Τα Τέσσερα Πρώτα Σκάφη Τερμάτισαν στην ΙνδίαMonday 1 December 2008 Το Telefonica Black τερμάτισε τέταρτο τελικά, κερδίζοντας την μονομαχία με τα Puma, Delta Loyd & Green Dragon.
Το Puma έχει ένα μίλι πλεονέκτημα έναντι του Delta Loyd και πιο πίσω το Green Dragon δίνει αγώνα να τους προλάβει για να κερδίσει τους πολύτιμους βαθμούς. Η κατάταξη ως τώρα στο δεύτερο σκέλος έχει διαμορφωθεί ως εξής:1. ERICSSON 4 (finished)
2. TELEFONICA BLUE (finished) 3. ERICSSON 3 (finished) 4. TELEFONICA BLACK (finished)5. PUMA (still racing)6. DELTA LOYD (still racing)7. GREEN DRAGON (still racing) 8. TEAM RUSSIA (still racing)
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 VOR GAME - GROUP "ELLHNES ISTIOPLOOI"Παρόλο που τα πραγματικά VOR70 ακόμα δεν έχουν τερματίσει, το ERICSSON 4 απέχει περίπου 30νμ από τον τερματισμό, τα virtual εδώ και πολλέςςςςςς ώρες έχουν κόψει το νήμα.
Εδώ λοιπόν θα σηκώσουμε τα αποτελέσματα των Ελληνικών Συμμετοχών του Virtual Race από το group ELLHNES ISTIOPLOOI.
VOLVO OCEAN RACE GAME - GROUP "ELLHNES ISTIOPLOOI"
Current Ranking List at 13:00 Sat. 29-11-2008Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα VORGame_Group"ELLHNES ISTIOPLOOI"
Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα VORGame Group"ELLHNES ISTIOPLOOI"
Τα αποτελέσματα θα ενημερώνονται τακτικά έως ότου τερματήσουν όλα τα μέλη του group.
Ενημερωτικά σας πληροφορώ ότι σύμφωνα με τους κανονισμούς του παιχνιδιού μπορούμε να πετάξουμε τρεις κούρσες για να προκύψει το τελικό αποτέλεσμα. Άρα ο νικητής θα βγει από το άθροισμα των έξι καλύτερων αποτελεσμάτων του, προσοχή όμως τα σκέλη 5,7 & 9 μετρούν υποχρεωτικά στην βαθμολογία του κάθε σκάφους.
Επίσης όσοι θέλουν να ξεκινήσουν τώρα ακόμη μπορούν μιας και έχουν δικαίωμα να πετάξουν τρεις κούρσες, κάλλιστα μπορούν να ξεφορτωθούν τα δυο πρώτα σκέλη ώστε να έχουν και πιθανότητες νίκης.
Κάντε εγγραφή τώρα...
 Τελικά τι είναι Offshore or Match Race?Απ' ότι φαίνεται η πρώτη και η δεύτερη θέση έχουν κλειδώσει στο δεύτερο σκέλος του Volvo Ocean Race. Το Ericsson 4 και το Telefonica Blue έχουν πάρει μια αξιόλογη διαφορά από τα υπόλοιπα σκάφη. Το Ericsson 4 βρίσκεται 288 νμ από τον τερματισμό ακολουθεί το Telefonica Blue 114νμ πίσω του και μετά... η μεγάλη μάχη για την τρίτη θέση. Ericsson 3, Green Dragon, Delta Loyd & Puma με διαφορές 2-3νμ μεταξύ τους έχουν κάνει τον μεγαλύτερο offshore ocean race σε ένα αδυσώπητο match race. Πιο πίσω αλλά ακόμα σε απόσταση βολής το Telefonica Black και τέλος μάλλον εκτός βεληνεκούς το Team Russia.Βέβαια όλα αυτά είναι σχετικά σε ένα αγώνα ιστιοπλοΐας μιας και όλοι έχουμε πληρώσει την αλαζονεία και τον εφησυχασμό της προσωρινής πρωτιάς και από ότι δείχνει η πρόβλεψη ακόμα όλα είναι ανοικτά.
Σε 24 ώρες, δηλαδή περίπου λίγο πριν τον τερματισμό απλώνεται μια τεράστια λούμπα όπου αν δεν έχουν τερματίσει τα πρώτα σκάφη και πέσουν μέσα θα δώσουν μιας πρώτης τάξεως ευκαιρία στους πιο πίσω να μαζέψουν τη διαφορά και να γίνει όλο το σκέλος μια μάχη πλώρη με πλώρη... ίδωμεν
Leg Two Volvo Ocean Race...
 Vendee Globe Position Reportvendeeglobe_20081128_1600
Publish at Scribd or explore others: General Sports Sport sailing vendee globe more on www.istioselida.com
 Leg 2: Virtual VOR vs. Real VOR_1-0photo credit: Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race
Μπροστά και από τα σκάφη του πραγματικού αγώνα τερμάτισαν στο εικονικό Cochin τα 15 πρώτα σκάφη του virtual αγώνα... και στεγνοί και πρώτοι, άντε λίγο άυπνοι μονάχα.
Τώρα θα μου πείτε και που είναι η χαρά άμα δεν ιδρώσεις και λίγο ε; Δε διαφωνώ, αλλά στην αναβροχιά καλό και το χαλάζι, οπότε περί ορέξεως ...
photo credit: Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean Race
Τα πραγματικά σκάφη βρίσκονται περίπου 585νμ μακρυά από τον τερματισμό και η μάχη για τις πρώτες θέσεις γίνεται εντονότερη όσο πλησιάζουν στο τέλος. Οι διαφορές τους είναι ουσιαστικά μηδαμινές και όλα είναι ακόμα ανοικτά, ή τουλάχιστον από τη δεύτερη θέση και πίσω γιατί το ERICSSON 4 φαίνεται ότι καθάρισε και αυτό το σκέλος, έχοντας κάνει μια καλή διαφορά 80νμ από το δεύτερο σκάφος το TELEFONICA BLUE το οποίο ακολουθείτε κατά πόδας από το ERICSSON 3, το GREEN DRAGON, το DELTA LOYD, και το PUMA με ελάχιστες διαφορές μεταξύ τους. Πιο πίσω 168νμ από τον πρώτο βρίσκεται το ταλαιπωρημένο TELEFONICA BLACK και τέλος οι Ρώσοι με το TEAM RUSSIA 204νμ από τον πρώτο.
photo credit: Gabriele...
 Delta Loyd Moving Up FastThursday 27 November 2008, 06:00 GMT Torben Grael's Ericsson 4 is beginning to tear itself away from the rest of the fleet. In leg one, the team did this by setting a new 24-hour record in gale force winds. Here, the team is showing they can move well in the light stuff too. Over the past 24 hours, their lead over teammates Ericsson 3 has increased from 5 to 57 nautical miles on the 04:00 GMT position report.But while Ericsson 4 is adding miles to their lead, they do appear to still be in the clutches of the Doldrums. Wind speed, as reported in the Race Data Centre, is still just 6.3 knots.Behind the leader, Ericsson 3, Green Dragon, Delta Lloyd and PUMA are tightly bunched, with just 25 miles separating the four boats. Ericsson 3 is furthest to the east, Delta Lloyd slightly to the west, but all four are essentially sailing in the same patch of water. Any movement here will be due to coaxing more speed out of the boat in the tough conditions, or being favoured with a spot of luck in the form of a very localised squall system that pushes up the wind speed for a few minutes.Moving up fastDelta...
 PUMA EMAIL: 'SOMETHING VERY STRANGE HAPPENED THIS MORNING'PUMA - Rick Deppe (Media Crew Member)
Something very strange happened this morning. Hard to believe but somehow my watch reset it self whilst I slept, and put me an hour late getting into the galley to sort out breakfast. This could have been a big problem at any other meal time than breakfast or with any off coming watch than Salty (Rob Salthouse) and Michi (Müller).
Fortunately for me breakfast today is cold muesli, just add your own water. So when I got to the galley, I thought it was 0105hrs an hour early but was in fact it was 0205hrs and Salty had already dove into the day 11 food bag and had the muesli mix already halfway down his neck.
Why are we having breakfast at 0200hrs you are probably asking yourself, well the vessel operates on GMT ( Greenwich Mean Time) this is the time in Greenwich England on the 0 degree longitude meridian but the sun here at 73 degrees East comes up at around 0300hrs GMT. It takes some getting used to. So as I arrived at the galley making my excuses and apologies Salty and Michi just looked at each other grinned and told me not to worry about it. OK so I...
 Vendee Globe_16d 08h 18m 08sAfter 16 days of sailing, just 50 miles cover first to fifth as the leading group squeeze ever-closer, with several skippers throughout the fleet engaged in some great battles with their nearest rivals as backing winds allow them to crack off the sheets and sail for speed. Second-placed Sebastien Josse (BT) has got leader Loick Peyron in his sights, and by the 1900hrs (GMT) update has brought the deficit down to just 10.1 miles. It’s been a good day at the office for ‘Jo Jo’, who gained more than 18 miles on Gitana Eighty since this morning.Marc Guillemot on Safran is also having a great duel with Briton Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar. The VPLP-designed Safran seems to be getting the better of the powerful Pindar at the moment, clocking up over 309 miles over the past 24 hours, the most of any boat. Speaking at this morning’s live radio broadcasts, Brian Thompson compared Safran and Bahrain Team Pindar, which are at different ends of the IMOCA 60 design spectrum. “We’re very different. We’ve been quite similar [pace] over the past couple of days, Safran has probably been a touch faster....
 The Best of Puma Ocean Racingτέτοια κάναν και το σπάσανε το κότερο...more on www.istioselida.com
 Damage For Telefónica BlueJust when everything seemed to be going right for Bouwe Bekking and his men on Telefónica Blue, it all went wrong again. The boat was loving the conditions, the crew were pushing hard, and slowly, but surely, climbing back up the leaderboard, when the crew heard a big bang, and everything changed. “We snapped one of our daggerboards, the boards which prevent the boat from slipping sideways,” explained skipper Bouwe Bekking. “We destroyed it and had to stop the boat for 45 minutes,” he said. Even worse for the crew, the little speed they were able to do, was on the wrong tack and sailing away from the finish in India and they lost 10 precious miles. The crew found hammers, chisels and hacksaws to try and cut the board free, but, in the end, Pepe Ribes from Spain was lowered into the water to get rid of all the bits and pieces so that the board could be raised again.
The team is underway again, but sailing much slower than they would like. The good news is that Laurent Pages from France, who was injured in the big weather last week when he was washed down the boat, is back up on deck and...
 Vendee Globe Position ReportOn the race course the ever consistent Loick Peyron has stretched his leading margin slightly more, just less than two miles during the last position schedule. Gitana Eighty now leads Seb Josse (BT) by 29.7 miles. Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover 3) gained one place in the powerful upwind conditions. He passed Yann Elies (Generali) this morning but is almost even with him again this afternoon, though the British boat has been quickest of the top ten over the last 24 hours and between the last position reports. Top ten positions 23/11/08 at 08:00 PM 1. Loick Peyron, Gitana Eighty, 20774 nm to finish
2. Sebastien Josse, BT, 29.2 nm to leader
3. Jean-Pierre Dick, Paprec-Virbac 2, 37
4. Vincent Riou, PRB, 54.9
5. Armel Le Cleac´h, Brit Air, 56.5
6. Yann Elies, Generali, 70.2
7. Mike Golding, Ecover, 73.5
8. Roland Jourdain, Veolia Environnement, 96.9
9. Jean Le Cam, VM Materiaux, 97.9
10. Jeremie Beyou, Delta Dore, 190.5 www.vendeeglobe.org more on www.istioselida.com
 VOR Position Update_Leg2 Day 8It has been an exciting 24 hours in the Volvo fleet racing towards Cochin, India, in leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race. With 2239 nm to go to the finish, the lion’s share of this 4450 nm leg is over, but as the fleet compresses, once again, many boats are in sight of each other. photo credit: Mikel Pasabant/Telefonica Black/Volvo Ocean Race
Earlier this morning, Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) who is right up in the hunt and fighting it out with the leaders, had Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) on one side and PUMA (Ken Read/USA) on the other.
As the pace of life has slowed, the ‘big dry-out’ has started, it is a good opportunity to repair everything that needs fixing and dry out all the gear. “All around the boat you can find bits of clothing hung up as everyone desperately tries to get stuff dried out before we begin reaching once more on starboard,” says Simon Fisher, navigator of Telefónica Blue. The air is warm, and the night skies are clear and full of stars. “It’s amazing how fast the change from full we weather gear, fleeces and boots was to only shorts,” says Ericsson 3’s MCM...
 Time to clean up the messes!!!photo credit: Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean RaceHaving engaged in some synchronized gybing overnight, the fleet have settled into a tactical formation and have their bows pointing north as the trade winds loom. Running downwind in light airs, three squadrons have formed across the north-south divide. By the 16:00 GMT Position Report, Ericsson 4 was neck-and-neck with E3. Anders Lewander’s men, further north, trail their stablemates by just one mile. Another tight tussle ensues for third place between Green Dragon, at a Distance to Leader (DTL) of +29, Telefonica Blue (+34) and PUMA (+42). Locking horns at the tail are Team Russia (+88), Telefonica Black (+92) and Delta Lloyd (+109). photo credit: Gustav Morin/Ericsson 3/Volvo Ocean Race
The winds have dropped to 10-12 knots, the seas have flattened out, the air temperature is rising and the mood on board is one of contentment as the crews find time for running repairs and domestic duties. Their mothers would be proud. “All around the boat you can find bits of clothing hung up as everyone desperately tries to get stuff dried...
 VOR Status Report_Leg 2 Day 7Leg Two Day Seven: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish) 1. Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) DTF 2570
2. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) + 13
3. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +37
4. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +38
5. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +39
6. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +71
7. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +74
8. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) +103www.volvooceanrace.org
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 VOR Status Report_Leg 2 Day 6Volvo Ocean Race Positions (boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)
1. Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander/SWE) DTF 2969 nm2. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +83. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +234. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +515. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +656. Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) +897. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +958. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) +192
Position reports are issued daily at 1300 GMT by email; however, positions are updated every three hours on www.volvooceanrace.org. Click on RESULTS at the top of the page to go straight to the points table and onboard data.more on www.istioselida.com
 Enjoy Because They Don't_Videos from VORGreen Dragon Breaks Boom extreme moments aboard Team Russia's VOR70more on www.istioselida.com
 A new speed record for l'HydroptèreLast Thursday and Friday, l'Hydroptère trained on the speed spot at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône.
The weather conditions seemed ideal with a north-northwest wind established at an average of
28-30 knots, with gusts of over 35 knots. Upon arrival on the spot, the crew realized that a little swell persisted, that got higher, attaining nearly a meter at daybreak on Friday.
As the wind was also weaker, the conditions were not favourable for a new performance on the second day.
The assessment of the runs on Thursday 13th November was very positive, l'Hydroptère having, once again, improved her time.
The record over 500 meters was beaten again: 46.88 knots (pending ratification of the WSSRC). l'Hydroptère is now the fastest sailing boat on the planet over 500 meters; she dethroned the Yellow Pages and her 1993 record of an average of 46.52 knots.
A more accurate analysis of the measurements further to these two training days showed that the trimaran is getting closer to the absolute speed record, recording an average of 52.10 knots over 100 meters.
The trimaran's peak speed was also surpassed and...
 GREEK CHALLENGE_Sail With Your Heart…Win With Your MindΕλληνική Συμμετοχή στο Louis Vuitton Pacific SeriesΣτις 6 Νοεμβρίου στη Πρεσβεία της Νέας Ζηλανδίας στο Παρίσι, η Louis Vuitton ανακοίνωσε τις 12 ομάδες που θα συμμετέχουν στον επαγγελματικό ιστιοπλοϊκό Αγώνα Louis Vuitton Pacific Series στη πόλη Auckland της Νέας Ζηλανδίας τον επόμενο Φεβρουάριο. Οι ιστιοπλοϊκοί αγώνες Louis Vuitton Pacific Series ουσιαστικά αποτελούν το προάγγελο του America’s Cup, την αντίστοιχη Φόρμουλα 1 (F-1) θαλάσσης και με σκάφη ανθρακονημάτων. Η ημερομηνία αυτή αποτελεί ξεχωριστή στιγμή για την Ελλάδα, για την Ελληνική Ιστιοπλοϊκή Οικογένεια αλλά και για τους Έλληνες της ομογένειας, καθώς ανακοινώθηκε και η συμμετοχή της Ελληνικής Ομάδας Greek Challenge στους αγώνες Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.Όπως μάλιστα δήλωσε ο κ. Μπουζέας, ιδρυτικό μέλος και Δ/νων Σύμβουλος της Greek Challenge, “... ο αγώνας που δώσαμε εδώ και τρία χρόνια δίνει πλέον καρπούς. Η συμμετοχή μας στους αγώνες αυτούς θα φέρει τα Eλληνικά χρώματα και τους Έλληνες ιστιοπλόους αντιμέτωπους με επαγγελματικές ιστιοπλοϊκές ομάδες όπως της Ελβετικής Alinghi, η οποία είναι κάτοχος του America’s Cup το 2003...
 Ericsson4_First at The GateEricsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael, was the first boat to the scoring gate at longitudinal 58 degrees east on the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.
Grael and his men crossed the line at 03:45 GMT to collect their four points. Once across Grael pointed the bow north for the 3,000-mile home stretch to Cochin.
photo credit: Guy Salter/Ericsson 4/Volvo Ocean RaceAnders Lewander's Ericsson 3 followed her sister ship and crossed the waypoint at 06:51 to pick up 3.5 points.
Among the pursuing pack, Green Dragon, Team Russia and the Telefonica twins are squabbling over the remaining podium positions.
Bouwe Bekking on Telefonica Blue, likes his chances of decent points, noting as he did that the ailing PUMA has slowed over the past 12 hours due to structural damage.
"Looks like PUMA is having some issues, sailing very slow," he observed in an email earlier this morning. "Hopefully their issue are not too big and that they are not forced to stop on their way.
photo credit: Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race"But it might mean that we can catch them and gain a valuable half...
 Rough Time for Most Teams on VORThe fleet is counting the cost of the last 24 hours of boom and bust as the southern ocean continues its hostile takeover of events on board. photo credit: Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean RaceLike the global economy, there have been casualties – both structural and psychological – as the leaders charge towards the scoring gate at longitudinal 58 degrees east.PUMA’s Ken Read began his email this morning by describing il mostro’s second major hit from the Roaring Forties with … “Greetings from the monster hospital ward. And the hospital is not necessary for humans … just for our beautiful boat.” Among the ruins there are more broaches to be found than in your grandmother’s jewelry box. The latest, is captured by Ericsson 3’s Media Crew Member, Gustav Morin. “Last night, in complete darkness, we had a quite dramatic broach,” he reports. “We were sailing in steady 30 knots and rough seas when a big squall came in. photo credit: Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race”In just a few seconds the wind increased to over 40 knots. Mange (Magnus) Olsson was helming and when he felt...
 PUMA Sustained Structural Damagephoto credit: Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race
Wednesday 19 November 2008 08:15
PUMA have sustained serious structural damage for the second time in 24 hours and are considering whether to re-route away from the rest of the fleet to Cochin.
The night before last, they crashed off a wave which caused several cracks in the longitudinal frames of the bow section. They bent the bow pulpit and shredded an asymmetric spinnaker in the process. The fix took seven hours but cost PUMA little in time to their rivals at the head of the fleet.
Then at 04:30 GMT this morning, as the fleet blasted along in 25 knots of squally southern ocean, they suffered a further blow when the boat was launched off another wave.
This time the main section of the boat took the brunt of the impact - just behind the keel frame. "This time it's a bit more serious," skipper Ken Read said. "This one may be a bit tougher to work around. Not only is this break in the central structure for the entire boat, but it will take quite a bit longer to put a fix on - maybe as long as 24 hours."
Read says that if that is...
 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart RaceFleet of 113 nominated for Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is delighted to announce one of the largest fleets in a decade with 113 yachts nominated for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008, Australia's premier blue water event, with the close of entries today at 5pm. Once again the heavier classic yachts from a bygone era of boat building will line up with the sleek and modern at 1pm on Friday 26 December when the iconic yacht race will showcase Sydney Harbour to the world for the 64th time. “I am delighted with the number of applications to enter this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart . The depth and colour of the fleet will make for an exciting race,” said CYCA Commodore Matt Allen this afternoon. “We have high quality applications which will be spread across divisional bands, which will lead to excellent racing. “To have six states of Australia represented is a great feature of the race. The event's international flavour and reputation is greatly enhanced by the thirteen visiting competitors, including a strong European contingent. We are anticipating a...
 Green Dragon Breaks its BoomIan Walker's Green Dragon suffererd a broken boom as the fleet continued to wrestle with strong gusts and treacherous seas as the second leg of the race to India turned spiteful. Just before 11:00 GMT Walker sent the following email to the Duty Office at race headquarters in Portsmouth alerting race organisers to the situation on board. “I am sorry to report that we have just broken our boom in a 50-knot squall,” the message read. “We are in the process of recovering the parts. The situation is under control with no harm or risk to anyone. We are carrying on downwind.” Their position at the time was 39:41.17S , 40:28.73E, 1,500 miles from Mauritius. Walker and the team were weighing up whether to continue under jury rig to Cochin or head for Mauritius where a replacement boom could be fitted. The past 24 hours have been the most testing in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race so far. Green Dragon's latest misadventure came after they survived a spectacular Chinese gybe yesterday. Ian Walker's men were not alone in sustaining damage as the wind speeds consistently hit the +40-knot mark and seas...
 Last night suckedPUMA - Ken Read (skipper) Last night sucked. OR it was great……if you are a boat builder or a sailmaker looking for work. Yikes. The proverbial "you know what" hit the fan when we got about as vertical in a sailboat as you ever want to be going down a big dark wave that sort of snuck up on us. And when going straight down a big wave the inevitable bow crash is coming into the wave in front. But this time it was different. Not only did the bow crash into the wave but the prod, the bow pulpit and about 15 feet up the Asymmetric Spinnaker we had up at the time. Bang. Spinnaker in many pieces and a long night for Justin Ferris. Fortunately we had the broken sail down and a new sail up in about 10 minutes. We tweaked our angle and were going faster, so all good right? Wrong. About an hour later after a watch change we found another beauty of a wave, except this one had no face in front of it and ---whoosh. Take off! The inevitable silence of a boat that feels like it is literally flying, followed up with a massive SMASH into the not very soft Indian Ocean. But this one was different than the...
 Green Dragon and the Chinese Gybe... A nice "Bar Story"GREEN DRAGON LEG TWO DAY 3 QFB: Conditions have progressively got harder over the last 24 hours as we head towards the Southern Ocean. For Green Dragon things were getting better. At 10 am we crossed ahead of Puma by about 6 miles as they gybed North East and we recorded the longest distance in the latest position report.
Our sail combination was obviously fast although we were on the edge with the spinnaker up in over 30 knots. You can tell down below when things are about to go wrong and I was just getting my waterproofs on when there was a huge bang and the boat went into an involuntary Chinese gybe. You might think this is al lright for a boat with such strong Chinese connections but a Chinese gybe is what we all fear most as it is when the boat crash gybes and leaves you on your side with everything including the keel on the wrong side. As the mainsail hit the weather runners, water started pouring in down below through the ventilation hatches due to the side decks now being underwater, but the boat miraculously turned back the right way, gybed back and righted itself. Everyone’s...
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