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Around the World of Sailing
14 February 2001
This Weeks Main Stories:
Race: North through the Atlantic
The past week has been fast and glamorous for some of the Race
Class catamarans, slow and ignoble for others. It has been a week of
records and milestones.
Club Med set the pace for the last week. They denoted the up
tempo rhythm of this pace by setting a new outright 24 hour sailing
record on Thursday.
Previously, Innovation Explorer had set the record at 629, up
from Club Med's 625 early in her trials. As it turned out Club Med's
record was a short-lived intermediate step.
Sailing in SW winds of 30-35 knots with a wind angle of 130°
Club Med set a series of records starting at 631.7 and ending at 655.2!
This a significant new standard on the road to a 700 mile day.
Club Med continued her mid ocean speed burn hurtling across
the Pacific towards Cape Horn. The day after the record they showed
their consistency doing 628 miles, nearly the old record standard.
Over the weekend they rounded to last of the great Capes on
the course, Cape Horn. They rounded @ 0400 Sunday with an 870 mile
lead. Skipper Grant Dalton who has multiple roundings of the Cape
said: "We went past the rock at about four this morning. It was dark
but with the full moon we could just make it out. Because were sailing
straight downwind we had to gybe back and forth for a while, but we
actually sailed quite close, about 10 miles off. I have seen that rock
several times now but it is still an impressive sight."
Club Med was little halted as they turned up the Atlantic.
They continued to boost their lead, it stands at 931 miles today.
Innovation Explorer became the second Race Class cat to round
Cape Horn on Tuesday. They rounded in 40 knots, fearsome conditions
that make a doubling of the Horn the challenge it is.
Innovation Explorer did not meekly give up distance to Club
Med. On Friday they scored a 500 mile + day. At this point however,
Club Med looks to have all facets of her team working while Innovation
still has sail inventory gaps that slow her.
None the less, for these Ollier designed Race Class cats, a
successful week. Not so for the third sister ship Team Adventure.
Once again, Team Adventure will have to pull off the course
for repairs. They will stop in Wellington New Zealand to make repairs
to the forward beam. Since the rules dictate an additional penalty
of 12 hours per stop, Team Adventure will be shore bound for a minimum
of 60 hours.
In addition, Team Adventure has had a crawling slow passage
across the Tasman Sea. The light air sailing continues according to
Cam Lewis: "The forecast is not great and as we get closer the wind
is predicted to get lighter so our ETA has been pushed back to
Thursday morning."
The two vintage boats are continuing in their own race. Warta
Polpharma leads Team Legato by 788 miles. Lately the best of this
battle has been going to Team Legato. This is true again today as
they have gained 81 miles.
At the front Club Med seems to be sailing at full speed in
line for all sorts of unprecedented sailing records. We'll continue
to report as they push on at high speeds.
Vendee Globe : The Way
The first 3 Open 60's have returned to Les Sables d'Olonne.
France. Michel Desjoyeaux claimed a record shattering victory onboard
PRB. His official time of 93 days 3 hours is 12 days faster than
previous winner and record holder Christophe Augin.
2nd was the ever popular Ellen Macarthur with Kingfisher,
25 hours back. If not for end of race problems, Kingfisher could have
been 1 spot ahead.
Yesterday Roland Jourdain and Sill claimed the third podium
spot having set a new 24-hour sailing record for the solo monohull
category near the end of the race.
After the previous solo around the world race, Around Alone
1998-1999 I wrote an article in ATWOS "Summation of the Way". I
declared that the answer to winning a solo around the world race is:
"to be well prepared."
At the time I thought that Marc Thiercelin's boat having
completed Around Alone would have a preparation edge in the Vendee
Globe. Once again he will finish, but in 4th place.
Of the three boats I picked to finish in the top 3 none did.
Group 4 suffered a dismasting almost immediately after the start.
Thomas Coville and Sobedo have a had a variety of problems and
vexation with the weather. Catherine Chabaud took herself out
contention with an incorrect weather routing choice near the equator.
About the eventual winner, Michel Desjoyeaux, I gave these
reasons for not selecting him to win, "his first around the world race
and not many miles on the new PRB." Ellen Macarthur I down checked
for a lack of Southern Ocean time. For similar reasons I eliminated
Roland Jourdain.
I almost, but not quite, put Marc Thiercelin in the top 3.
Why not? I said, "Thiercelin's boat didn't appear fast during this
summers Transat, giving the other 3 a slight edge." Thiercelin should
finish 4th, meaning I got this one right.
If preparation and experience were my main criteria, how did I
go wrong? What's needs to be added or learned?
One, a professional sailing team as back up, the top 3 can
prepare a boat to a near ideal standard in less than ideal team.
They are professionals and work that much faster and better than others.
Two, talented sailors can sail fast around the world without
major amounts of Open 60 experience. Desjoyeaux and Jourdain had
sailed Whitbread's, Mini Transats and other offshore races. Their
skills are transferable.
Three, weather matters greatly. With one bad choice Catherine
was out. With all the information available it must be managed
correctly or a good sailor can be left behind.
Four, sailing in the lead gives you an advantage. This was
best when PRB's lead skyrocketed up to over 600 miles at Cape Horn.
If you can't stay near the front you can't win.
Five, there's a line of how intently you can sail and still
finish. Yves Parilier led the fleet into the Southern Ocean. He
dismasted and dropped from the front. As much as I admire Yves and
his determination to construct a jury rig and continue he has a
track record as a boat breaker. He crossed the line, while others
did not. Despite a dash more caution, records were still obliterated.
These points may not be revelations of new thought. But they
probably have applications for all of us on the water. Consider them
and how they apply to you sailing.
Look for continued reports as the fleet continues to race to
France at http://www.torresen.com/vg
Yachties of the Year
The prestige of Olympic sailing medals was on display as a
pair of medal winning teams were named the Rolex Sailors of the year.
They received their awards at the New York Yacht Club.
The Yachtsman of the year were: Mark Reynolds and Magnus
Lijerdahl who were gold medallists in the Star class. In addition to
the Olympics they won the Olympic trials, World Championship, and Kiel
Week.
They got away with a slow start in the Olympic regatta winning
2 of the last 5 races. A final race 2nd gave them gold.
This was Reynolds 4th Olympics in the Star. He has also won
a gold and silver medal.
Liljerdahl, a Swedish native, teamed up with Reynolds in 1997.
He was elected Captain of this years Olympic sailing team.
Named Yachtswoman of the year were J.J. Isler and Pease Glaser.
This is the 4th time that 470 skipper Isler has won the award. She
also won in 1986, 1991 and 1997.
Glaser has been a member of the US Sailing team for 13 years.
Her years of campaigning paid off when she and Isler passed five boats
on the last leg of the Olympic regatta to move from 4th to the Silver
metal position.
This is the first year that both awards have gone to teams.
All 4 sailors received Rolex timepieces.
Common Rules Situations
Beginning with February each month ATWOS will have a monthly
theme. This month's theme is Boating Rules with an Emphasis on Rules
of the Road.
This week we look at common on the water situations and how the
rules treat them.
Situation 1: Overtaking. Rule 13 deals with this succinctly,
"Any vessel overtaking any other shall keep out the way of the vessel
being overtaken." If you are passing another boat it is your call
to take a suitable path.
Situation 2: When boats are head on, that is meeting on a
reciprocal course you should alter your course to starboard. This will
result in the vessels passing side on the port side.
Situation 3: When vessels are crossing in a possible collision
situation "the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side
shall keep out of the way and shall, if the other circumstances of
the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel."
Situation 4: This situation is common to vessels transiting
the Muskegon Channel from Muskegon Lake to Lake Michigan. For such
narrow channels there is rule 9. Often times boats will troll for
fish in the channel. Sometimes these boats impede the traffic flow
and seem to operate outside the rules.
However, the rules state that a vessel trolling is not engaged
in fishing. Rule 3 reads a vessel engaged in fishing "does not
include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing
apparatus which do not restrict maneuverability."
Realize that in your next encounter with a boat that is
trolling that you both have obligations to avoid a collision.
Applications of the above rules should keep your vessel free
from at sea collisions.