As the Volvo fleet approaches Boston and the finish of leg six, they have one more hurdle to clear. A high-pressure ridge has stopped the leaders and has given the followers another chance at the podium. Once through the ridge, the fleet will have a clear run to cross the finish line tomorrow.
As Ericsson 4 became the first victim of the high pressure and Ericsson 3, having had a spell in Stealth yesterday, now heads the field into the final straight with Ericsson 4 on her flank a mile behind. In a situation such as this, there is no room for mistakes when another boat is ready to pounce on someone’s misfortunes. PUMA went undercover for 12 hours at 1000 GMT today, while the second tier is making some big gains.
Delta Lloyd is holding on to fourth place and still doing 13.5 knots, with Telefónica Black 30 nm behind. The Dragons are the only ones still in double digits behind the leader, and are 101 nm behind.
The entire fleet has had a tough time in the Gulf Stream, sometimes fighting a strong adverse current, with wind speeds topping at 38 knots against the current, which whipped up a nasty, confused sea.
Now, the wind is dropping and the fleet is left wallowing in the leftover sea state. Boat speeds for the leading three are down to less than 10 knots, while the chasing pack is still making good speed.
Routing software is predicting a finish for the first boat in Boston tomorrow at 1613 GMT.
Scoring Gate Results Fernando de Noronha
1. Telefónica Blue 19:58:56 GMT 16.04.09 4 Points
2. Ericsson 4 22:55:36 GMT 16.04.09 3.5 Points
3. Delta Lloyd 23:28:32 GMT 16.04.09 3 Points
4. Puma 23:29:31 GMT 16.04.09 2.5 Points
5. Telefónica Black 23:42:20 GMT 16.04.09 2 Points
6. Ericsson 3 00:14:28 GMT 17.04.09 1.5 Points
7. Green Dragon 01:27:26 GMT 17.04.09 1 Point
Leg Six Day 15: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +1
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +13
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +66
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +96
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +101
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) STEALTH