Green Dragon making own luck

SAILING:  ON THE podium in Cape Town, after two shredded spinnakers and a high-speed collision, Ian Walker easily shrugs off the age-old superstition that painting a boat green brings bad luck.

What's more, the British leader of Irish hopes in the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) has conceded after the first leg that, although the Green Dragon is not as quick as other entries at times, there are still plenty of tactical opportunities for the Galway-Chinese entry to stay at the front of the fleet.

Fourth on the water but third highest points scorer, Walker has brought an immediate return to his Chinese and Irish backers. But the Green Dragon's result comes at a time when even the weak-kneed might be forgiven for taking maritime lore to heart.

In the space of little over a month, both of Ireland's green- painted boats have either been sunk or damaged after striking underwater objects.

Asgard II is being salvaged from the sea-bed off Brittany after sinking in as-yet-unexplained circumstances a month ago.

In the South Atlantic, a similar fate was avoided when the Green Dragon hit an unidentified object at speed, damaging her keel and bringing her to a standstill. The incident left an impression on Walker in his first foray offshore.

"It's insane, racing at 25 knots, 2,000 miles from land, in the pitch black of night," he said.

Walker sets out into uncharted waters on leg two tomorrow. The colour of the hull will not bother him as he focuses on boat speed - particularly as competitors have come from behind in leg one and sailed past.

Instead of being able to outrun Puma or Ericsson tomorrow, he may be relying on a tactical move or another rub of the green. He's coming to terms with speed differences other teams have eked out over much longer campaigns. Ericcson 4, for example, is effectively a fourth generation boat.

By comparison, the Dragon boat was on the drawing board a year ago. That it is now on the podium is cause for celebration.

The Dragon's speed will improve as the crew learn more about her, but the problem is the rest of the fleet will speed up too.

"We do see (boat speed) differences. We're obviously light in the bulb (keel). As soon as we get into stability sailing mode, such as upwind or reaching, then boats with maximum keel weights do grind away from us. We lose miles each schedule, so that is a bit depressing. It's an unhappy situation because more weight in the bulb equals more power."

But there are still many unknowns. Green Dragon is a strong boat and a conservative build that may well fare better over the next 10 marathon legs than others who may have cut things too fine. Damage sustained by both Telefonica boats is an example of this.

The 4,450-mile leg to India is also a race into the unknown. Apart from the pirates they may encounter, Walker predicts the course will be much harder than leg one. The scoring gate runs north south, so what might get you to the gate first does not necessarily get you to the Indian finish line. There is also a much wider doldrums area of 250 miles.

In all of this the Dragon will be competitive, Walker maintains, if they continue to sail like they did in leg one and - superstition aside - manage to avoid things that go bump in the night.

Limerick skipper Ger O'Rourke is to sit out tomorrow's second leg to Cochin, India, just one of a number of crew changes to his Delta Lloyd entry, lying seventh.