Puma Leads

Tuesday, 18 November 2008 

Puma is slightly ahead of the rest of fleet in the 3rd day of the Volvo Ocean Race leg 2. After 72 hours of the 3rd leg Puma, who is second in the point tally is leading the Leg.

Telefonica Blue is in the second position and Telefonica Black is in the third position. Erricson 3, Erricson 4, Green Dragon, Delta Lloyd and Team Russia is the fleet order now.

Conditions have progressively worsened on board as the Southern Ocean makes its presence felt. Green Dragon took the brunt of it. “I was just getting my waterproofs on down below when there was a huge bang and the boat went into an involuntary Chinese gybe,” Walker reported.”You might think this is alright 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. ”The steering blocks had sheared away leaving Neal (McDonald) with no steerage on the weather wheel. As the boat speared out of control Anthony Merrington managed to grab the leeward wheel just in time and straighten us up.”Everyone was harnessed on and everything secure so no harm was done. Fortunately the only real cost was perhaps 5-10 miles and we are now back up and running with another bar story to tell.”