Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race
The all-seeing eye in the Race Office needs neither sunlight nor moonlight ...
Sunday, 14 June 2009, 23:55 GMT UPDATE
Delta Lloyd has now joined the rest of the fleet on port gybe, and is headed for the coast more or less on the same line as Telefonica Black. The breeze is still a 20 knot westerly wind, and they gybed just before 23:40.
And so ends Day 1, and so ends this particular Live Blog. We’re switching to a shiny new story for Day 2, which you can find right here. See you there.
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23:35 GMT UPDATE
We now have six boats on port gybe, headed north-east towards the gap between Sandhammaren and Bornholm. Ericsson 4 are furthest south, then PUMA with Ericsson 3 chasing down their lane. A little to the north-west of them is Telefonica Black, with Green Dragon out on her own, four miles north-west of the leading pack. Delta Lloyd is still to gybe.
And this in from Ericsson 3’s Media Crew, Gustav Morin, “We have been in a very close battle with Telefonica Black almost since the start. They have been in front most of the time but a while ago we peeled to the big gennaker a bit before the Spanish and we managed to pass them. Now we have a gap of a couple of 100 metres.
“This is actually the first time I have sailed this boat in waters that I know, and this makes it a bit clearer how fast these boats really are. We are passing city after city sooner than I can upload pictures. This is by far the most intense leg in the race. In the coming hours we will gybe and start heading for the island of Oland, and we will go between Sweden and Bornholm.
“On the last leg we think we lost a lot from pushing too hard with no sleep and everyone had a downturn at the same time which had a big effect on the decision making. ‘The boat goes faster with more guys on deck, but only to a certain point. It is hard to find the balance,’ says Magnus Olsson, skipper, and continues, ‘We are trying to be a bit smarter with the sleeping this time.’”
Live blogging from a lonely Mark Chisnell, left behind to man the website in an eerily quiet Volvo HQ – so please email your thoughts, complaints, questions and fleet sightings to liveblog@volvooceanrace.org.
23:15 GMT UPDATE
The gybing has started, PUMA turned to the north-east first just after 23:00 GMT, now on port, aiming back in towards the Swedish coast in a 20 knot westerly breeze. Telefonica Black was next to go, at about 23:15. I can’t imagine that Ericsson 4 and 3 will be far behind, but at the moment they are carrying on to the south-east. Chewing those miles up.
Andrew Brewer is sympathetic to the food-less plight of the blog team. From Canada. “I can hear your stomach rumbling as I read the blog. I do wish there was something I could do as we have a lot of left-overs. Yesterday we had our annual block party (or as we call it Street-A-Q).
“We had hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken. Someone brought a pork loin and I smoked sausages on my smoker. Of course, along with this there were lots and lots of salads and to top it all off cakes and cookies. We had so much left over I wish there was some way I could get some to you. The problem is the distance and the Atlantic Ocean, well I guess I’ll just keep reading your great updates and snacking on all the leftovers.”
Thanks, Andrew, I feel all the better for that tantalising description of a feast...
22:55 GMT UPDATE
No changes at the front, everyone still paired up and still headed south-east – but I don’t think the first gybe is that far away.
We’ve now got the .tv footage of the start, and if you want to see Telefonica Blue’s grounding, it’s on Youtube.
Meanwhile, Henrik de Vries has just got back from the water, “At first when I read your blog I thought that I missed it, but then the note about PUMA leading under the bridge appeared and we drove like crazy to the boat. We just caught up with PUMA two miles south of the bridge. My son’s first comment when we got there was, ‘goddam it's big’. And then he kept on repeating that for 20 minutes. A lovely sight.
While Mary Leahy-King joins the chorus of sympathy for poor old Telefonica Blue, “Can't believe the bad luck of Telefonica Blue, my heart goes out to them. I have such admiration for the Volvo sailors, they are incredibly brave but spare a thought for British woman Hilary Lister. She's the first disabled (quadriplegic) sailor to sail solo across the Irish Sea. She arrived here in Ireland today after a 14 hour crossing. Fantastic!! And I’m still suffering from withdrawal symptoms after the fleet left Galway. Hope they'll be back.”
So do we, Mary, so do we.
22:20 GMT UPDATE
Things have stabilised, with the fleet still headed south-east in a line. At the front are PUMA and Ericsson 4, side-by-side. Just over two miles behind them are Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3, side-by-side. And five miles behind them, are Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd, not quite side-by-side, but near enough. Three match races, through the Scandinavian night, and soon into the Scandinavian sunrise, it being virtually midsummer, and all that.
And a Sunday. I make that point only because it seems to be a lot harder to find take-away deliveries on a Sunday. Oh well. I had a good lunch. Ten hours ago. And no one to blame but myself. Sigh.
22:05 GMT UPDATE
The fleet is still all headed south-east, and as they get further from the land the breeze is building – they are back in 20 knots of westerly (as Guy Salter suggested in the 21:30 Update), and hammering. But no significant changes in the running order.
Meanwhile, you guys are all over this internet thing – Niklas Johnsson (and others, but he was first) has found the start and the Telefonica Blue crash (including onboard footage) on Youtube. Extraordinary stuff.
Daniel Gruhn shares the Telefonica team’s suffering, “I've followed Telefonica Blue around the globe and not just on the website. I was in Singapore and Boston. I'm still very disappointed about what happened. Media Crew, Gabri Olivo was right ‘They don't deserve this,’ they already had the same problem in Qingdao.”
21:50 GMT UPDATE
Good news and bad news for Team Ericsson. We have another pass – PUMA is back in front of Ericsson 4. But Ericsson 3 is now a half mile in front of Telefonica Black. Green Dragon still lead Delta Lloyd, both boats dropping back from the leaders. The whole fleet is now past the Blenheim Light, and still on port gybe headed south-east, still no splits.
Laura Newnham would like more frequent Position Reports to go with the Live Blog – I’ll pass on your wishes, but more frequent reports do change the dynamic tactically for the sailors, and although the leg is short, it’s not an in-port race. So although I’m sure we’ll go to hourly at some stage, I’m not sure anyone is quite ready for it for the whole leg. So you’re stuck with me for now, I’m afraid...
And the rest of the team, of course - check out all the latest audio from our reporters on the water.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Bill Reddin wants to say hello to everyone he met in Galway, while watching the Volvo Ocean Race and waiting for a Space Shuttle launch. Cool. Beat that – what else are you doing tonight, apart from this blog that trumps a Space Shuttle launch? On second thoughts, don’t answer that question. It may be late, but the taste police are watching.
21:30 GMT UPDATE
An update from Guy Salter, Media Crew on board Ericsson 4, “The large flotilla that has been with us for most of the day has dwindled, but it was great to see all the boats out of Malmo and Copenhagen this evening. The sun set about 30 minutes ago, and we are now in the dark - although that will not last for long in these areas.
“The wind has been stronger than anticipated and we hope that the parking lot we expect round the corner will not materialise - at present we are running in 16 knots of wind and expect it to top out in the low 20s in the next few hours.”
Andreas Westerhall (apologies for the missing accent, but our website software is unhappy about them) is confident of the Swedish charts, “The water has been used by seamen for a thousand years, so I can assure you that any reef is accurately documented in the charts. It was likely a mistake by the navigator.” I think the Telefonica Blue crew have accepted that - and as a navigator myself, I feel the pain.
Johan Jersby has found another website with television footage of Telefonica Blue’s crash, and this one does work outside Sweden, check the thumbnails under the main picture.
21:15 GMT UPDATE
The leaders have passed south of the light at Blenheim, and we now have a 15-to-18 knot westerly, it’s backed (rotated clockwise) from the north-northwest. So it’s now a proper downwind leg along the south coast. And that means we have the potential for some splits.
Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 followed them round Blenheim Light, with Green Dragon inbound. So, not long before we have everyone headed east along the south coast, and at the moment everyone is staying on port gybe and headed south-east.
It’s starting to get dark out there, and the FleetBroadband Express is headed for the front of the fleet to see if they can watch this action in the gloom. Meanwhile, the all-seeing eye in the Race Office needs neither sunlight nor moonlight, although I could do with something to eat.
Johan Jersby has been asking if the Live Blog is an RSS feed, but mainly to follow us on mobile – try the Twitter link right here. And you can also link to it directly from your mobile via the top of the mobile channel.
21:00 GMT UPDATE
The leaders are still headed south-east, I don’t think that they have gybed along the south coast of Sweden yet – I guess they want to stay away from the coast. The next big town that they will be sailing past is Trelleborg. Behind them there is still nothing in it with Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3, and no change with the pair at the back either.
Esio Seize writes from Brazil to tell us that, “If you look in the Google Earth you will see a tiny speck of white just at the coordinates you gave on the 17:55 Update. Maybe it is not charted - but the satellite noticed it.” We’re pretty sure it is charted, Esio, check out the 20:40 Update.
20:50 GMT UPDATE
And that’s a pass – Ericsson 4 goes by PUMA to take the lead. The overall leaders on a full throttle charge. There’s nothing much in it, and both boats are set up to gybe to the east as they clear south of Falsterbo.
20:40 GMT UPDATE
Ericsson 4 is still scything into PUMA’s lead, it’s down to less than half a mile now, as both boats head past Falsterbo – the breeze steady in the mid-teens and from the west-northwest. The overall leaders are on a charge.
A mile behind them, Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 are paired off, still side by side, absolutely nothing in it at all with those two. Green Dragon is another three miles back, with a comfortable lead over Delta Lloyd.
Telefonica Blue isn’t the only boat in need of dagger board and rudder repair tonight. Doug Barlow used to sail against PUMA’s Ken Read back in his college days at Kings Point, so we know who he’s cheering for – while working hard on the family yacht.
Daniel Gruhn thinks it’s bad for the Telefonica Blue crew, “Of course the shore crew has to look at the boat but I'm saying game over for the Blue boys.”
I’m sticking with the first part of that Daniel and waiting for the official verdict. Meanwhile spare a thought for the Telefonica shore team, who thought they were having a quiet dinner and then a drive to Stockholm.
Thanks to Anders Brouzell, we’re going to have another go at the link to the chart of the rock, try this one.
Meanwhile, Johan Carlsson has found sources that say the rock is closer to Ussholmen, and further south than kopparhaglarna (copper nails) – but since it was in a language I didn’t understand, and nor was I there when it happened, I’m not going to be able to settle this one.
And with further thanks to Stefan Grallert, I think that this is a webcam shot of Telefonica Blue – apparently it reloads every two minutes but I must admit I was struggling to see the boat in the image.
If you’re in Sweden, Mats Rahm says that there is footage of Telefonica Blue right here - it doesn’t seem to work outside the country though.
More complaints, I’m afraid, this one from Louis Kramer, “I have a 'complaint' - basically it is the following: the live blog is too much fun to follow/read and therewith way too addictive.
“After a weekend full of festivities and parties, Sunday evening should be a moment of regenerating power for the coming workweek. Unfortunately, with this live blog it looks like the night will be very short. Maybe I will have a kind of watch system over here as well: half hour sleep - catch up with two new blog messages - half hour sleep, and so on.”
Thanks, Louis, it’s my mission to keep you up all night. I will pass on your comments to the great team that makes it all happen behind the scenes. But maybe four on and four off is a more sustainable watch system?
And on that note, I’m sorry to say that we don’t have the resources here to cope with all the photos you’re sending in, but thanks for the thought.
20:15 GMT UPDATE
It now seems that everyone is going west of Saltholm – so good news for the Danish side of the channel. Not so good for getting cool photos of them passing under a very cool bridge.
Ian Walker reports from Green Dragon, “We are all sailing down the channel off Copenhagen and the sun is setting over the city behind us. We are back past Delta Lloyd after they had a very scrappy spinnaker drop - getting the spinnaker halyard caught over the top of the mainsail. They seem to also be trapped behind a large ship in the channel.” And that confirms what Peter Braun saw at the 19:25 Update.
And Frank Llado doesn’t want to erect a memorial on Telefonica Blue’s rock, rather he’s concerned because he sails in those waters and wants to check it out when he gets a new set of electronic charts – which apparently are just being updated...
Jan-Mikael Lilienberg isn’t happy about the frequency of updates on the .tv site – sorry, but it all takes time. You’re just going to have to put up with me instead. And to be honest, I don’t think we were expecting this bit to be quite so spectacular...
Other people are happy, Maria Nobrega writes to say thanks. Thank you, Maria, glad to be of service.
For those of you into Twitter, you can follow these updates and the Position Reports right here. And you can also link to it directly from your mobiles via the top of the mobile channel. And because of the 140 character limit we’re going to try and remember to post the plea for emails to the bottom of each update. Particularly as I’m completely swamped at the moment...
19:55 GMT UPDATE
The gap between PUMA and Ericsson 4 is still narrowing, with the wind dropping to around 13 knots. Both boats are through the narrowest section between Saltholm and Copenhagen, with Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 slipping back a little behind them, but still side by side. Telefonica Black in danger of being passed back down the fleet.
There’s a new email from Telefonica Blue’s Media Crew, Gabri Olivo, all about the grounding - complete with a scary picture. Apparently they are waiting for the boat cradle so they can get the boat up on the shore – I guess the cradle had gone ahead to Stockholm.
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19:40 GMT UPDATE
PUMA is now in the narrowest part of the channel between Saltholm and Copenhagen, with Ericsson 4 closing to within just over a mile, and Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 the same distance behind Ericsson 4. Green Dragon leading Delta Lloyd, both boats another three miles further back. The wind is still holding up in the mid-teens, still blowing from the west-northwest.
For everyone writing in with sympathy for the unfortunate Telefonica Blue, and asking for updates – our team in Marstrand confirmed that they are suspended out of the water, with the team are examining the damage. But I wouldn’t expect any news on the repair schedule for some time, there will be a lot of work to do to figure out the extent of the structural damage.
And for everyone sending in the coordinates of a map showing where the Telefonica Blue grounding happened, we have tried posting this but the link wouldn’t work. I have posted what we think are the coordinates at the 17:55 Update.
But Fam Skyberg says that the rock even has a name, “Kopparnaglarna, translated as copper nails”. I’m sure that will make them all feel a whole lot better, Fam.
Erik Solberg has kindly provided a link with current information for the Sound, along with the necessary translation for those of you who don’t speak Danish: strøm = current; bølger = waves; vind = wind. I might have got that last one. But at the moment it seems to be more about the breeze, as the wind is staying up and they are moving fast.
19:30 GMT UPDATE
PUMA are right by the island of Saltholm, with a two mile lead from Ericsson 4. Telefonica Black is right with them, with Ericsson 3 beside her now.
Peter Braun reports from the shore of Zeeland, “It seems like Delta Lloyd had some troubles near the Island of Ven - they had their Code 0 furled for a while and were sort of parked - did they hit it? Green Dragon just went by.”
I have Delta Lloyd still moving, Peter, although now in last place. I guess it was just a sail handling issue.
Sander Plujim has just written from Delta Lloyd, although I’m not sure of the timing relative to the above incident, “We are fighting a boat to boat fight against the Green Dragon here on the Danish coast. The breeze is a lot lighter than an hour ago and it turns out that we will have a beautiful sunset, while the crowd is still following us in little boats, it's fantastic to see all these enthusiastic people.
“Today when we left Marstrand we were surprised by the hundreds of boats on the water. Since we arrived in Europe it seems that there are more people watching. On the horizon, we can see the other boats in the race so the battle isn't over yet, the boys still have their fighting spirit!”
Johan Carlsson was asking about why I was expecting the wind to ease (which as Sander has confirmed, it has), when the forecasts have it staying up – because they have sailed to leeward of a big chunk of land, Johan. And the breeze has dropped inside the Sound, but we fully expect it to pick up again once they clear it to the south.
19:15 GMT UPDATE
The FleetBroadband Express is back with the leaders, reporting that Ericsson 4 has a Code Zero up, with a staysail and full main. We already know that PUMA has shaken the reef out. The wind is down in the mid-teens now, but relatively steady at that strength.
PUMA is just a handful of miles from Saltholm, the island in the middle of the channel between Malmoe and Copenhagen. And it looks like they are going by it to the west, so over the tunnel rather than under the bridge.
19:00 GMT UPDATE
So, the Position Report is on its way. I can tell you that the breeze is back up a little, and they are closing on the bridge at about 15 knots again.
There’s an email just in from Rick Deppe, Media Crew aboard the leader, PUMA. And I’ve just seen some astonishing footage that Rick shot aboard PUMA as they swerved round the distraught Telefonica Blue, and I can tell you, there were some deeply stressed and distressed people on that boat. We will get it up for you when we can. Anyway, back to Rick’s email:
“Ocean Racing is not an easy sport to capture because much of it happens out of sight, so the Media Team’s job (that’s me and my mates here) will be to coordinate media feeds from the boats in as near real time as possible and help to create the story line in a Macro version.
“My job on the boat will be to try to give them the Micro picture. It’s not daily reports any more, the race will play out hour by hour. Our collective mission... put the fans on the boats and into the race. So stick by the computer and come along for the ride.
“We are now approaching the narrow gap between Helsingor in Denmark and Helsingborg in Sweden. The wind is easing off a little so the boys are shaking out the reef: Standby sailors up; Pitman prepares the main halyard; Blow off inboard reef line; Get outboard reefline off lock; Ease mainsheet and vang; Ease outboard reefline as main halyard is hoisted; Sheet main back on.”
18:45 GMT UPDATE
Everyone is past Helsingborg, and PUMA have now led the fleet to the west of the island of Ven. They still have a handy lead, but the wind continues to drop as they go south, and the fleet continues to compress.
Mattias Allroth, Sven-Erik Persson and others asked whether the boats are going under the bridge, or on the Danish side, as they pass between Copenhagen and Malmoe. I can tell you that they have a free choice in the race instructions, Mattias, and I’ll keep you posted right here about how they are lining up as they sail down the Sound.
The leaders are about 10 miles north of the bridge at the moment. I believe I may have been confusing the times to the bridge with the times to Helsingborg in previous postings. No danger of making that mistake again, as they are now past Helsingborg. But I already told you that ...
Andrew Brewer was asking after the progress of Peter Rusch and the team aboard the FleetBroadband Express. It is indeed a daunting task to catch the Volvo Open 70s, but the boys have the hammer down, and were last seen going south in a cloud of spray at over 30 knots. I think they will get back to the fleet before they go under the bridge.
Anders Bergmark watched the fleet go past Hoganas and clocked them at 24 knots in 16 knots of breeze. Impressive, but perhaps a little too impressive - I’d get that speedo checked if I were you, Anders.
And for Neville Barltrop – yup, Telefonica Blue have to stay out of the race for a minimum amount of time when they suspend racing to seek assistance. But they are going to spend a lot longer fixing the boat than the penalty, so it is largely academic.
Colin Hammond writes, pertaining to the 17:30 Update, “GPS accuracy is three to five metres (except during a solar storm...). Nautical charts have been surveyed over the last 100 years to nothing like the same absolute accuracy (will be accurate in a relative sense to local reference points, but not to a world datum like WGS84 for GPS).
“Charts also have printing and registration errors. Some charts in the Caribbean were surveyed 200 years ago and not updated since so reefs can be one nautical mile out. So if the rock was marked on the chart and they did not give it at least 100m clearance without local knowledge, their bad.”
Keep the emails coming, I can’t get to them all, but I’ll do my best.
18:10 GMT UPDATE
PUMA still have their lead, but Ericsson 3 have caught the pair in front, Ericsson 4 and Telefonica Black. Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd just a couple of miles behind them, so everything still compressing them.
Just in from Gustav Morin aboard Ericsson 3, written maybe 20 minutes ago, “We are pretty concerned about the guys on Telefonica Blue who hit a rock soon after the leeward rounding. ‘Blue just hit the breaks! Watch out!’ Richard Mason shouted just after he saw the Spanish boat dive and then heel. We all hope they are all well onboard. To go from 15 knots to 0 can cause some serious headaches.”
All alive and all well, Gustav, but not particularly happy, I’d say.
Morin continues, “It still pretty wet out here and we are still steadily doing over 20 knots. We will soon put the A4 up for a couple of miles when we get on to the narrow parts. Next hours will be interesting.”
No doubt about that, they are still slowing, wind speeds and wind directions now in the mid-teens as everyone hits the narrowest part of the Sound – who will pop out first?
Erik Solberg asks how the current in the Sound will affect the boats - not sure at the moment, Erik. I might as well be honest.
TEN ZULU regular, aafke bakker writes in with, “Pity and sorry for the Telefonica Blue Crew and Boat. Bouwe - being Dutch - must have learned in school that Kattegat means Cat's Hole and not Cat's Throat, Cameron.”
Thereby correcting one Cameron Kelleher, lately of the Afternoon Report, but in defence of the good Cam, I have to bring your attention to the 16:30 update in which he said, “The name Kattegat derives from the Dutch words Kat (cat) and Gat (hole or throat, depending on your encyclopedic reading.”
Pay attention, aafke.
17:55 GMT UPDATE
PUMA lead past Helsingborg with Ericsson 4 now just over a mile behind them, the gaps are closing as the leaders sail into less breeze.
Frank Llado would like the coordinates of the rock that Telefonica Blue hit - going to erect some sort of memorial, Frank? Ok, I think it’s this one... 57 degrees, 51.107 minutes north, and 11 degrees, 32.260 minutes east. If I’m wrong you can blame (look at my slopey shoulders) Erik Ferrari, who provided those coordinates from Australia. Make of that what you will. It’s a connected kind of world.
Michael Berg writes in from the States to ask about stuff to do in the Race Village, and to ease my boredom – well, I’m now struggling to keep up with all the emails, and the yacht race. I was warned by my team leader not to put that bit at the top of the page... but bring it on, I say, the more the merrier.
So, things to do in the Race Village – the boats are the best part for me, but there’s plenty of other stuff – race simulator and exhibitions, and, of course, just hanging out and soaking up the atmosphere.
17:40 GMT UPDATE
PUMA is now just four miles from Helsingborg, with Ericsson 4 and Telefonica Black just over two miles behind them. Then we have Ericsson 3 another half mile off the pace, and a further two mile deficit to Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon.
Daniel Gruhn asks, “What's the Situation with Telefonica Blue? Is she hauled out already? Is there any chance to get Boat ready for the Stockholm In-Port-Race and Leg 10?”
The latest I have from Marstrand is that Telefonica Blue is indeed out of the water – and our reporter nearly fell out of a window to get you that piece of info. By the looks of the damage listing in this report, I’d say they’ve got plenty on to make the start of Leg 10, never mind the In-Port Race in Stockholm. But we won’t really know the deal until the structural engineers take a look at it, and that could take a few hours to do properly, as they will probably want to test it with ultrasound.
17:30 GMT UPDATE
We have the first signs of the fleet slowing up - I have the wind speed and the boat speed readings under 20 knots, but not by much, as they rip past Hoganas.
Kieran Kennedy asks, “I have been reading about the way that PUMA were right behind Telefonica Blue when they hit the rock, and that PUMA had to make a course correction.
“Does that mean that if Telefonica Blue were not in front of PUMA they might also have hit the rock? If this is the case, did Andrew Cape make the same mistake as Simon Fisher, or was the charting wrong?”
Well, as I understand it at the moment, Bouwe Bekking and Telefonica Blue are accepting that it was their mistake, and not blaming a charting error. So it may be that Andrew Cape was about to make the same error, or he could have slid by it with a couple of yards to spare and no one would have been any the wiser. The GPS is not accurate to the nearest metre, remember, even if the charts are.
A note on the issues with the Position Reports and the leaderboard – we are having trouble synchronising the Position Reports coming in off the boats. Sometimes the automatic polling comes in at different times, and when they are this close, just a minute or two can make a big difference in the order. So keep it tuned here, and I’ll try and make sure I tell you when we think there’s a problem.
And on an even more serious issue – good work Scott Bennington (15:00 Update). Cam’s always giving me a hard time about my casual, not to say downright illegal use of the apostrophe, so it’s nice to see him get some of his own medicine.
More appalling use of the English language coming right up.
17:10 GMT UPDATE
Hans Ottosson writes in to say, that, “Malmoe has got two tall buildings, both with a free sight over the sound between Copenhagen and Malmoe. I am sure that the crews will notice that the buildings are leaning towards the sound when they pass Malmoe, due to that we all will gather on that side to welcome you.”
Steady guys, no jumping up and down together, we don’t want any more accidents.
PUMA are past Kullen lighthouse and streaking down towards Hoganas, the pack still hot on their tail. Everyone is powering along at 20 plus knots, no sign of a slow down yet.
Telefonica Black are giving Ericsson 4 a run for their money at the moment. Clearly no problems with boat speed at these tighter wind angles (about 110 TWA) – but if past performance is anything to go by it will get tougher for them if the breeze stays up as they turn to the east at Falsterbo, and they start going properly downwind.
There are about 15 miles to go to Helsingborg, less than an hour at the current pace.
16:50 GMT UPDATE
Our thanks to Cameron Kelleher for escorting you through one of the most dramatic afternoons in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race – “follow that”, were his parting words as he cleared out of the office for a beer, leaving yours truly, Mark Chisnell, on shift until the wee hours...
Or, maybe, not – I’m going to be your guide to the tactical battle in the Oresund Sound before handing over to the FleetBroadband Express – at least, that was the plan. But they are still in frantic pursuit of the fleet after covering Telefonica Blue’s misadventure – the full story and reaction right here. The gist of it is summed up in a quote from Bouwe Bekking, “It’s a disaster.” Quite.
Meanwhile, back to the action with the fleet - I can tell you that right now, PUMA is leading and just a mile of so from the Kullen lighthouse. So if you’re watching at the bridge, stand-by, Volvo Open 70s inbound...
Behind them, we have Ericsson 4, Telefonica Black and Ericsson 3 in a tight pack, with Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon a couple of miles further back.
16:30 GMT UPDATE
OK, time for a history lesson, courtesy of our good friends at wikipedia. The fleet is now navigating the Kattegat, a waterway that connects the Baltic and North seas and lies between the coasts of Sweden and Denmark.
The name Kattegat derives from the Dutch words Kat (cat) and Gat (hole or throat, depending on your encyclopedic reading).
It is borrowed from medieval navigation jargon, when captains of trading ships would compare the Danish Straits to a hole so narrow that even a cat would have difficulty squeezing through it due to reefs and shallow waters.
Cat’s throat ... PUMA beware.
And with that, this is Cameron Kelleher signing off from blog duty. I'll leave you in the more than capable hands of Mark Chisnell for the next few hours.
16:20 GMT UPDATE
As promised, here's the audio put together by PUMA's Rick Deppe, an eyewitness to the Telefonica Blue mishap.
15:45 GMT UPDATE
A dispatch from Green Dragon's navigator Ian Moore, lands in the inbox at Race HQ. For all those people wondering when the fleet would reach the Oresund Sound, here's what Moore has to say:
"We have just changed to a Fractional Zero from the masthead Zero. It seems faster and more under control. Wind is up to 24 knots and we seem to be gaining on Delta Lloyd who only have what looks like a genoa up.
"At this pace its less than three hours to entrance to the Sound. Then the fun really begins."
15:40 GMT UPDATE
Daniel Gruhn, for Germany, writes ... "So far I've followed all 8 Legs of the Volvo Ocean Race and I have to say you did a heck of a job these past months. Sad to see Telefonica Blue stranded. I was hoping for a Battle Royal between Blue and PUMA."
So were we all Daniel.
15:20 GMT UPDATE
Further reaction to the Telefonica Blue mishap comes from their close rivals on PUMA. Rick Deppe wrote:
"The excitement of the start was overshadowed by the Tele Blue grounding. What I can say is that at the time they hit I was watching them about 100 metres ahead as we followed them around a headland, when they hit what I saw made me feel sick to my stomach.
"All of us on il mostro are praying that no one was hurt and that the boat is OK."
Nice words Rick.
And by way of a progress report, he added: "Il mostro is leading the race, right now the fleet is lined up behind us with all boats headed south at a good pace towards Copenhagen.
"The boat is really rumbling, we have the A-zero up and one tuck in the main ... this is a good angle for us.
"A slight worry is that Erle (Williams) seems to have come down with some type of cold or fever, it developed rapidly after leaving the dock, Shannon (Falcone) is monitoring his status.
15:10 GMT UPDATE
It is pleasing to report that this live blog has saved Keith Lanan from some chores around the house. "I had planned to mow the lawn this morning, but your updates are coming in too frequently," he wrote via liveblog@volvooceanrace.org. "Keep up the good work."
Glad to be of service Keith. Isn't there a local scout pack in your neighbourhood that does lawns?.
15:00 GMT UPDATE
From Scott Bennington, a grammatical ticking off. "There's no apostrophe in the possessive form of the word "it." For example, "It [Telefonica Blue] is sitting on it's keel on the rock" should be "It is sitting on its keel on the rock." I'd let it go but you keep doing it! Otherwise great reporting..."
OK, Scott, that's 15-love to you. Your point about apostrophes and possessives relating to the word it ... It is noted. Slapped wrist for me.
14:55 GMT UPDATE
For those on Telefonica Blue-watch, our spies tell us that the Blue boat has now docked in Mastrand. The boat will travel from there to Inston on the mainland to be hauled out. That should be in about two hours.
14:50 GMT UPDATE
"Thanks for the live blogging," says Erics Kubitz. Pleasure Eric, glad you're enjoying it. Stick with us for the rest of the leg.
Some fantastic audio has just landed at Race HQ from PUMA. It's Media Crew Member Rick Deppe in conversation with a number of the crew on il mostro, chewing over Telefonica Blue's situation. We'll have it up shortly.
14:40 GMT UPDATE
Emil Axelsson, and a few others have asked: "When do we expect to have the teams passing (Helsingborg) in to the sound between Sweden & Denmark?" At the current rate of progress, Emil, three to four hours.
14:35 GMT UPDATE
"Good job, Mark with the Live Blog. We're here in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, with some Swedish friends watching Internet like live TV, fantastic," writes Edith Poeck. Thanks for the herogram Edith. I'll accept it on Mark's behalf, since his shift doesn't start till 16:00 GMT. Regards, Cameron.
14:15 GMT UPDATE
An email from Ericsson 4's Guy Salter, bemoaning their stumble at the start. "Not the best start for us on Ericsson 4 and our bottom mark rounding left a lot to be desired - in fact its probably our poorest piece of crew work from us this race," he wrote.
And a word of consolation for the stricken Telefonica Blue. "It won't be the ugly rounding which people will remember - it will of course be the unfortunate Tele Blue who we last saw perch on top of a rock - it's a real shame and we just hope they don't have too much damage even though they must have been going around 13-14 knots.
"I'm sure that those boys will be able to make good use of the light spots that the front runners will be sailing into. The wind has just piped up and we are flying along the coast at 24 knots with Ericsson 3 just in front of us. It wil be a tight tussle for all of us."
14:10 GMT UPDATE
An update from our colleagues on the FleetBroadband Express. Telefonica Blue has damage to the port daggerboard. The boat is under sail back to Marstrand where a full inspection will take place.
She was freed using a pilot boat pulling the bow and another boat with a line attached to the halyard from the top of the rig.
The FleetBroadband Express has now set off in pursuit of the fleet having given the six boats a nine-mile start. With the fleet currently powering along at 22-24 knots, according to the Duty Office, they are going to take some catching. Pedal to the metal guys!
13:50 GMT UPDATE
Better news for Telefonica Blue, the crew has finally freed the boat from the rock and are under sail power again. No doubt they will be checking out the canting keel mechanism before deciding what their next step is. A full assessment of the damage is high on the job list.
They have lost two hours to the fleet.
13:40 GMT UPDATE
The first Position Report is in. Ericsson 4, despite an ordinary start by their standards, is in a three-way battle at the head of the fleet along with the sistership Ericsson 3 and Green Dragon.
Delta Lloyd and Telefonica Black are a mile further back with PUMA +2 miles adrfit.
13:30 GMT UPDATE
Meanwhile, from out on the race course, an email arrives from Delta Lloyd Media Crew Member, Sander Pluijm.
13:20 GMT UPDATE
Telefonica Blue is surrounded by support boats, inclduign those of rival teams. Recovery crews have attached a line to the mast and another to the boat in an effort to dislodge the boat.
The third attempt proves unsuccessful. A horrible grating sound emanates from under the hull each time they attempt to move it. This is deeply frustrating for the crew.
Bowman Daryl Wislang has donned the dry suit and appears to be the man designated to dive below to help the rescue efforts.
As for now, the boat is still stuck and not looking like budging.
13:15 GMT UPDATE
"Jeez, Telefonica have done it again? Bad luck or bad sailing?" asks Matthew Banks from Australia ... "Hopefully they can get it sorted and get back out on the race track soon.
"P.S. Doing a great job with the live blog. I'm enjoying following the start on my iPhone. Keep the updates coming! Cheers."
Doing our best Matt.
13:05 GMT UPDATE
Telefonica Blue is in a "dire circumstance", reports Peter Rusch from on board the FleetBroadband Express at the scene. "It is sitting on its keel on the rock, very hard aground," he says. "The boat is like a wounded elephant right now. It is tilted over on quite an angle. They have a line attached to one of the Coast Guard vessels and are trying to refloat it."
Under the rules, Telefonica Blue will have to serve a two-hour time penatly though that is the least of the crews' problems right now.
12:35 GMT UPDATE
Big news. Telefonica Blue has struck a rock.
They suspended racing with a call to the Duty Office at 12:33 GMT. Shades of the Qingdao start on Leg 4 when Bouwe Bekking's men similarly came to an abrupt halt after running aground at the pre-start.
From the email, Dean Wilson asks. 'What's going on with Telefonica Blue, they seem to have some problems?
Indeed they do Dean. We will keep you updated but for sure they will head back to port for an assessment.
12:20 GMT UPDATE
You can email us with your comments and queries at any time at liveblog@volvooceanrace.org.
12:10 GMT UPDATE
At the bottom mark, Green Dragon found themselves exposed on the right-hand side of the course, gybed to the mark as the wind shifts right. Telefonica Blue and PUMA both profit. The lead passes to Bouwe Bekking's men.
A brilliant three-way tussle at the mark behind Telefonica Blue. PUMA pounces on an untidy drop on Ericsson 3 as the Nordics hook the spinnaker on the spreader. Green Dragon takes the inside line at pace. Nothing between the three at the mark.
Telefonca Black holds eventually holds off the charge of Ericsson 4, as does Delta Lloyd.
With the preliminaries of the start course completed, and all seven Volvo Open 70s successfully dodging thousands of spectator craft, Leg 9 is underway.
12:05 GMT UPDATE
Ericsson 4 have slipped past Delta Lloyd, blown the doors off them would be more accurate and are now on the transom of Telefonica Black. Looks like a move from seventh to fifth for the overall race leaders on the downwind stretch.
12:00 GMT UPDATE
Downwind, Ericsson 4 territory, and Torben Grael and his men are making gains. Green Dragon clings to the lead but Telefonica Blue, with a slightly better angle, is threatening.
Ericsson 3 completes the lead trio all three with spinnakers bulging. In Telefonica Blue's case, that's an A2, says Tom Addis, all 450 square metres of it.
11:45 GMT UPDATE
At the top mark, Green Dragon leads them round, hoists the spinnaker and heads for the spectator fleet - dangerous business. Telefonica Blue follows with Ericsson 3 third. The Nordics, not surprisingly, attract a huge spectator fleet at the can.
PUMA was fourth, followed by Telefonica Black and Delta Lloyd, who are neck-and-neck. Ericsson 4 brings up the rear. You don't write that very often.
11:40 GMT UPDATE
Green Dragon has risen from the ashes of a disastrous start to lead the fleet as the breeze builds. The order thereafter is Telefonica Blue, Delta Lloyd, Ericsson 3, PUMA, Telefonica Black and Ericsson 4. Yes, Ericsson 4. But remember there's plenty of mileage left in this leg. 525 miles in fact.
11:30 GMT UPDATE
Telefonica Blue, on the right-hand side of the course, has found some pressure as the fleet negotiates the 6-mile start course before being released into open water.
The spectator fleet is encroaching on the race course. The Race Committe has its hands full clearing a path to the first turning mark.
11:20 GMT UPDATE
It's slow motion at the moment. The wind is dying and the swell is playing havoc, and the spectator fleet continues to claim victims. We have a very expensive car park of Volvo Open 70s off Marstrand.
The .tv footage shows boats bobbing (up and down) and weaving (round the pleasure boats) at present.
Green Dragon, armed with the Code Zero, have found some breeze after the sluggish start from Ian Walker's men. Ericsson 4, all the way out to the left side of the course, have also found some pace.
11:10 GMT UPDATE
The breeze has dropped from 10-12 knots at the pre-start to around 5 as the passage from Mastrand to Stockholm begins in earnest.
The spectator fleet is "forming a wall", says Knut Frostad. Worst affected is Green Dragon, Ericsson 4 and now Telefonica Blue. The top three is PUMA, Delta Lloyd, Telefonica Black.
11:00 GMT UPDATE
Race start. Leg 9 is underway.
Three boats on port and four on starboard. All clear. PUMA makes the best of the start at the pin end. Telefonica Blue keep close company as does Delta Lloyd.
Green Dragon and Ericsson 4 get bogged down. PUMA already has four boat lengths on Ericsson 4.
10:55 GMT UPDATE
Five minute gun sounds.
10:45 GMT UPDATE
Live audio is up and running. The thousands of spectator boats make "an astonishing sight" according to Guy Swindells. Live streaming is also running on .tv
10:35 GMT UPDATE
Hundreds of spectator boats on the water - and on the cliffs surrounding Mastrand. The spectators that is, not the boats. Should make for a spectacular start. Plenty of wash for the fleet to negotiate when the gun sounds.
Live coverage is 10 minutes away. Warm the PC and cool the tinnies.
10:00 GMT UPDATE
Morning all. Our commentary team in Marstrand has now made it's way onto the water to bring you live audio and .tv coverage. Audio, led by Guy Swindells, is available via the audio button on the home page and we have live streaming on .tv with Peter Rusch and Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad. Guesting today is Tom Addis, sometime navigator on Telefonica Blue. Live coverage starts at 10:45 GMT.
Meanwhile, back here at race HQ in leafy Whiteley, Hampshire, the baton for the live blog has passed to Cameron Kelleher.
I will keep you updated for the duration of Leg 9. We will also have eyewitness accounts from our team on the Inmarsat FleetBroadband Express, and plenty of feedback from the crew members on board the Volvo Open 70s.
09:35 GMT UPDATE
Ken Read, PUMA skipper, dockside ahead of the start: "It is a battle between second and third, not for first place, so that feels a bit different.
"We have to battle to opposite instincts. One is, we have to be ahead of Telefonica Blue. In that respect it doesn't matter if we're sixth or first, as long as they're one boat behind us. So you may find the two of us well down the fleet because we're watching each other. Clearly the priority, for the first time in this race, is that we don't have to win the leg. Winning the leg is not the priority. Of course, if we have an opportunity to get a jump and put some boats in between us, we'll do that. So we'll have to have our eyse open on the blue boat rather than trying to get a leg win."
09:15 GMT UPDATE
Aksel Magdahl, navigator, Ericsson 3, dockside a few moments ago: "I think it's going to be really fresh as soon as we get out there. I think a good fast start, as soon as we get off the coast it should freshen up, maybe 20-25 knots, quite a bit.
"But the finish looks very slow. with a lot of light airs. That's going to be the most important part for the navigators. The weather is very unstable and difficult to forecast. You don't really know what's going to happen 12 hours ahead like this."
09:00 GMT UPDATE
Report from the Race Committee has the wind averaging 11 knots, from 265 degrees.
According to Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael, it's going to be a quick start but a slow finish. As he put it, 'It's going to be fast going South and slow going North.'
08:00 GMT UPDATE
It's looking like a great day for racing here in Marstrand, with mostly sunny skies and a light to moderate breeze already. Jennifer Lilly's forecast is calling for winds near 12 knots at start time, depending on whether we're relying on sea breeze or gradient winds.
With the brighter weather, it's likely to be a very busy start area. Hundreds of spectator boats are expected, along with thousands of people coming out along the shoreline to watch.
Crew lists for the leg can be found here. The most significant change is on Telefonica Blue, where Tom Addis is replaced by Simon Fisher as navigator on the leg.
You can also see the sailing instructions with details on the start and finish here.
We'll have full coverage of the start, with audio commentary led by Guy Swindells.
And www.volvooceanrace.tv is streaming video of the start as well. Both live programmes begin at 10:45 GMT.
Finally, stay here for the start and beyond. as Mark Chisnell and Cameron Kelleher will be blogging the entire leg from Marstrand to Stockholm, with input from Peter Rusch on the FleetBroadband Express, which will sail the leg with the fleet.
Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race