movistar victory on Chesapeake Bay

In front of an armada of boats and an estimated 20,000 spectators, movistar pulled off an impressive victory out on Chesapeake Bay in the fifth in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06.

With a light north easterly wind blowing around 8-10 knots, the race got underway as scheduled and it was the American entry Pirates of the Caribbean that was first out of the starting blocks. Paul Cayard (USA) and his band of Pirates, including the newly crowned Miss USA Tara Connor, timed the start to perfection and leapt off the start line closely followed by Ericsson skippered by fellow American John Kostecki.

By the first mark Ericsson had the advantage and passed Pirates of the Caribbean to take the lead, seven seconds in front of the Spanish entry movistar.

An intense battle between Ericsson and movistar then ensued which resulted in Bouwe Bekking's (NED) movistar gaining the upper hand to move up into the lead leaving Ericsson to battle it out for second place with Pirates of the Caribbean and Torben Grael's Brasil 1. With five Olympic medals under his belt, Grael's experience paid off and he managed to get an inside advantage and get Brasil 1 round in second place.

Both movistar and Brasil 1 managed to stay out in front as the wind dropped to five knots and by the time the race committee decided to shorten the course, movistar had established an unbeatable lead and took maximum points in the race.

Overall race leaders ABN AMRO ONE skippered by Mike Sanderson (NZ) struggled
from the start in the light conditions, which the Juan Kouyoumdjian designed boat is not known to excel in, and finished the race in sixth place just behind their sister-ship ABN AMRO TWO.

Although finishing in sixth place, ABN AMRO ONE still comfortably holds on to first place overall, but movistar has closed the gap to within 20 points. Pirates of the Caribbean knocks Sebastien Josse's (FRA) ABN AMRO TWO off the podium to move up into third place overall.

The start of the inport race meant the official re-entry of Brunel in the Volvo Ocean Race. For the team, the sound of the gun ended a very hectic period in which the boat had to be modified, shipped and reassembled.

Asked about his expectations for the inport race, skipper Grant Wharington mentioned sailing a clean race and keeping the boat in one piece as the main objectives of Brunel. "It is not realistic to expect more from us after only one day of training with the new crew and modified boat."

Brunel, finishing 20 seconds behind ABN AMRO ONE, sailed the clean race that Grant Wharington had hoped for and it became clear that the modifications improved the performance of the boat significantly. Given the choice between 'disappointment' or 'relief', Wharington immediately chose the last description for his feelings when he stepped on the dock after the race.

Leg six from Annapolis to Portsmouth via a pit stop in New York commences on the May 7. The boats are expected to arrive into New York on the May 8.

1st ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 63.5 pts
2nd movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 44 pts
3rd Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 41.5 pts
4th ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 41.0 pts
5th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 37.0 pts
6th Ericsson Racing Team, John Kostecki (USA) 30.5 pts
7th Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 0.5 pts