Kerala - Kochi   

Light winds, Ericsson4 still ahead Ocean race watch

KOCHI: With winds turning light on Tuesday, the lead boats were forced to slow down in the Volvo Ocean Race on the Cape Town to Kochi leg.

Ericsson4, led by Torben Grael, is still in the lead closely followed by its sistership Ericsson3 but the next couple of days could bring in some surprises as the boats sail into the Indian Ocean Doldrums, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where winds often keep dropping.“The Doldrums will be a great brain teaser for us navigators as the direct route to Kochi is blocked by a windless area the size of Spain,” said Wouter Verbraak of Team Russia which is at the back of the eight-boat pack, nearly 142 nautical miles from the lead boat.“The Doldrums crossing is going to be a casino.”

There is a hot battle behind the two Ericsson boats with Puma Ocean Racing currently in the third spot.

The two Telefonica teams (Blue and Black), Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd are the other teams in the fray.

The Volvo Ocean Race will be in Kochi for a ten-day stopover on December 3.

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