Team Greek Challenge

In the opening race today (Friday) France's Pataugas K-Challenge will race aboard USA 98 against China Team in USA 87. The second race will see Britain's TEAMORIGIN in NZL 92 starting against Italy's Luna Rossa 84. The third race will be Emirates Team New Zealand in USA 98 versus Damiani Italia Challenge sailing USA 87. The last race of the day is the newcomer Greek Challenge in NZL 84, up against Switzerland's powerful Alinghi.

Greek Challenge presented on Friday morning its crew line up for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Without losing its Greek identity, the team crew has a strong Kiwi flavor, with a total of 8 New Zealanders out of the 21 sailors that will be racing off Auckland's harbor for the next 2 weeks. Twelve Greeks will be defending their home colors and the 21-man roster in Auckland is completed with 1 South African.

Gavin Brady, 5-times America's Cup helmsman, will drive the boat in the team's maiden participation in a world-level regatta, against the world's top America's Cup teams. In fact, the first ever Greek team for the America's Cup will have to face none other than Alinghi, current defender and 2-time winner, in its first race.

The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is the first step in a long-term effort to develop young sailors from Greece and create a stable platform that will lead to a competitive America's Cup team.

Greek Challenge Crew List

Bowman: Kevin Batten, NZL
Mid Bowman: Michail Pateniotis, GRE, Pavlos Kagialis, GRE (Reserve)
Mastman: Dimitrios Benakis, GRE
Pitman: Jeremy Scantlebury, NZL
Pit Assistant: Anestis Karayiannidis, GRE
Port Grinder: Angelos Boubouras, GRE
Starboard Grinder: Konstantinos Chaniotis, GRE
Upwind Trimmer: Carsten Schon, NZL
Downwind Trimmer: Athanasios Pachoumas, GRE, Zachary Hurst, NZL (Reserve)
Mid Grinder: Stu Clarke, NZL
Mainsail Trimmer: Rodney Keenan, NZL
Traveller: Dan Slater, NZL, Panagiotis Mantis, GRE (Reserve)
Helmsman: Gavin Brady, NZL
Floater: Antonis Bougiouris, GRE
Navigator: Marc Lagesse, RSA
Aft Grinder / Skipper: Sotiris Buseas, GRE
Runner: Alexandros Tagaropoulos, GRE, Theodoros Tsoulfas, GRE (Reserve)

Greek Challenge made history today by engaging for the first time with another LVPS team in the waters of Auckland's Waitamata Harbour and winning. They finished Thursday's practice session more upbeat than any other team, because they obtained an advantage over BMW Oracle during their light air practice session this morning. Was it a fluke, or will they be able to repeat the performance in their first matchup in the Round Robin series against Alinghi on Friday afternoon.

Little is known about Greek Challenge CEO, Sotiris Buseas' herculean effort to build the nascent syndicate... The Greeks turned to ISAF #1-ranked match race skipper, Sebastien Col and his World Match Racing Team colleagues for on the water coaching in the Pataugas K-Challenge boat. Nervous at first, Col was impressed with the Greek team. All are very good sailors in their own disciplines, but aside from Marc Lagesse, they had never sailed an America's Cup class boat before. To everyone's surprise, the total immersion ACC training sessions worked well and Patugas K-Challenge's boat was no worse for the wear when the rest of the K-Challenge team arrived in Valencia for pre-LVPS training.

Telefonica Blue Finished 1st

Telefonica Blue, skippered by Bouwe Bekking (NED), finishes first, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China at 07:00:25 GMT

In a leg that has been full of drama, bravery and courage, Bouwe Bekking and his men racing Telefónica Blue has pulled off their second leg win a row to take first place on the podium in Qingdao, China, after sailing immaculately.

Shortly before crossing the finish in thick fog at 0700 GMT (1500 local time), after racing for 11 days, 2 hours and 26 seconds (11d:02h:00m:25s), Bekking said, “I feel far from comfortable. Even if it should go wrong, the guys should all feel like the moral winners of the leg, they sailed like champions.”

The eight points for the leg win, brings Telefónica Blue¹s total score to 41.5 points, just 3.5 points behind race leader Ericsson 4.

PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (USA), finishes second, on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China at 08:17:36 GMT

Kenny Read/USA, guided PUMA through the finish of Volvo Ocean Race leg four in Qingdao, China today at 0817 GMT (1617 local time) to claim second place after an unbelievable effort, which saw the team break their boom and drop anchor in the Philippines order to make repairs.

On arrival in Qingdao, PUMA’s skipper, Kenny Read said: “Our crew really became a team on this leg. We have really found our legs. After our problems we came back with an unbelievable effort. We came together.”

Delta Lloyd to Taiwan

Team Delta Lloyd, has been forced to head to Keelung in Taiwan with damage to the bow section of the boat. The boat was in fourth position on leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao when the decision was made to turn back.

In 30-knots of breeze and big waves, David Pella from Spain discovered a crack in the bow bulkhead, which gives the hull its strength. The bow also showed some signs of delamination. A few hours earlier, the mainsail had been torn again. The combined factors resulted in the inevitable decision to take shelter.

Ericsson 3 Out

Ericsson 3 are the latest to turn around on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, giving up their second place and heading for Base Camp after structural damage saw them start to take on water. But a combination of emergency repair work and the bilge pumps have the situation under control, and they will be moored up in Taiwan very soon.

VOR in the Storm

It has been some frustration onboard Ericsson 3. They have lost a lot of miles from their decision to go outside the ‘dangerous ground area’ and they were struggling to get back. But, bad weather was on its way and the race committee took precautions. A decision was taken to modify the course to include a waypoint at South Rock Light, positioned near to Manila in the Philippines, to keep the fleet to the east of the South China Sea, and in the lee of the Philippine islands, which would provide shelter from the approaching storm.
As the fleet converged on South Rock Light, it was Telefónica Black in the lead from PUMA and Telefónica Blue. The teams then short-tacked up the shore of Luzon Island as the wind began to build. Mainsails were reefed and smaller headsails hoisted as the seas became confused.

Then the storm came. It brought out the pure seamanship of the fleet rather than the hard racing ability of the seven crews. Data off the boats indicated top wind speeds near 50 knots and maximum wave heights of 14 metres, caused by the wind blowing against the prevailing current, resulting in a sharp, steep sea state.

PUMA (Ken Read) broke their boom and turned south while in the lead and headed downwind. The have anchored in a bay. Then, the new leaders, Telefónica Black, who had been sailing conservatively under storm sails, pulled off the racecourse to investigate a crack in the hull. Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez/ESP) also turned back from the Luzon Strait for the calmer waters of the coast to repair a damaged steering wheel, ripped mainsail and a damaged mast track. The team suspended racing at 1010 GMT, (under race rules for a minimum of 12 hours), and anchored in a bay just north of Vigan. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR), already nursing a damaged rig, followed Delta Lloyd’s lead and headed inshore. The boat suffered damage to the forward ring frame. There is a three or four-day window to get to Qingdao before the weather turned bad there, so the teams would have to leave their safe havens when it was probably still rough, in order to get to China before the weather closed in.

Damage & Repair

For Telefónica Black it has been a very busy day today, and it has not ended yet. The guys are inside the bow of the ‘Demonio’, still repairing a ripped J2, so imagine the difficulties on such a bumpy road! Apart from that, they have been dealing with continuous wind changes in direction and speed, so the work on deck has been extenuating. Telefonica Black has lost the lead, but the final approach to the waypoint next to Manila promises to be really tight for the leading pack.

Green Dragon on the other hand, loses forestay but saved its mast. Ian Walker and his crew were in fourth place and sailing in 17 knots of breeze upwind and a short, choppy sea, when the boat suffered a broken forestay, a crucial part of the rigging, which helps keep the mast in position.

Telefonica Black Leads

Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri) is the new leader of the pack today, after the Volvo Ocean Race fleet made its first proper manoeuvre of this leg, tacking onto starboard last night when the predicted windshift occurred.

Since then, the tracks of the boats have wavered as the crews carefully pick their way through the minefield of reefs and shoals that clutter this part of the South China Sea.

The fleet is now spread over an inshore/offshore divide of 91 nautical miles. Ericsson 4 is the closest inshore, just 43 nautical miles off the coastline of Palawan Island with Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bérmudez) and new leader, Telefónica Black joined together and furthest offshore.

Ancient Greek Vessel

The most complete ancient Greek ship ever found has arrived in Portsmouth to be rebuilt by the Mary Rose Trust. The timbers of the 2,500-year-old Greek trading vessel have arrived at the c for what is expected to be a 10-year programme of preservation and reconstruction.

The 60-ft ship will be pieced back together by marine archaeologists. After being discovered in silt off the coast of Sicily, the 700 sodden timbers were submerged in water-soluble wax for four years, in a process similar to that used to conserve the hull of the Mary Rose. They were then freeze-dried in a huge vacuum chamber and are now ready to be reassembled.

Archaeologists believe the craft was heading for Gela, then a Greek colony, when it was caught in a storm and sank with its cargo. Discovered in 1988 about 800 metres from the coastline off the city of Gela in Sicily, the ship dates to between 500 and 430 BC.

It was found in several layers of silt at a depth of five metres (16 feet), but wasn't excavated until summer 2004 when some 700 timbers and fragments were raised to the surface.

Day Three - Leg Four

Day three of the 2,500 nm leg to China has been more than a little stressful for the crews racing in leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race across the South China Seas, as the fleet weaves its way through some hazardous shoals. The Admiralty Sailing Directions describes the shoals as both 'badly charted' and 'possibly in error by many miles'.

Telefonica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) in second place, has been fighting for every inch, as PUMA moved first and Ericsson 4 third. The fleet is in the transition zone, waiting for the wind to shift, which will open up the options for tacking onto starboard. Following the leader now is not really an option, but the fleet is yet to make a move. Currently conditions are rather benign, as the fleet races upwind in 10 12 knots of breeze. Everything feels calm and tranquil.

Acura Key West 2009

Opening day of Acura Key West 2009, presented by Nautica, showcased the international flavor of the event with foreign entries seizing the early lead in four of the grand prix classes. Italian entries set the pace in a pair of the premier one-design fleets while British teams surged to the front of two top tier handicap classes.

Competition in North America’s largest winter regatta got underway in ideal conditions with strong westerly winds allowing organizers to hold two races. An ominous squall put a brief damper on the proceedings, but moved through quickly and allowed the action to continue under sunny skies.

Vincenzo Onorato and his team aboard Mascalzone Latino overcame the unexpected loss of three sailors to win both races and the Nautica Watches Boat of the Day in the Farr 40 class. Two crew members took ill while another suffered an injury in practice – forcing the three-time defending world champions to scramble. One substitute was flown in from Italy while the team coach and chef filled the other vacancies onboard.

Joining Onorato on the podium for Nautica Watches Day was fellow Italian skipper Lorenzo Bressani, who steered UKA UKA Racing to a pair of bullets in Melges 24 class – largest of the regatta with 33 boats. Gabriele Benussi is calling tactics while two-time United States Olympian Jonathan McKee is serving as trimmer aboard UKA UKA Racing, the reigning world champion. McKee is taking a break from his duties in the after-guard of Puma Racing, one of the top contenders in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Both IRC classes have seen an increase in entries this year and the British showed their colors on Monday. Skipper Tim Powell steered the Reichel-Pugh-designed Ran to a pair of first place finishes in IRC 1 while owner Tony Buckingham and his team aboard Ngoni seized the early lead in IRC 2 on the strength of a 1-2 line.

Fourth Leg Go

The Volvo Ocean Race returned to the race track 18 Jan in Singapore when the gun fired signifying the start of the 2,500 nautical mile leg to Qingdao in China, the leg most crews consider will be one of the most difficult and brutal legs of the race. Never in this history of the race has there been a leg like this, where the fleet will be sailing upwind for such an extensive distance. The difference between racing and surviving is taken very seriously and all skippers are predicting the need to ease back when conditions worsen.

The start got underway in ideal conditions of 10 – 15 knots. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) and PUMA (Kenny Read/USA) immediately commenced battle and both had their bows ahead of the rest, opting for the middle of the line, while Delta Lloyd chose the pin end. Both Telefónica boats and Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) were in the second row as the gun fired at 1300 local time (0500 GMT) and the fleet pounded up the first two-mile beat.

At windward mark, Ericsson 4 led, with some smart sail handling, with PUMA right on her heels. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE) performed an outstanding spinnaker hoist and took third place, while Green Dragon struggled with their huge gennaker in fourth position.

The match racing continued between the two leaders, as they approached the next mark, Ericsson 4 proving to be the class of the fleet. PUMA was just a couple of boat lengths behind; Green Dragon rolled Ericsson 3 and was followed by the two Telefónica boats and Delta Lloyd.

The committee boat formed the last rounding mark before the fleet sheeted in and headed upwind to China. Ericsson 4 was the clear leader, followed by PUMA. A gap opened up to Green Dragon with Ericsson 3 right on her tail. Telefónica Blue was fifth, a disappointing position for Bouwe Bekking and his men, and Telefonica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP), taking a penalty of three points for swapping to new rudders, were sixth. Delta Lloyd brought up the rear.

Storm Ahead Vendee Fleet

Whilst to the east of Rio de Janeiro the leading duo are still making relatively slow progress as they struggle to escape into more solid breeze, what Meteo France have described as the worst storm of this Vendee Globe awaits the trio of Brian Thompson, Dee Caffari and Arnaud Boissieres as they pass Cape Horn.

Marc Guillemot (Safran) stopped at the Falklands Islands at 1000hrs this morning to work on his mast track. British Yachtswoman Dee Caffari, onboard Aviva, has endured further damage to her mainsail following a battering by a 65 knot storm in the southern ocean. The solo skipper had already repaired a number of tears to her mainsail, but knew as she approached the notorious Cape Horn in a vicious storm it may lead to more damage.

A temporary decrease in wind strength will help Dee Caffari round the Cape in the next 36 hours and prepare for the next storm looming on the weather forecast. She will continue to conserve the mainsail as much as possible before attempting the repairs around the Falkland Islands.

Singapore In Port Race

The second in the series of seven in-port race events, the results of which count towards the overall result of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 started on Saturday 10 January at 0525 GMT, 1325 local time in a gusty 10 15 knot breeze. Both sides of the race course were lined with spectator boats for the first ever southeast Asia in-port race. Ericsson 4 won the UBS Challenge for the In-Port Race in the Volvo Ocean Race in Singapore today after finishing second in race one and winning race two. The result earned the team the four maximum points on offer which extends their total to 39 points.

PUMA (Ken Read/USA) dominated the first race in an impressive display of solid sailing and race tactics, leading the fleet from start to finish and holding Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) at bay. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) and Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) showed good form and fought throughout the short windward/leeward course for third place, the finishing order only being decided on the final run when Telefónica Blue edged ahead. Ericsson 3, skippered by Magnus Olsson/SWE, who has stepped up to take charge of the boat while regular skipper Anders Lewander/SWE recovers from knee surgery, finished fifth.

In race two, the first four finishers in the first race opted for the right hand side of the course, while the bottom three headed for the shore immediately after the start. The offshore side of the track clearly had more pressure as Ericsson 4 and Telefónica Blue led the fleet to the windward mark. Green Dragon came in to the mark on port and tacked just inside PUMA to round fourth, with Telefónica Black approaching quickly from the left hand side of the course. Ericsson 4 fought to hold off Telefónica Black, and finished the race in pole position. Telefónica Black was second, and third was Telefónica Blue in a photo finish. PUMA finished ahead of Green Dragon in fourth, Ericsson 3 was sixth, and Delta Lloyd, still struggling due to lack of practise on the water due to work being carried out on her keel, was seventh.

Vendee Globe

Two months after setting sail from Les Sables d'Olonne, Roland Jourdain is currently in second place and was 178 miles from Michel Desjoyeaux.

Roland Jourdain's Veolia Environnement team have just reported that he believes he hit a sea mammal early yesterday evening while racing some 800 miles off the Argentine coast.

The collision with this mammal led to several cracks which forced Roland Jourdain to continue under reduced sail in order to effect repairs at sea.

After inspecting his boat, the keel and bulb do not seem to have been affected, but he found several cracks around the keel box and in the compartment at the foot of the mast bulkhead. Roland Jourdain informed his shore team and the Vende Globe Race Directors this afternoon at 16h30.

After talks with the Lombard design team and the CDK yard, Jourdain assesed the situation and set about making repairs, which he is currently setting up with the materials he has on board under reduced sail. The smooth sea and the light winds in the high are offering favourable conditions.

Half the Fleet Still Fights

At 1920 GMT, only a matter of an hour and 20 minutes since passing Cape Horn, Vincent Riou called his team to report that PRB has been dismasted. When the call was made PRB was in a position about 7.8 miles to the North West of Cape Horn. Both skippers Riou and Le Cam are safe and well. He called back to his team about an hour later, saying that he did not want to issue a Mayday signal, but was trying to locate a suitable vessel to tow them, perhaps through the contacts of Isabelle Autissier. They believe that the temporary lashing which they had made to the chainplate gave way. They had around 25 knots of NW'ly wind when the rig came down but have a limited chance of setting a jury rig while they are in the islands. Riou and Le Cam acted quickly to cut away the rigging and free the broken mast. Since they cut the mast free PRB is reported to be drifting at 1.5 knots to a course of about 25 degrees, effectively away from the islands.

A PAN PAN call was made, a simple request to any available assistance, as opposed to the obligations of a Mayday. Vendee Globe Race Direction have been in contact with the Chilean authorities. The 32.7 m general purpose vessel Alacalufe of the Chilean Navy has been dispatched from Port Williams, 55 miles away.

Meantime at the front of the fleet, Michel Desjoyeaux is significantly quicker than his nearest rival, second placed Roland Jourdain.

1. Michel Desjoyeaux, Foncia, 6312.5 miles to finish
2. Roland Jourdain, Veolia Environnement, + 108.9 miles to leader
3. Armel Le Cleac'h, Brit Air, + 659.7 miles
4. Vincent Riou, PRB, + 742.5 miles
5. Sam Davies, GBR, ROXY, + 1860.4 miles