Delta Lloyd Safely Finishes Leg Three
Roberto Bermudez de Castro/ESP brought the crippled Delta Lloyd across the finish to complete leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cochin in India, at 2007 GMT tonight, after 10 days, 10 hours, 7minutes and five seconds (elapsed time 10:10:7:5), more than 24 hours after Bouwe Bekking and Telefónica Blue scored their first leg win of the event.
Roberto Bermudez, who stepped onto the boat for the first time in Cape Town as skipper, has had a tough leg, culminating with damage to the port keel ram structure on day six, 8 December. The crew considered diverting to a nearer port, but were able to affect a repair sufficient to enable them to sail the remainder of the leg and finish under sail. At the time of the incident, Bermudez said, “This is incredibly bad luck, but the crew is my first priority. It is my job to bring them home safely.” And that is exactly what the Spanish skipper has done.
The shore team is ready to start repairing the damage, which should enable the boat to start the in-port race scheduled for 10 January.
Meanwhile, Kosatka Team Russia today announced that it has suspended racing due to insufficient funds to continue the campaign. The boat finished in seventh position yesterday.
The team has been actively approaching sponsors in recent months in a bid to secure enough financial support to continue, however no sponsorship has been forthcoming. The team has no alternative other than to suspend racing until further financial support can be secured.
“From the outset, it was always a goal to bring commercial partners into the project,” explains Oleg Zherebtsov, the team principal. “Until now, I have financed the team with my own money, in advance of anticipated sponsorship funding. By this stage in the campaign we had intended to find sponsorship, but this process has been impacted by the global economic situation.”
The next action on the water will be on 10 January with the UBS Challenge for the In-Port Race, followed by the start of leg four from Singapore to Qingdao in China on 18 January.
Leg Three Finishing Order Singapore
1. Telefónica Blue: 8 points
2. PUMA : 7 points
3. Ericsson 3: 6 points
4. Ericsson 4: 5points
5. Telefónica Black: 4 points
6. Green Dragon: 3 points
7. Kosatka Team Russia: 2 points
8. Delta Lloyd: 1 points
Overall Leaderboard (Subject to Protest)
1. Ericsson 4: 35 points
2. Telefónica Blue: 30.5 points
3. PUMA : 27.5 points
4. Ericsson 3: 23.5 points
5. Green Dragon: 20.5 points
6. Telefónica Black: 19.5 points
7. Team Russia: 10.5 points
8. Delta Lloyd: 9 points
Scoring Gate Order
1. Ericsson 4 (4 points)
2. Telefónica Blue (3.4 points)
3. Ericsson 3 (3 points)
4. PUMA (2.5 points)
5. Telefónica Black (2 points)
6. Green Dragon (1.5 points)
7. Kosatka Team Russia (1 point)
8. Delta Lloyd (0.5 points)
Positions are available every hour, on the hour, at www.volvooceanrace.org. Click on RESULTS at the top of the page to go straight to the points table and onboard data.
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Lizzie (Green) Ward – Senior Race Press Officer (Race HQ - UK)
Tel: +44 1489 554 832: Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Email: lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org
Beatriz Pastor – Media Relations Manager in Singapore
Mob: + 65 9345 5513 Email: beatriz.pastor@volvooceanrace.org
To receive the latest positions and breaking news on your mobile telephone, text “RACE” to +46 737 494949
Full press information can be read and downloaded from: http://press.volvooceanrace.org
Images
High-resolution images can be downloaded from: http://images.volvooceanrace.org
Tim Stonton, Picture Desk Manager Email: images@volvooceanrace.org
Tel: +44 1489 554 867 Mob: +44 781 697 5355
Broadcast
For broadcast-standard video, please go to: www.thenewsmarket.com
If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register.
For assistance, please email journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com
Radio/Audio
For all radio reports/interviews audio requests, please contact:
Guy Swindells (English) Mob: +44 7710 295 995 or
Amanda Blackley (Spanish and French)
Mob: +44 7548 543 215 Office +44 1489 554 859