Light winds slow Volvo Ocean Race fleet in first night of Leg 6

[Source: Ericsson Racing Team] With much of the world celebrating Easter, sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race were praying for the wind to fill as the first night of Leg 6 saw the going very slow for the seven yachts.

Windspeeds were less than 5 knots overnight and the direction from all around the compass as the fleet made its way eastward along the coastline of Brazil towards Cabo Frio.

Start of Leg 6. Rio de Janeiro, 11 April 2009. Video copyright Volvo Ocean Race

Boatspeeds were correspondingly pedestrian, and the fleet had sailed less than 100 nautical miles in the first 18 hours of the leg bound for Boston.

At today’s 1300 GMT position report, Ericsson Racing Team’s two yachts were placed third and fifth in the early running. Ericsson 4, led by skipper Torben Grael, trailed fleet leader Telefónica Blue by 5 nautical miles, while teammate Ericsson 3, skippered by Magnus Olsson, was another mile back.

The fleet was bunched off Cabo Frio and hoping for a predicted east/east-southeasterly wind to fill.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEADERBOARD
(At 1300 GMT, Apr. 12, 2009)
1. Telefónica Blue, 4,806 nautical miles to finish
2. Green Dragon, +2 NM
3. Ericsson 4, +5 NM
3. Puma, +5 NM
5. Ericsson 3, +6 NM
6. Telefónica Black, +7 NM
7. Delta Lloyd, +10 NM