I could see very good progress and development of our team members so it would be shame to get them off, and have to build up somebody else again. We are on the right track.”

“The crew is feeling confident and are fit. Of course we have had a little set back with the weather, but that is the same for all the others. We are on top of things.”

Time is too short in Cape Town

This first stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 has been short and perhaps even too short. For Bouwe Bekking’s team, the stopover lasted just 12 days before the restart of the race. “I haven’t seen much of Cape Town this time; it was home, base, home, base… Marginal time for recovering, it would have been way better with another 5 days!”

Luckily, the 6,500 nautical miles from Alicante to South Africa have not been so bad for the health of the blue Spanish VO70. “The job list was relatively small, with the only ‘big’ changes being in relation to the sails,” Bouwe explained.

Speaking about changes, we take a look at the load of the boat for this second leg, which will be shorter than the previous one but pretty tricky in terms of calculating the route and the amount of days on the water. “We have made some changes to our food and have adjusted our calculations for fuel consumption, based on the experiences learned on Leg 1.” Clothing is another area that has undergone changes. The route from Cape Town to Cochin leads the fleet across the equator for the second time, but also passes through areas where low temperatures will mean more clothing required than usual: “Basically we are bringing everything to cover both the cold parts and the hot bit at the end, so it’s a relatively big wardrobe.”

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Bouwe Bekking’s men have completed repairs to their damaged steering system are back on the race track, where overnight, the fleet compressed heading into the Atlantic.

The Telefonica Blue crew raised their mainsail at 06:17 GMT and the team proceeded to their last racing position where they resumed racing at 06:53 after serving their minimum 12 hour pit stop penalty.

“The problem is absolutely fixed, we’re back up and running,” said skipper Bouwe Bekking as his boat eased back towards the race course. “The rest of the boats are maybe about 100 miles ahead of us, but we’re looking forward to getting out there and trying to catch them up.

“How do I feel? Not very happy, but we have to carry on and see if we can claw back all the lost miles. Still a long way to go, and we know we can sail now optimal again.

Telefonica Blue in the Algeciras port in order to carry out the necessary repairs. Algeciras, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

“We were moored overnight in between all the big container ships, as the marina was closed, because of all the damage a big storm caused two days ago over here. The shore crew have done an excellent job.

“They set up a temporary workshop, and had a car full of tools with them. Just after arrival we had a short chat with them, and their wish was to do all the work themselves, and they send us off to a local hotel for a couple of hours of sleep.

Back at the boat at 0630, and they shore crew was just washing the decks off. Well done everybody. We can imagine that the Ericsson boys are feeling sick, as they had an excellent first day, but now got caught up again by the rest.”

Conditions are light, with the wind just 4 to 6 knots and the sea flat. The team still has to negotiate the tricky Strait of Gibraltar before reaching the Atlantic where Bouwe and his crew will have their work cut out for them as they attempt the long crawl up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet has passed through the Straight of Gibralter and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight, the fleet compressed dramatically, with the two Ericsson squads seeing their hard-won lead slowly evaporate.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Bouwe Bekking’s men have completed repairs to their damaged steering system are back on the race track, where overnight, the fleet compressed heading into the Atlantic.

The Telefonica Blue crew raised their mainsail at 06:17 GMT and the team proceeded to their last racing position where they resumed racing at 06:53 after serving their minimum 12 hour pit stop penalty.

“The problem is absolutely fixed, we’re back up and running,” said skipper Bouwe Bekking as his boat eased back towards the race course. “The rest of the boats are maybe about 100 miles ahead of us, but we’re looking forward to getting out there and trying to catch them up.

“How do I feel? Not very happy, but we have to carry on and see if we can claw back all the lost miles. Still a long way to go, and we know we can sail now optimal again.

Telefonica Blue in the Algeciras port in order to carry out the necessary repairs. Algeciras, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

“We were moored overnight in between all the big container ships, as the marina was closed, because of all the damage a big storm caused two days ago over here. The shore crew have done an excellent job.

“They set up a temporary workshop, and had a car full of tools with them. Just after arrival we had a short chat with them, and their wish was to do all the work themselves, and they send us off to a local hotel for a couple of hours of sleep.

Back at the boat at 0630, and they shore crew was just washing the decks off. Well done everybody. We can imagine that the Ericsson boys are feeling sick, as they had an excellent first day, but now got caught up again by the rest.”

Conditions are light, with the wind just 4 to 6 knots and the sea flat. The team still has to negotiate the tricky Strait of Gibraltar before reaching the Atlantic where Bouwe and his crew will have their work cut out for them as they attempt the long crawl up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet has passed through the Straight of Gibralter and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight, the fleet compressed dramatically, with the two Ericsson squads seeing their hard-won lead slowly evaporate.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

Telefonica Blue, the boat skippered by Bouwe Bekking and Iker Martínez, will finally make a stop in the Spanish port of Algeciras, after suffering rudder damages a mere 20 miles after the race start in Alicante.

While they kept sailing, the crew was able to identify and fix the problem, but given the drop in wind intensity as the fleet crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, they decided this afternoon to stop in order to check and control the situation. The team wants to make sure they have all damages fully repaired before embarking onto the Atlantic and minimize as much as possible the miles lost to the current leaders, Ericsson 3 and 4.

If everything goes according to schedule, and after carrying out the corresponding penalty, Telefonica Blue will resume racing in the early hours of Monday (local Spanish time).

Bouwe Bekking watches over Xábi Fernández and Pepe Ribes while the two try to repair the rudder. Southern Spain, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Gabriele Olivo / Equipo Telefonica

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocena Race] Telefonica Blue is hugging the coast of Spain after being slowed by steering damage on their Volvo Open 70 soon after the start of the 2008-09 race.

Skipper Bouwe Bekking had been jostling for the lead with PUMA and the Ericsson duo as the eight boats left the start line in Alicante Bay in 20-25 knots.

Just 20 miles into the first leg to Cape Town as the fleet drag raced to the Straits of Gibraltar, Bekking reported to race headquarters in Portsmouth that they had broken a tiller arm and were down to one rudder.

Bekking has yet to decide whether they will have to stop for repairs and a decidion is likely as they approach Gibraltar in the next few hours.

In a despatch to race headquarters, Bekking said: “What a day to start in, plenty of breeze, fast sailing with the spinnaker up, and we were neck on neck with Ericsson 4, not bad at all. We had great speed but all of a sudden a sickening crack.

“It turned out that a part of our steering broke, only 20 miles out from the start. Only one rudder was working so we made a beauty wipe-out. We had to take the spinnaker down and have been sailing slow for nearly 6 hours, when in the meantime Pepe (Ribes) and Xabier (Fernandez) were working on the repair.

“At one stage we tried to put up a big spinnaker, but we were totally out of control so quickly changed back to a small jib. Of course an option was to stop, but since the breeze is going to die, this would mean a long and painful sail out of the Med.

“Still not sure if we are going to stop and take the 12-hour penalty, we know it will be expensive, as the boats ahead will always sail in more pressure and will strech away from us.

“We have to shorecrew on standby, and have until Gibraltar to make my mind up. How do we feel, just gutted. The good thing is that we crawled back on some of the other boats, but the Ericsson guys are in fat city.”

Some good did emerge from Telefonica Blue’s misfortune as their enforced decision to head inland allowed them to gain on the pack as the wind eased during the night. They currently hold fifth place just behind of stablemates Telefonica Black and ahead of PUMA, Team Russia and Delta Lloyd.

At the sharp end, Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 are staging their onw private battle for the lead with a 30-mile gap back to Green Dragon in third place.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

The Telefonica Team has published a 5-minute video from today’s race start in Alicante that gives a good idea of the tough conditions that prevail throughout most of the southern part of the Iberian peninsula, from Valencia all the way down to Gibraltar. According to the local unscientific TV weather forecast, crews should expect up to 60 knots of breeze in the Strait.

The video is obviously biased towards the two local Spanish boats.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Telefonica Black have struck the first blow in the battle for bragging rights by winning a practice in-port race in Alicante today.

Fernando Echavarri’s crew led from the start and eventually completed the four-mile course in 51 minutes and 10 seconds, 56 seconds ahead of second-placed PUMA Ocean Racing.

Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael, were 61 second behind PUMA in third, while Green Dragon crossed the line 13 seconds after Grael.

Practice race of the Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 2 October 2008. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

Telefonica Blue finished fifth after spending 53 minutes and 27 seconds on the course, but Ericsson 3, the young Nordic crew led by Andres Lewander, could only manage sixth having held second going into the final downwind sprint.

Team Russia crossed after 55 minutes and 35 seconds – 25 seconds behind Ericsson 3 – while Team Delta Lloyd opted to continue their own individual preparations rather than taking part.

It was an intriguing first insight into the state of play ahead of Saturday’s curtain-raiser, but ultimately it counts for nothing but pride.

“We weren’t racing for points, but no one likes to lose,” said PUMA skipper Ken Read. “I think everyone was giving 100% out there.”

His team were hamstrung by a penalty turn on the second beat, but battled back superbly to reverse a 46-second deficit on Ericsson 3 at the third mark and beat Ericsson 4 by one minute and one second at the finish.

Practice race of the Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 2 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

It was in part due to the misfortune of Lewander’s team, who were third at the first two marks and second at the third, but suddenly lost four positions as they approached the gate midway through the final run.

Lewander explained: “It happened a while before we got to the gate. We had a sheet wrapped around the back of the boat and it took a while to sort it out.”

Echavarri was reserved in victory. He said: “We won, which is very good because I think all the crews tried hard. It’s obviously good to see that all the boats are quite similar in speed, but we did not get points so it cannot mean much.

“The most important thing is that we got practice because we are still making a lot of mistakes.”

Telefonica Black, winner of the practice race of the Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 2 October 2008. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

Practice race of the Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 2 October 2008. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

Practice race of the Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 2 October 2008. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The two Telefónica team boats have been christened by Spanish royalty during a ceremony at the team base in Alicante, Spain, the start port for the Volvo Ocean Race.

The Telefónica Blue boat, with a crew led by Iker Martinez, was christened by H.R.M. Elena, while Telefónica Black, with Fernando Echavarri in charge of a predominantly Spanish team, was blessed by H.R.M. Cristina.

“We are delighted to have H.R.M. Infantas Cristina and Elena here with us today,” said Echavarri. “H.R.M Cristina is an accomplished sailor and she has always been a good luck signal for us so it is a real pleasure to have her here as a Godmother for our team.”

Team CEO Pedro Campos took the opportunity to reflect on the hard journey it has been just to get to the starting line for a second time.

“Today is an important day for the Telefónica team,” he said. “During the last Volvo Ocean Race we had some big successes, as well as some really tough situations. For us it was an incredibly positive experience overall and the final evaluation was that we had to try again. So reaching this point today is a big part of what we are celebrating tonight.”

Following the christening (a bottle of San Miguel beer was smashed over the bow of each boat), the Infantas presented Pedro Campos and team skipper Bouwe Bekking each with a Royal flag which was promptly hoisted on each boat in the fading twilight of the evening while the Infantas greeted the two crews.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Equipo Telefonica] The Telefónica team has officially signed up Santiago Lange for the Volvo Ocean Race today. Born in San Isidro (Buenos Aires), the 46 year-old Argentinean has joined the Spanish team that has two boats on the starting line for the first time ever; “Telefónica Blue” and “Telefónica Black”. Lange will be sailing onboard the latter, where he will be carrying out the role of Watch Captain.

This won’t be the first time Santiago crosses the starting line in this round-the-world race, as he explains: “I’ve completed the Southampton to Cape Town leg. I was asked to continue, but at the time I had other commitments”. That was back in the 2001-2002 edition with Team SEB. Finally, he’s decided to dive in 100% to take part in the tenth edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

This sailor’s CV boasts a long list of sailing exploits, including five Olympic Games. The first was in Seoul in 1988 in the Soling Class, and then came Atlanta 1996 in the Laser Class; Sydney 2000 in Tornado; Athens 2004, where he gained his first bronze medal in the Tornado Class; and the last was in Peking this year where he also brought home a bronze medal in the Tornado Class. Another of the great nautical competitions also features on Santiago Lange’s CV: The America’s Cup. In the last edition of the competition, held in Valencia, Santiago was part of the afterguard on the Swedish challenge “Victory Challenge”.

With just a month to go until the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante, and having just recently finished the tough training required for an Olympic campaign, Lange knows that his bid to get race-ready will require lots of hard work, but he adds that: “I’m lucky in that I’ve sailed with most of the crew before, and that really helps”.

Completing the “Telefónica Black” crewlists are: patrón - Fernando Echávarri; Navigator – Roger Nilson; Watch Captain - Gonzalo Araujo; Pitmen - David Vera and Antonio Cuervas-Mons; Trimmers/ Drivers - Javier de la Plaza and Maciel Cichetti and Bowmen - Jaime Arbones and Michael Pammenter.

Lange is confident that his participation in the Race with the Telefónica team, as well as that of fellow Argentinean Maciel Cicchetti, will help to make sailing more popular in is native country: “I’m confident that this regatta is a great tool in that respect. It’s not just about sailing, but about getting to know our planet, living together as a crew and about adventure”.

Lange is prepared to give it his all to get the best result, and is setting out to do the very best job he can: There’s no doubt in his mind “of course, my dream is to win”.

With this last announcement, and just the Media Crew posts to be decided, this is how the Telefónica crews stand:

Telefónica Black:
Fernando Echávarri
Roger Nilson
Santiago Lange
Gonzalo Araujo
Maciel Cicchetti
Javier de la Plaza
David Vera
Antonio Cuervas-Mons
Jaime Arbones
Michael Pammenter

Telefónica Blue:
Bouwe Bekking
Íker Martínez
Simon Fisher
Jonathan Swain
Laurent Pages
Jordi Calafat
Xabi Fernández
Pablo Arrarte
Pepe Ribes
Daryl Wislang

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Equipo Telefonica] Bouwe Bekking (Deventer, Holland, 17/06/1963) is one of the ‘brains’ behind the ambitious project that is the Telefónica team. Joining the Spanish team for the second time, Bouwe Bekking’s five previous participations make him one of the most experienced sailors in this edition of the race.

- One team, two boats and two shipyards: Why the decision to build “Telefónica blue” and “Telefónica black” in different places?
Initially the plan was to build only one new boat and to use the former Brasil 1 for going around the world, but then fortunately Pedro Campos found the funding to build two new boats. Unfortunately, by the time we decided to build the boats, the yard in Alginet didn’t have enough space available, as they already had new bookings, so we had to find a new space and that is why we went to Southern Ocean Marine in New Zealand.

- The question lots of people will ask is: ‘is there any difference between the “Telefónica blue” and “Telefónica black” builds?
The boats are exactly equal, using the same lines. The only difference is in slightly different materials, but that’s just because by the time we started building the boat in New Zealand there was only one supplier available at that stage. That’s the only difference, just different materials.

- What differences can you see between the previous version of the Volvo Open 70 and the new Telefónica boats?
I think the big difference is, of course, that they did a lot of homework on these boats. When decided that Farr Yacht Design was going to work exclusively for us we had ten months of preparation, so we did a lot of tank-testing, we did a lot of research, and last time that was not the case. Last time we only had 2-3 months to do research and then we basically started building. This time we did a lot of homework and I think that is one of the first big differences. We came up very fast to shape, and we learnt from the last race that we maybe lacked a bit of stability. This time we have really powerful boats.

- What do you think of the new course, and what do you think the hardest part will be?
I think the hardest part will probably be the heat, because we are sailing around the Equator a lot and there will be temperatures of up to 50-60 degrees inside of the boat. The rest of it will be more or less the same as before. Everybody will have to sail in light areas, so in that sense there’s not much difference, but I think the heat will be really hard on our bodies.

- This will be your sixth Volvo Ocean Race, a race that includes extreme conditions and some incredibly tough situations, but here you are again… What makes you come back for more?
What I really like about the Volvo Ocean race is the teamwork. You are with just nine other guys and you’re fighting the elements. When you put a good team together it can mean great success. One of my main reasons for doing this is because it’s not just about myself. I’m not going to be successful if I don’t have a good team, and that’s what I really like about this. That’s the first thing, but of course there’s the sailing, which is just fantastic. You can’t get any better sailing than this; days and days sailing at 20-25 knots… Where else can you get it? The only race you can do it is in the Volvo Ocean Race!

-What’s your best memory from all the races you’ve sailed in?
I remember in the last race, a couple of days before Cape Horn we had 30-35 knots of breeze and there was a clear sky and a full moon. Then, if you are sailing in 6-7 metre-high waves, fully under control. It can’t get much better. It’s a great thing to experience, but it’s also one of the harder things to bring to the public. That’s just one of the reasons you come back all the time.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 Telefónica boats have returned to their Alicante bases following 8 days of sailing to complete the 2,000-mile qualifier, a requirement laid down by the Race organisers.

“It’s been a great baptism of fire for the boats and the crews, and it’s turned out to be a great test for us”, commented a satisfied Bouwe Bekking after reaching Alicante.

We’ve had eight days of offshore sailing, with both of the boats sailing out to the Gibraltar Straits. From thereon “Telefónica blue” and “Telefónica black” headed towards the Southeast of the island of Madeira, and just before reaching it they set course for Gibraltar again, and then finally back to the Telefónica team base in the Port of Alicante. Besides the last 3 days of the qualifier, the boats sailed together throughout, in a thrilling one-on-one.

Over this qualifying leg, the Telefónica crews have come across an array of conditions; from almost zero knots to 35 knots (around 65 km/hr), storms, rain, hail, sun, fog… in actual fact, the very best conditions for testing out the performance of the both boats in a variety of situations.

“The first three days were really good, especially day three, because we managed about 60 tests. We had good wind and the typical Atlantic waves and we really pushed it to make the most of the time we had during the qualifier. We’re really pleased with the boat, the distribution on deck, the interior… everything’s worked perfectly”, commented Spaniard Pepe Ribes, one of the bowmen once he was back on shore. The crews have carried out over 100 tests during this eight-day period. These tests provide vital information and data, which will now by analysed closely by the team.

For Swedish navigator Roger Nilson, this has also been a good opportunity to learn the whole routine onboard: “We have learnt a lot about the boat and also about living together on this boat. Some of the guys on board had not been sailing for so long so it has been very helpful for them. They have a real idea now about how life is while you are ocean racing: how to sleep, how to eat…”

Back on shore, the crewmembers have been undergoing the required medical checks, providing also blood and urine samples for testing. Also, they’ve all stepped onto physical trainer, Iñigo Losada’s scales to see what impact these days of ocean sailing has had on their bodyweight. Overall the weight differences have oscillated between zero and four kilos.

With this qualifier behind them, the Telefónica team is a step closer to the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, and is now the second team to complete the 2,000-mile qualifier (the first was the Puma Team).

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Equipo Telefonica] A few more hours to go and then we have this qualifier under our belt. Not bad for a boat that only 14 days ago went in the water. The wind conditions couldn’t have been better and the nearly full moon made sailing at night with new boat easy.

The deck layout is fantastic, everything in the right spot, no changes there and most important we can drag the sails around, without having to lift them, saving our backs. As important, so not more, we have a great bunch of guys, all very talented and always thinking positive. Not much happened last night, got chased by a thunderstorm but we out ran it. We have taken it “easy”, cracked our sheets, so speeds went up and now we are eating up the miles faster.

We all don’t forget the person who made this all possible: a huge thanks to Pedro Campos, he is unbelievable when it comes to sponsor treatment and how to convince them that sailing is a very good way to get return for their investment. There are not many people in our sport who have been so successful in raising money as Pedro. He is sublime to invest from the youngest in our sport, like Optimist sailors, then the next step the Olympic sailors and finally the Volvo Ocean Race. An ultimate thanks to all our sponsors and the city of Alicante, without them we wouldn’t be here.

We start our little recovery programme for the guys once we are ashore, and then they will have a couple of days off, before we are getting into two boat testing again.

Cheers,

Bouwe Bekking

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

With less than 3 months to go until the start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, the Telefónica team continue to unveil the main players in Spain’s attempt to bring home the first Round-the World victory in Spanish history. David Vera, Laurent Pages and Roger Nilson are now officially the latest additions to the Telefónica team.

David Vera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. 19/07/1970) is diving into the first Round the World race of his career. This might be his first Volvo, but this 37 year-old Spaniard’s CV reveals an experienced yachtsman right across the sport, in classes ranging from Olympic sailing to the America’s Cup. David has been World Champion and first European runner-up in the Soling class, and he made an Olympic
appearance at the Atlanta Olympic Games in the same class. He was also a semi-finalist in the recent 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia with the Desafío Español challenge, his most recent large-scale project.

Like most of his team-mates, David Vera knows exactly why he wants to be on the starting line on October 11th: “I’ve always had this race in my mind. This race means a lot to me, because I think that the Olympic Games, the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race are the three most important events for any sailor in this sport. I’ve done the first two, and now I’m going Volvo”.

Then there’s Roger Nilson (Gothenburg, Sweden. 5/03/1949) who along with Simon Fisher will be the navigator on one of the Spanish boats, and will without doubt be one of the crewmembers to bring the most experience to the Telefónica team. The 59 year-old has seven circumnavigations under his belt, six of them competing in the Volvo Ocean Race. This Swedish doctor and expert yachtsman didn’t hesitate for even a second in signing up for his eighth circumnavigation with the Telefónica team: “I enjoy very much to be with the Spanish team for the Volvo Ocean Race, I enjoy the more latin way to do this races.” Besides, despite his broad experience he says that everyday learns something new: “Since I was in the ‘Volvo’ in 2001-2002 there has been a really big jump, much bigger teams, much more support, the boats are lots faster and also the technology in the navigation area is completely different…So I have to learn new things everyday .”

Casting a glance at his extensive CV, one can’t help being impressed. He’s the most veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 sailors, except for Magnus Olsson, he knows what it’s like to compete on a global level in many events, such as the Admiral’s Cup, the Sardinia Cup, the Fastnet, Jules Verne or the America’s Cup, for example.

The other official sign-up for the Telefónica team is Laurent Pages (St. Georges de Didonne, France. 20/10/1976), who’ll be one of the watch captains in the Telefónica team.

Over the last few years this 31 year-old Frenchman has been sailing extensively in the Farr-40 class. He started his career among the 420s and then moved up to 470 to then go on to sail on Open 60, Maxi One-Design, Swan 45, Mumm 30 and Melges 24 boats, mainly in the role of helmsman, tactician and trimmer. Pages has never ruled out any boat, even calling the tactics on Spain’s “Bribón” in 2004. He’s sure he’ll do a great job on board the second generation Volvo Open 70 that’ll be flying the Spanish colours.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Equipo Telefonica] Both Telefonica boats had an easy first night out on their 2000 mile qualifier, sailing in 7-14 knots of breeze. Most of the guys wear t-shirts as it is sticky warm.

“Telefónica blue” has been less than a week on the water, but I am very satisfied with the outcome and preparation which we have done.

But even this last couple of days hasn’t been a holiday for the shore and sailing team. To get the boat prepared the shore team have been working around the clock, in a full 24 hour shifts. We have got a great bunch of guys and all are putting their hearts into both boats. The public can follow us the sailors, but they don’t realise that we sailors are very depended on our guys and girls on the shore. A huge thanks on behalf of both sailing teams to you all.

But as well I like to thank all the wives and families from everybody involved. It hasn’t been easy for them. For example the sailors are leaving every morning 07.15 for their gym session and are never home before 21.00. Once home most of us crash on the couch, to tired to have a proper conversation.

So here I am sitting again behind the computer. I have to admit that the compulsory white painting inside makes it way more comfortable than on the last generation boats. They were like black caves inside and you were in the need of torch nearly all the time, here I can actually see. The navstation itself is a glamour. Olectric, (who did the electronic installation) and Si-Fi, navigator, have done a nice job with the lay–out. Right now and I enjoy to sit in the pride of our boat, one of our luxury F1 seats. One is in the navstation and the other one is in the media station.

We are in fulltesting mode right now and the winches are spinning constantly. It is awesome to have these two boats and having the opportunity to test things out.

Over and out for the time being. Going back on deck.

Cheers,

Bouwe Bekking

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Equipo Telefonica] The two Spanish boats in the 2008-09 race have embarked on their 2,000-mile offshore qualification run.

The Farr-designed Volvo Open 70s – Telefonica Black and Telefonica Blue – departed their home base of Alicante with a full complement of crew members on board. Only the Spanish team’s Olympians, preparing for the Games in Qingdao, were absent.

The team’s Technical and Sports Director Bouwe Bekking outlined the objectives they have set for the seven - eight day trip and gave details of the route the boats will follow.

“The idea of doing these 2,000 miles is to meet the requirement of the race organization and also because it is a great opportunity for offshore testing,” Bekking said.

“We will do as much testing as possible. Both boats will be sailing together whenever the conditions will be good for testing. Otherwise we will just sail and meet each other at some point along the way.

“We will head straight to the Gibraltar Strait. Then we will cross the Strait to go directly to the south of Madeira, going around the island, up to the north and finally come back to the training camp in Alicante. Probably it will be more than 2,000 nautical miles.”

As for the weather they will encounter, navigator Simon Fisher said the conditions are likely to be favourable for a serious downwind workout for both man and machine. “We hope to find 10-15 knots of wind which will be really good for getting out of the Mediterranean quickly,” he said.

“I am sure we will be able to do lots of testing (testing people, testing sails, testing angles) during the trip. Besides, the course around the Azores will mean fast miles downwind but not upwind. We will get a lot of data that will be very helpful for our preparation for the race.”

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

Telefonica is on a roll. The Spanish Volvo Ocean Race team started its two-boat training sessions earlier on Friday a mere 4 days after receiving the second boat, Telefonica Blue.

Telefonica Black left the base at around noon while the blue yacht, after some last-minute fine tuning, joined her at 3pm. After a total of 3 hours sailing off Alicante’s coast the two yacht returned to port and Bouwe Bekking, sports and technical director of Telefonica, was more than satisfied. They were able to test various sails and sailing angles and the first impressions were very positive.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

Right after splashing their blue boat earlier in the morning, Telefonica’s two VOR yachts underwent a number of structural tests. According to Telefonica, it’s the first time such tests are carried out, given the fact they were introduced after the previous edition of the round-the-world race.

Telefonica Black undergoes structural tests. Alicante, 3 July 2008. Photo copyright Maria Muiña / Equipo Telefonica

Telefonica Blue undergoes structural tests. Alicante, 3 July 2008. Photo copyright Maria Muiña / Equipo Telefonica

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

All went according to plan for the Telefonica Volvo Ocean Race team and exactly three days after leaving the Valencia boatyard, their brand new “Telefonica Blue” is already on the waters of Alicante.

After this successful splash, the team’s blue boat will undergo the usual tests and if again all goes according to plan, Telefonica will start its two-boat training before the start of next week.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

The brand new Telefonica Blue VOR70 boat has left the boatyard in Valencia and is now on its way to the team’s base in Alicante. She is expected to arrive later in the afternoon and if all goes according to plan, Equipo Telefonica plans to launch her as soon as possible and start their two-boat tr