January 31, 2005
Orange II at the Equator
The maxi-catamaran Orange II crossed latitude 0° around 1 o’clock GMT this afternoon (Monday 31st January 2005) after 7 days and 3 hours of sailing from the start off Ushant. This first stretch sees her slightly ahead (190 miles) of the time for the Jules Verne Trophy and 534 miles ahead of the absolute round the world crew record, held by the American Steve Fossett. In spite of very different weather conditions from those that were forecast, the giant Orange II covered the 3500 miles at an average speed of 20.1 knots. On the radio link-up today the skipper of Orange II looked back over the first week.
Bruno Peyron : «We crossed the Equator a quarter of an hour ago. We still have very light winds and are only making 10-12 knots, but we have checked on the satellite photos that we are in the right place. Since the Canaries, we have had very light winds. We can see that from the averages, but the good news is that the boat sails quickly in little wind. We shall be coming out of the Doldrums around 1°South and we should then start to pick up speed. In the next few hours, the south easterly trade will be appearing and we should be sailing upwind in a steady twenty knots. Afterwards, we shall be heading due south for two days and trying to pick up the system that is around 20-25°S, and then head off to the left.
A look back at the first week
«The weather was a bit awkward and not really what we were expecting. Looking back, we clearly made one or two little errors. We could have avoided the calm zone off Cape Verde by heading south after the Canaries. As far as the boat is concerned, it’s absolutely fabulous. The boat was well prepared and we haven’t had any problems with her. Concerning the team, they’ve given their all. On board there is the spirit we were expecting and it’s just great. We are arriving at the Equator with a boat that is balanced and well run in. We’re not asking ourselves too many questions about what has to be done and when to do it. There are points to check during each watch. When it is a little calmer, we check the 50-metre high mast. We check the halyard rubbing points. It’s all going very smoothly and we’re enjoying it, which is vital for this type of journey.»
First little shock…
«Apart from a few suicidal flying fish, we hit our second UFO yesterday. We didn’t dive, as there was no damage. On my previous boats, we hit whales. In the old Explorer, I never hit anything. I think some boats make more noise than others. I like whales, but prefer to see them in pictures or several miles away. »
Happy birthday Yann Elies
One of the watch leaders, Yann Elies, was 31 today: «Yes, it was today. It was nice, because my present was crossing the Equator and it’s great to be at sea. I got an e-mail from my family to tell me they were going to be celebrating. I feel that the Orange II team is in top form. The boat is giving 100% all the time. The osmosis between the fourteen men is incredible, the boat’s performance astounding and the speed impressive. Apart from that, we’re amazed by the finish of the Vendée Globe. Bruno said we’ll be there next time. We shall see.»
Some data:
Day: 7
Latitude : 0 43.40' N
Longitude : 25 55.84' W
Recorded speed: 14.3 knots
Recorded bearing : 176
Average speed: 13.0 knots
Speed over 24h: 21.3 knots
Distance over 24h : 512 nautical miles
Speed since the start: 20.3 knots
Total distance: 3410 nautical miles
Remaining distance: 21467.60 nautical miles
Lead over the J.Verne record : 189 nautical miles
Lead over the absolute record: 534 nautical miles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orange II will need to get faster
Orange II has crossed the equator in a time of 7 day 3 hours/171 hours. This puts them 27 hours ahead of Chyenne the outright around the world record holder and 19 hours ahead of Geronimo which holds the slower Jules Verne trophy record. The only faster time was that of 153 hours by Geronimo set on an ultimately unsuccesful attempt at the Jules Verne record.
Looking ahead Cheyenne holds the record for 3 of the 4 remaining course segments. This includes the next 2 segments to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin.
Although Orange II is off to a good start, the coming days will show how much a chance she is in with.
Hands are shot
KEY DATA DAY 64 1510 GMT:
Distance ahead: 569 miles
Time ahead: 2 day 8 hours [representing 29.92% of time remaining] calculated using the time it took for Joyon to get to the same Distance to Finish as Ellen's current position
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
Lat/Long: 21 19N / 031 54 W (849 miles SW of the Canary Islands)
Average Boat speed: 14.2 knots (N)
True Wind speed: 16.1 knots (ESE)
Sea temperature: 23.4 degrees C
Distance sailed so far: 25,017 miles at an average speed of 16.2 knots
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)
IN BRIEF:
* Not enough sleep, hands that are falling apart - this all part of Ellen's 24/7 life on board <
FROM ELLEN:
How was last night?
Conditions were presumed to be stable and yesterday afternoon I put the first reef in again, even though I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to the weather it seemed the right thing to do at the time. So I sat with a decreasing breeze with the reef in and I was thinking all the time, shall I pull it out, maybe not, it was the middle of the night and I just wanted to be sure. And then I tried to get some sleep and the breeze died to average 16 knots, then it started raining and the breeze died to 7 knots and the forescast was for it to be in the high teens maybe twenties, then it was punching up to 21, 22 knots. Then all of a sudden a second set of cloud came over and the breeze came up to 25, gusting 26 knots, and it averaged that for about six hours. It’s just slowly died down and it’s gusting 22-23, so it was pretty unexpected and pretty brutal in the night, to be honest.
What sail configuration do you have now?
I’ve got 2 reefs in [the main], I had to put two reefs in with that amount of breeze, and the Solent. I’ve only had two hours max of sleep since yesterday morning so I’m pretty tired.
What are the general conditions onboard like?
The motion is **** in the boat. Because we’re now going to start heading into the Trade Winds, heading east of north, so the swell form the Trade Winds are right on our nose. We don’t have an option we’ve just got to go with it so, here we go.
Can you talk more about this high pressure system?
I don’t know what’s going to happen with the high... I’m sitting here and every single report that’s coming in its moving - the four different models this morning, all say different things. The only thing I hope really doesn’t happen is that we end up finishing with 35 knots upwind and, to be honest, I think that’s the most likely scenario. I’m not trying to be negative, it’s going to be really, really bad at the end if that’s what happened. It will be 'boat-breaking' scenario.
How are you generally?
My hands are so hard and so tight and so rotten...they look quite disgusting! There is white rot underneath all my fingernails, I can chew bits of the skin off without feeling a thing, it’s that hard and that knackered. Not very beautiful. We’re getting a bit closer everyday, bit by bit, as long as the wind keeps blowing we’ll make it home one way or the other, as long as we don’t do anything stupid.
How are sailing at the moment, are you happy with the condition of the boat?
I’m sailing with a second reef in at the moment but I’ve got the headboard car right at the top of the box and I think it’s probably okay. I can’t really hear any weird noises, I was pulling the reef in and I thought 'what’s the worst scenario', and I thought if we do lose the crayons again and the track is ripped off or damaged again, the best place that could happen is at the top of the second reef not the bottom of the second reef. So that’s why I’ve pushed the car to the top - I’ve put it above all the damage - to be honest, it’s very close to the reinforcement. If it screws itself again and if it rips off, at least we can get back to two reefs which is not an insignificant amount of sail.
Final Straight for Delivery Crew
Firstly we would like to apologise for a lack of reporting on Friday, we had a bit on, in fact we were being battered by gale force winds on the nose and crashing into a short steep sea, which made typing impossible, sleeping difficult and anything else was plain hard work. However, we had a great day's sailing on Thursday, cracking along at 18-20 knots with our Code 6 up, (a very big reaching headsail.) We all enjoyed a good drive before the wind came forwards and our fast run came to an abrupt end. We are now sailing in the same weather system that is giving the UK the freezing conditions that you have all been experiencing. “Ha ha”, I can hear you all say, “about time”. The cold has definitely arrived, and with it, the thermals, the middle layers, hats, gloves, hot chocolate and the heater, which I prudently had fitted for the coldest days in the South but works equally well in the northern hemisphere!
We have been sailing up the course alongside the Vendée leaders who are sailing a little faster and harder than we are. Two days ago Bonduelle passed a couple of miles in front of us and now Mike Golding is within 10 miles of us. We will be splitting slightly now as we are heading further north than them. What a way to finish such a gruelling race though, so close and any of the three leaders could do it. PRB is in a good position but will see the wind go lighter than the others first. Bonduelle is also in a good position and I think my money would be on Jean to take 1st place. The conditions over the past 48 hours would have been very hard on them all as the wind has been very shifty, and very up and down. No sooner have you pulled out the big sails the wind is up and the smaller ones are needed again. A hard way to finish the Vendée indeed. But Mike Golding is still in with a shot, it wouldn't take much good luck to put Ecover in first for a British victory.
After our last report I have taken some stick from Mr B, quite rightly, he told me he would get even and he did, read on! Mr B has received a lot of fan mail since that report which makes very interesting reading. Thanks especially to Katie, Bel, Emily and Ails, but we did not receive the picture, please resend! All emails that are sent via the website are sent to the boat and read by us. It’s turning into a really long trip, so please keep the emails coming.
Down below on Hugo Boss can only be described as a bedsit; a couple of hard beds with thin mattresses, a seat and a tiny single burner cooker and little heater. It is only 2.5m x 4m and gets very untidy with four blokes living inside it! Simon keeps it tidier than the rest of us for which we are very grateful. Food is down to the basics again, freeze dried or freeze dried. It is the food that I didn't eat on the race and as such I choose it, and not everyone likes it, which isn’t that good, when you have to eat it for three weeks! We only have three flavours so decision making at dinner times doesn't take too long!
Two days ago we passed within sight of the eastern island of the Azores, Santa Maria. That was the first land we have seen since we set off on the 7th of Jan, it was also the time when Mr B got even with me over the last report, which may have been constructed with lies and hearsay! He told me at the time that he had got me back, but I had no idea what. On going to sleep that night I woke up with jolt when my finger got trapped in the bunk fan - much to the amusement of the others, especially Mr B. Alas though, that was not my come-upence. It was only yesterday that I found out when Ross put on my oilskin top, put his hand in the pocket and brought out a nicely rotting, stinking flying fish in a ziplock bag, which completely failed to contain the smell. Good one and well deserved! As time goes on, it is important to keep our spirits high, especially with the encroaching freezing conditions and lack of interesting food. With this being the case 'stitch ups' are common place and very amusing. I suspect there are several more in the offing, more on how they are getting on next time. Nicknames are flying around all the time, Mr B obviously has his, I have lots, the reaper, slugman and fringeless being the most polite. Not many people get to earn their nicknames but David has certainly done that, we call him the Hibernator for his ability to sleep at any given opportunity. We are missing a good one for Ross, although I am sure a few can be suggested after that lovely picture of him in the tiara. On the website today you can find one of him showing off his beautiful rainbow, along with a new picture of the four of us together ..... Many of you have asked what happened to the scorpion from last week as he seems to have gone AWOL. The Hibernator insists that he is just well hidden but we are not convinced, so we have asked for proof but that has been denied so we are in a bit of a stalemate situation. Finding Boris wasn't that good a game anyway!
ETA – everyone is asking, but they aren't that easy to give. We reckon late Thursday or early Friday will be a good bet. We will be having a welcome home bash in Gosport on our arrival night so please do come down and drink a few sherberts with us. We will of course be taking it easy having not had a drink for 4 weeks!! Look forward to catching up with you all in person in just a few days...
Next the Equator
Elapsed Time: 85 days, 02 hours, 50 mins
Vendée Globe Fleet Leader: PRB (V Riou, FRA)
HELLOMOTO: 8th out of 13, level with Salvador, Brazil (where Conrad finished first in the 2-handed 2003 Transat Jacques Vabre on Open 50 HELLOMOTO!)
ETA Equator: early on Wednesday 2nd February
• HELLOMOTO is creeping up on Arcelor Dunkerque, now 113 miles behind as they both sail in the South East Trades below the Equator, which he hopes to cross in 2 days and be back in the Northern Hemisphere again!
• Conrad explains exactly how he managed to resolve the problem with the hydraulic keel canting system – and praises the efforts of his shore team who effectively kept him in the race with their ingenious problem solving!
• Weather: Conrad must keep the pedal down in order to avoid the Doldrums or ‘ITCZ’ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) between the 4 – 6th Feb when they could be at their most active…
Conrad Humphreys interview from onboard HELLOMOTO this morning courtesy of Geolink/Iridium:
“In terms of what we did to cant the keel, it really was a pretty ingenious solution. The oil reservoir is designed to work when the boat is inverted so you can still pressurise the keel to be able to cant the keel with the boat upside down. Because we had lost so much oil due to the leak in the rams we isolated the good ram which was still able to push the keel. We knew it couldn’t pull the keel but the pushing action was still in place. We cut a hole in the top of the tank so I could get my arm inside and then reduced the height of the tube which was sat above the oil level which meant that the ram was just sucking air. Having done that I had to drain the oil off which was tedious and very messy. I got hydraulic oil all over the boat and mixed in with my sweat meant it was pretty disgusting, really. I put oil back into the reservoir so now it is above the tube and have cut the tube down so it is flushing the tank effectively without using the reservoir - before, the oil level was below the height of the tube so it was just sucking air. That gave us positive pressure on the starboard ram and as I made about 100 pumps to get the air out of the system it started to push the keel over so I gave it another 200 pumps and the keel went to about a third of the way over and then I re-lashed it at that point so currently the keel is being held by the ram and the lashing is there as a safety measure as well as back up. After all this, I had to go and duck my head over the bow of the boat and it took a few breaking waves to clean off all the oil!
“Thanks to my very lateral thinking shore manager, the boat builder Marco at V1D2 boat yard and the architects at Finot, they have done an amazing job of effectively keeping me in the race! It would be nice to fully cant the keel but we’re taking things as they come. The wind was stable last night and will start to back to the south east as we near the Equator. When I can get my genoa out I’ll start to make up some miles, there’s limited time between now and the Equator to get a jump on Arcelor Dunkerque as after then it’s upwind 15 – 20 knots in the NE trades so Joe will be marginally better with a fully canting keel in those conditions. Our boats have a similar set up and design, so I’m not sure why I’ve made up more on him given my problems. The Doldrums look extremely active between the 4th and 6th February so I’m keeping the hammer down to try and cross the Equator early on Wednesday morning so that I can try to pass the Doldrums before they extend.
“This feels like the first time I’ve actually been sailing the boat instead of repairing it since the Indian Ocean – the Vendée Globe doesn’t guarantee 100 days sailing! I’ll be very happy when we’re half way up the Atlantic and I can see the finish line on the chart…”
Linky Sailing News
Racing VG D day. OCR Champs
Records B&Q + 2D 2H. Orange II + 534 miles
News Pineapple Cup
Great Lakes Mussel News
Vendee Globe Report 31 January
Whilst we go about our daily routines 20 lone sailors are racing around the world without a stop.
Each weekday ATWOS will present a report on the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe race. Who will join Lamazou, Desjoyeaux etc. as winners? Who will be a breakout young star like Ellen Macarthur? Which sailors will participate in dramas such as those of Pete Goss & Yves Parlier?
The report will cover the rhythm of the race, whether it's fast or slow, what's the degree of difficulty, is it iceberg territory?
Each day we'll check the standings to see who the leaders are and who else is on the move.
The fleet roundup will cover news of interest from any and all boats both the success's and the inevitable failures.
From the lone sailors will highlight the most interesting communications from the multi national group of sailors.
Rhythm of the Race "All should become a little clearer today as the three leading boats are expected to tack to make what should be their final approach to Les Sables d’Olonne, and the finish line."
Standings 1. PRB 2. Bonduelle 4.6 miles back 3. Ecover 51.1 miles back
Fleet Round Up Nick retires. Conrad's keel issues. End game
From the Lone Sailors Bruce Schwab: "All of our ropes, including the halyards, sheets, runners, etc. are made Samson Rope Technologies and have been great." Vincent Riou: "I am likely to arrive on the night of the 2nd February, it all depends on how the high evolves. If we can turn right at the correct time then it could be fast." Joe Seeten: "I sent my congratulations to Karen. It’s great what she’s done on my old boat. That’s the sixth time the boat has been round the Horn, five times in the right direction and once against the wind and currents."
Nick Retires
This is a note to officialy declare that I have withdrawn my participation in the 2004-5 Vendee Globe.
This is a very disappointing e-mail for me to write but I have fond memories. This experience has been unique. Skandia Multimanager entry was a fantastic team in which I absolutely loved working with. The race organization was very kind and caring and very perpared to listen to skippers in order to make the adventure safer and more enjoyable. I will never forget the comforting conversations and e-mails i recieved from the organization at the most crucial point of the wildest and most dangerous Southern Ocean storm that I have ever experienced. A very experienced and professional organization.
Asside from the sailing. my most fond memories are the friendships developed between skippers. I really felt ´together alone´ in our adventure. I drew great strength from my fellow adventures and their messages. When Patrice was struggling with his broken boom I was very low within my spirit. His efforts and e-mails made me lift again and continue with solid strength. Every day someone provided a reason to be stronger and to feel fortunate, and incredible gorup of people.
I am incredibly proud of all of the competitors no matter how fast or slow. they are my heros and heroine´s. The Vendee Globe is special....very, very special. I have sailed in many hight profile events around the world from the Americas Cup to Whitbread etc. Never before have i felt such intense emotion and pride of participation. I have lived a great life. i am lucky and furtunate. One of my greatest life experiences was in this race and it was not under sail. It was the tow out of the port of Le Sables d´ Olonne.....this I do not know how to describe but i thank every waving, cheering person lining that shore to wish us well. I must admit, i was not prepared for such an overwhelming experience.
My journey ended prematurely and for this I am disappointed but I experienced a great deal of this great event. I have recieved many flattering e-mails from all over the world and my solo friends at sea. I cannot thank those enough. you have helped me realize that this was not meant to be for me but I am still very lucky.
I wish all of those still pressing towards Le Sables a beautiful and safe passage. Thank you my friends for your inspiration that allowed me to continue for as long as I did. I dearly hope to see you soon.
Enjoy the sea.
best regards always
Nick Moloney
New Flagpoles
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Conrad's Keel Rams
As I sit here typing this journal, I'm listening to a sound that a few days ago, I would not have believed possible.
Three days ago, the starboard hydraulic ram that swings the keel failed after an oil seal blew. On Hellomoto we have two hydraulic rams in the event that one fails the other is robust enough to still swing the keel 100%. Having isolated the faulty starboard ram, the port ram was only just holding the keel at half cant, which was ok, but over the next few days the pressure in the system gradually failed, eventually this ram has also failed. Yesterday morning I notified Race Controle of the situation asking them to standby incase I could not contain the keel which was now freely swinging fron side to side. At the time the conditions where moderating with the wind speed 20kts and the sea state still running fairly high.
Joff (Project Manager) was in contact with the yacht designer (Finot) and builder (Marco Leferve check spelling) to look at how we might be able to centralise the keel and hold it with a series of lashings around the keel structure. We had discussed this possibility a few days before and Joff had suggested that if the rams failed we might we able to contain the keel by wrapping tightly the strom jib sheets around the piston part of the rams which would stop them sliding in and out. He then suggested we would then simply "chuck as much rope at it as possible" to stabilise the keel and try to keep racing towards LSD. Out here, 500 miles from Rio, alone and only days after Skandia had lost her keel, I didnt feel at all confident. I put the grab bag by the stern hatch and walked through the boat imagining it upside down in darkess, feeling my way through to the aft emergency hatch.
With the keel swinging violently from side to side, I wrapped the strom jib sheets around each ram carefully. Gradually the keel had less and less range to swing, until eventually it was contained on the centreline. There was still a alarming fore and aft pitching of the keel in the bearing, so I tried unsucessfully to lash the keel forward of the mast base. I then continued to apply every spare bit of rope to try and hold the keel steady, tightening each turn using a spanish windless technique. It was better, but still rocking around, the noise was terrible and I felt very uneasy trying to rest. Overnight, the boat felt better pressed, so with two reefs and the trinquette, I continued sailing down the track, reaching at speeds of 17kts. The lighter winds were forecast to be just a few hours away and in the early hours of this morning the wind died. With no pressure on the keel, it began rocking again in the swell and it sounded awful. I contacted Joff and he confirmed that we needed to get the keel canted to stop the wear in the bearing and keep the boat pressed.
The only way to cant the keel would be to crash tack Hellomoto and let gravity do the work. With Hellomoto lying on her ear, I could then relash the keel before tacking back. I knew Mike (Golding) had done a similar trick during the Transat, the difference being he had a failed electric motor fail rather than failed rams! I pushed the helm over and hove to with the trinquette backed and the main pinned. Hellomoto was heeled over and sliding sideways. It took me half and hour to re-set the lashing before tacking the boat back. I was covered in sweat. I'd gained 10 degrees of keel cant, just enough to stop the keel rocking on the centrline. 4 hours later as the pressure in the lashings stretched, I would need to re-do the whole manouvre. I've just finshed the last lashing and as I throw 2 litres of sports drink down my neck, the keel is secured and I will have to get used to that gut wrenching sound as the spectra is squeezed by the rams.
As to the future and whether we can sail 5000 miles like this to the Finish in LSD, I dont know. Tomorrow we will try and repair the starboard ram and replace the oil lost. Realistically, we have to do this to give us any chance. For the moment, Hellomoto is sailing on course for the finish. We will pass Salvador in a day or so which may be the last port before crossing the Equator and heading into the north Atlantic. My team as always have the utmost confidence we can find a solution and until it is not safe to do so, I will continue on racing to LSD.
Cheers Conrad
OCR Champs Decided
Champions were crowned today in nine Olympic and two Paralympic classes at US SAILING,s 16th annual Rolex Miami OCR. The last of five racing days concluded with all but one of yesterday,s leaders at the top of the scoreboard. Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), one of over 320 sailors from 26 countries competing on Biscayne Bay for the regatta,s 16th edition, had some business to settle on the water today with Anna Tunnicliffe (Norfolk, Va.), and a good breeze interspersed with squalls helped her do it.
"The storms would leave, and it would get light," said Railey, a 2003 World Youth Champion who is now age 17, "and then you'd see them come again and you'd have to get over to the wind." By the third of three races, Railey had put four points on Tunnicliffe, who was then tied in points with 2004 Europe dinghy Olympic Medallist Lenka Smidova (CZE). "I just had to play it calm," said Railey. " It was a lot nicer than the last few days when I made too many mistakes."
The Laser Radial is a class newly added to the Olympics for 2008 and Railey is one of many rising U.S. stars who have flocked to it. "It,s so exciting to win," she said, "because it's my first Olympic ranking regatta ever."
Yngling skipper Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) finished off her closest competition in two races. In the first race, she passed Canada's Felicity Clark on the last downwind leg to win. With a second-place finish in the second race, her accomplishments fell comfortably in line with her goals. "It was a good day for us," said Barkow. "We didn't put pressure on ourselves and stuck with a solid conservative game plan. Winning means we show everyone we're serious about the Olympics, and it's a good jumpstart for the next four years."
The Rolex Miami OCR is the only qualifying event used for determining US Sailing Team members in the 470 (Men and Women), 49er, Tornado and Yngling classes; therefore, Barkow has met this goal as well. Making the team with her are crewmembers Deborah Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.).
In the Star class, Andrew Horton (Newport, R.I.) and Brad Nichol (Hanover, N.H.) successfully fended off a pack of aggressors that included Sweden's Fredrik Loof, the class' 2004 World Champion who finished second overall with crew Anders Ekstrom. Although Horton and Nichol led the regatta from the beginning, the two had predicted any of the five teams immediately behind could take them on the last day. Loof pounced but fell short, posting finishing scores of 5-1 to Horton/Nichol's 8-3 to go from fifth overall yesterday to second overall today.
Final scores were too close for comfort for Brad Funk (Belleair Bluffs, Fla.), but with one point over Andrew Campbell in the end, he snagged not only victory in the Laser class but also the Golden Torch Award, given to the American sailor deemed to have the best overall performance among all classes. "Andrew was winning the last race until the last leg. I had said to myself I was going to finish that race exhausted, and that's what I did." Funk, who had rounded the weather mark in sixth, didn,t catch Campbell, but Campbell fell to second on that last leg while Funk caught three boats to finish third. "I was able to get a nice lead in the light breeze (earlier in the week) and hold it. I'm feeling I was prepared for this event. I kept my head out of the boat and was told I sailed pretty smart."
Other Action
Tornado sailors John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, Texas), the USA's 2004 Tornado Olympic Silver Medallists, made it look easy once again today, winning both races and adding the victories to three previous ones in their six-race lineup. "It's never easy," laughed Lovell about today's performance. "We've been sailing for the last couple of years and at the Olympics while everyone else took a year off, so that made a difference."
49er sailors Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Miami Beach, Fla.) won their class, while the teams of Sven Coster/Kalle Coster (NED) and Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (Shelter Island, N.Y./Matawan, N.J.) won the 470 Men's and Women's classes, respectively. Christopher Cook from Canada won in the Finn class.
In Paralympic sailing, Sweden's Stellan Berlin took the 2.4 Metre class, while Great Britain's John Robertson and crew Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas topped the Sonar fleet.
2 Day Lead
KEY DATA DAY 64 0710 GMT:
Distance ahead: 521 miles
Time ahead: 2 days 2 hours [representing 23.15% of time remaining] calculated using the time it took for Joyon to get to the same Distance to Finish as Ellen's current position
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
Lat/Long: 018 49 N / 032 06 W (1130 miles N Equator/400 miles WNW Cape Verde Is)
Average Boat speed: 18.97 knots (heading N)
True Wind speed: 21.0 knots (direction ESE)
Sea temperature: 23.6 degrees C
Distance sailed so far: 24,869 miles at an average speed of 16.3 knots
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)
Update based on data recorded 0710 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly
IN BRIEF:
* FAST NIGHT, GAINS MACARTHUR MORE TIME ON THE CLOCK, but hard core on board <
* <
* MACARTHUR PASSES THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS, B&Q now 400 miles to the north-west of the islands. Ahead are the Canary Islands another 970 miles further up the race track. Temperatures start to cool slighly on board - down to 23 degrees C as conditions on board become a bit more comfortable in terms of heat.
* POTENTIAL FOR SQUALLY CONDITIONS TODAY as MacArthur sails on the eastern edge of a north-south band of cloud. Trade Winds expected to remain in the 16-22 knot range through today, continuing their turn to the right and into the south-east. Tomorrow the breeze will increase as a low to the west of B&Q delivers 20+ knots of breeze, although Ellen is trying to keep as much easting as she can to avoid the stronger stuff closer to the low - it should prove to be a fast reaching day, if the sea state allows. The high pressure system to the west of Ireland will be the main focus for her weather routers, watching to see which way it moves and how much it will impact on her course to the finish line. For now, they expect Ellen to have to sail into the high, as it drifts SSW, then tack out again - the key to success is not going too far in that you get trapped by the windless zone in the middle. A developing low pressure will move along the north side of the high and drop down SE into Europe to bring strong 35-40 knot upwind conditions which is a pretty frightening prospect for Ellen as she gets close to the finish line. In these kind of conditions high boat speed is the last thing you want or can afford, and it could be a slow slog to the finish at a time when Joyon was exceptionally quick. The simple calculation of VMG required to the finish, hides the fact that going upwind in this kind of breeze, <
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600 GMT:
In the rules of record attempts, skippers are allowed to use the advice of shore-based weather experts to assist them with their choices. Ellen is working with two teams, principally Commanders Weather in the USA, backed up by Meeno Schrader in Germany.
Ellen is on the east edge of a north to south band of cumulus clouds. This band of clouds is moving from SSE to NNW. The squally conditions should be brief and should not exceed 25 kts.
Huge high pressure area WSW of Ireland looks to be the main weather feature over the next 7 days. Through Thursday, the high pressure area will move slowly SSW. Cold front will move along the N side of the high and then SE into Europe. High pressure area will be pushed south and then relocates to the NW – looks like Ellen will have strong N winds in the final approach to the finish.
Until that time, wind speeds fairly typical for the trades, mid teens to low 20’s. Wind speeds will slowly increase both Tue and Wed. Wind directions thru Wed will favor ESE to SE. This will allow Ellen to stay E of the strongest winds on Wed/Thu.
Strategy is to hold as much easting as possible. We will sail for the huge high pressure area and then tack when winds back into the N
Wind forecasts
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC
Mon, Jan 31
09: 090-110/17-23
12: 090-110/16-22, near 20 30N/32W
18: 100-120/16-22
Partly cloudy
Tue, Feb 1
00: 100-120/15-21
06: 100-120/16-22 - stronger wind to the N
12: 110-130/18-24, near 26 30N/30W
18: 110-130/17-23 - wind stronger to the W, lighter to the E
Partly to mostly cloudy Tue - Thu, maybe a shower or 2.
Wed, Feb 2
00: 110-130/18-24 - wind much stronger W and potentially over 30 kts west
of 30W
06: 100-120/18-24
12: 110-130/20-26, near 33 30N/28W - wind much stronger west of 30W
18: 100-120/20-26
http://www.commandersweather.com
FRANCIS JOYON 24 HOUR RUNS
Francis Joyon's 24 hour runs. These are VMG distances, ie distance sailed towards the finish, not through the water:
26.1.05 IDEC 162 miles / B&Q 388 miles
27.1.05 IDEC 130 miles / B&Q 367 miles
28.1.05 IDEC 232 miles / B&Q 258 miles
29.1.05 IDEC 257 miles / B&Q 317 miles
30.1.05 IDEC 300 miles / B&Q 374 miles
31.1.05 IDEC 299 miles
1.2.05 IDEC 278 miles
2.2.05 IDEC 221 miles
3.2.05 IDEC 212 miles
4.2.05 IDEC 162 miles
5.2.05 IDEC 284 miles
6.2.05 IDEC 383 miles
7.2.05 IDEC 400 miles
8.2.05 IDEC 439 miles
9.2.05 IDEC 345 miles
[dates normalised to Ellen's]
Speed Again
Since midnight, Orange II found speed again! Her speed is stabilized at 20 knots. Cape in the South. VMG is good to the equator and the Doldrums.
Bruno Peyron's maxi catamaran is this Sunday morning halfway between Cape Verde and the doldrums. Doldrums which are also more or less halfway between the giant and the equator.
Passing the Doldrums is always a delicate moment when crossing the Atlantic over its length. This time, the disturbed zone seems rather stuck to Africa.
The wind is regular, from east-north-east, of 10 knots approximately. On port side, Orange II can create an apparent wind which has enabled her to hold its current speeds... 396 miles for the last 24 hours, it goes up.
January 30, 2005
Thru the Cape Verdes
Orange II arrived at 4:45 GMT this morning in the north of the archipelago of Cape Verde. Bruno Peyron's maxi catamaran was in the North-East of the island of Sao Antao, the island located at the North-West of this group of islands.
Orange II sailed South during one hour and ahalf until tracing her route between Sao Vicente and Santa Luzia. Then she started to oblique her route to the west in order to release herself from the highest islands.
In a moderated North-East wind, the crew sails the "wind making machine" at more than 15 knots. It has been the mean velocity besides of the catamaran from 7 p.m. Friday evening, when she finally escaped from a no wind area where she get becalmed few tens of minutes.
Now, Orange II will continue her route in the west of the other islands of the archipelago, including Brava and Fogo, both located at south-west. Next obstacle on her route : the doldrums.
Ok Despite Collision
KEY DATA DAY 63 0710 GMT:
Distance ahead: 447 miles
Time ahead: 1 day 12 hours [representing 15.00% of time remaining] calculated using the time it took for Joyon to get to the same Distance to Finish as Ellen's current position
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
Lat/Long: 12 08 N / 031 55 W (728 miles N Equator, 470 miles SW Fogo, Cape Verde Islands)
Average Boat speed: 13.87 knots (heading N by W)
True Wind speed: 12.6 knots (direction E by N)
Sea temperature: 25.5 degrees C
Distance sailed so far: 24,465 miles at an average speed of 16.2 knots
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)
Update based on data recorded 0710 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly
IN BRIEF:
* COLLISION IN THE NIGHT AND A NEAR COLLISION WITH A WHALE YESTERDAY is a sharp reminder of how close to disaster she can be at any point on the remaining 2,600 miles left on the race course: "I hit something last night - I don't know what it was, maybe a fish or squid, I don't know but it wasn't huge. It went on the leeward rudder [and got stuck there] so I ended up doing a 360 [turning the boat full circle] to get that off. I gybed the boat so the rudder just lifted out of the water and it came off and drifted away. The rudder seems fine, it wasn't massive maybe the size of a bin bag but I really felt the thud." With the equivalent of a transatlantic race to go in terms of distance, a tired boat, an exhausted skipper and a damaged mainsail track, Ellen's record attempt still has a long, long way to go.
* <
* HIGH PRESSURE DEBATE CONTINUES to see which way the high pressure area off to the west of Ireland decides to move: "The high pressure doesn't appear to be moving quite how it was yesterday, so we'll probably end up going upwind into it, rather than downwind through it - going on the south-east side but we'll have to see. But conditions are pretty much for me, going to stay like this for another couple of days - it's still Trades and we're going to start reaching soon." For now, the upwind slog continues until the winds back to the south-east tomorrow and into Tuesday then fast conditions mid-week as the effects of a low pressure to the west deliver some strong breeze.
* CONSTANT STATE OF NERVOUS TENSION as each day of the remaining 10 days tick by: "Still very nervous, still miles to go. At moment full main solent, looks like we can keep this all day, breeze generally under 17-18 knots so would be stupid to be under-powered all day. Then build tonight a little, bit stronger and then by Wednesday seems a long way, way away. Feel like I'm playing the waiting game now..."
* TEMPERATURE STARTING TO DROP: "Have one layer of thermals on again...its really nice temperature at the moment, but I think I might need to get the second pair out in a few days. For now though during the day its pretty hot..."
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600 GMT:
In the rules of record attempts, skippers are allowed to use the advice of shore-based weather experts to assist them with their choices. Ellen is working with two teams, principally Commanders Weather in the USA, backed up by Meeno Schrader in Germany.
Satellite imagery shows a lot of haze in Ellen’s vicinity. The haze will clear north of 13N or around 1200UTC Sunday. Wind speeds are down a bit and will continue to hold in the 12-17 kt range for another 6 hours or so. Wind speeds will slowly increase Sunday afternoon and night. However, by staying further east on Tue and Wed, Ellen may not see the gales that will definitely occur west of 35W.
Wind directions will continue to oscillate between 070-090. Sunday night and Monday, wind directions will veer into the E-SE and reach SE for a while on Tuesday.
Huge high pressure just SW of Ireland today will be main weather feature for Ellen this week.
Wind forecasts
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC
Sun, Jan 30
12: 070-090/12-17
18: 070-090/12-17
Partly cloudy, maybe a brief passing showery squall
Mon, Jan 31
00: 070-090/14-20
06: 080-100/15-21
12: 090-110/16-22, near 19N/32 20W
18: 090-110/15-21
Partly cloudy to fair
Tue, Feb 1
00: 090-110/13-18
06: 120-140/16-22
12: 110-130/20-25, near 24 40N/30 40W
18: 120-140/16-22
Partly to mostly cloudy Tue - Thu, maybe a shower or 2.
http://www.commandersweather.com
FRANCIS JOYON 24 HOUR RUNS
Francis Joyon's 24 hour runs. These are VMG distances, ie distance sailed towards the finish, not through the water:
26.1.05 IDEC 162 miles / B&Q 388 miles
27.1.05 IDEC 130 miles / B&Q 367 miles
28.1.05 IDEC 232 miles / B&Q 258 miles
29.1.05 IDEC 257 miles / B&Q 317 miles
30.1.05 IDEC 300 miles
31.1.05 IDEC 299 miles
1.2.05 IDEC 278 miles
2.2.05 IDEC 221 miles
3.2.05 IDEC 212 miles
4.2.05 IDEC 162 miles
5.2.05 IDEC 284 miles
6.2.05 IDEC 383 miles
7.2.05 IDEC 400 miles
8.2.05 IDEC 439 miles
9.2.05 IDEC 345 miles
[dates normalised to Ellen's]
January 29, 2005
Mini Doldrums
HELLOMOTO lies in 8th place, under 140 miles from Arcelor Dunkerque, as Conrad sails through what he describes as a ‘mini-Doldrums’ with light, shifty winds & the odd squall.
• With 4,530 miles to cover until the finish – which is still longer than the longest transatlantic race – the last 5,000 miles are proving to be the hardest fought ones of the entire race
• Conrad reports that the port ram is showing the same symptoms as the failed starboard ram did and so is currently working on a solution to cant the keel with his shore team, whilst keeping the boat heading in the right direction at speed in the fickle conditions – an exhausting set of challenges for one day
HELLOMOTO this morning lies in 8th place, under 140 miles from Arcelor Dunkerque, as Conrad sails through what he describes as a ‘mini-Doldrums’ with shifting and light winds around 10 knots, but also the occasional squall of increased winds. In the last week HELLOMOTO has made extremely good course northwards towards the finish, making for a crossing point up ahead at the Doldrums, but currently the boat is heading towards the Brazilian coast line as Conrad meets north easterly headwinds. A few hundred miles up the track HELLOMOTO will reach the stable SE Trade winds before the Equator. With 4,530 miles to cover until the finish – which is still longer than the longest transatlantic race – the last 5,000 miles are proving to be the hardest fought ones of the entire race as both man and machine suffer from ‘wear and tear’ after 20,000 miles under the belt.
On Tuesday 25th January in the evening, just hours after Nick Moloney had announced that the keel had broken away from Skandia, which forced his sudden retirement, Conrad reported to have lost all pressure in his keel and discovered that the starboard ram had failed. The hydraulic ram system to cant the keel is designed to cope by isolating the faulty ram as they work independently and are used as a back up for each other. Conrad followed this procedure and carried on sailing using the port ram alone to cant the keel. After two days, Conrad reported that the port ram was showing similar symptoms as the starboard ram. After discussion with his shore team, Conrad is today looking into different solutions of being able to cant the keel to some degree.
Given the current fluky conditions over the last 24 hours, Conrad has not had much rest as he needs to be regularly changing sails and altering course to keep the boat moving in the right direction at speed as well as making progress with canting the keel.
Please go to www.conradhumphreys.com and check UK Skipper Breaking News window under the main image plus the ticker for further updates on Conrad’s progress during the weekend.
Notes on the keel: the carbon keel on HELLOMOTO is a canting keel, and it is swung from side to side by two hydraulic rams, which Conrad controls with the push of a button. There are two rams positioned on the port and starboard side of the keel and as the keel is canted one ram will extend and the other will contract. They do work together but are independent and so are also a back up for each other. The keel is canted in order to increase righting moment (stability), so as the breeze strengthens, the keel is canted further over.
January 28, 2005
Cape Verde
On this fifth day of racing, the Orange II maxi-catamaran is sailing 350 miles off Nouadhibou (Mauritania). The next waypoint marked on Roger Nilson’s navigation screen is off Santo-Antao and Sao Vicente, the two most westerly islands in the Cap Verde archipelago. After the Canaries, the next little group of islands, which were some 250 miles ahead of the maxi-catamaran early this afternoon, should be passed in the middle of the night. For the moment, it is still under full sail with the staysail and main gennaker that Orange II is cruising along, averaging 18 knots in a wind varying between 11 and 15 knots from the north / north east. After a long 600 mile starboard tack (wind coming from the right), Orange II gybed in the middle of the day, and again in mid-afternoon. The giant is having to deal with this wind, which is almost directly aft to head for this waypoint in the Cape Verde Islands.
Great satisfaction…
«In the end, we managed to thwart the traps in the high-pressure area and the passage through the Canaries » explained Bruno Peyron during today’s radio session. «It cost us a fair amount, as we were parked up for three hours after the Canaries. Since then, there hasn’t been much wind, but the boat does well in these very light winds. It’s what makes the difference from the old boat!». It should be pointed out that the average speeds achieved over the last 48 hours are quite astonishing. Managing to achieve these speeds of between 15 and 20 knots over 24 hours in winds of less than 15 knots is certainly one of the main advantages the maxi-catamaran has acquired since last year. Bruno and his men are taking advantage of the results of the months of hard work preparing for this moment!
The Equator in less than 7 days?
“As far as the Doldrums are concerned, we’re aiming at between 26 and 27° West. On the other side, there were forecasts announcing the dream scenario, but it may be a trap. We’ll see in a few days with the evolution of the weather and are remaining cautious for the moment. In theory, we have taken the right decisions, but we have to know how to adjust our plans and adapt to the situation.»
Adapting to the situation is indeed what is required at the moment. Thus, Bruno and Roger are working on what lies ahead, in other words the approach to the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, the Equator and in the longer term the St. Helena high. «Of the various windows we were looking at between Monday and Thursday, we preferred the first one. By chance, it wasn’t that good. But in the virtual race against our friends, things are going well. If we manage to reach the Equator in less than seven days, it would be quite reasonable, as it’s not on this stretch that the result will depend.”
Bruno Peyron : «We arrived to the north of Lanzarote during the night. With the large gennaker. That wasn’t good enough. We had to gybe three or four times to get as far east of Gran Canaria as possible. We were 60 miles away, but that wasn’t enough to stop us being becalmed. Orange II is a great machine for making the wind, as it looks for air 50 metres up!»
«At the moment, it’s rather dull. It was fairly cold until last night. We’ve still got our fleeces and waterproofs on, which is astonishing at these latitudes, as we’re down level with Mauritania. That can be explained by the northerly winds caused by the anticyclone. It’s the first time I have ever seen that.»
«Orange II is a craft capable of impressive performances even on a millpond. When we say it’s a 4x4, it’s because it’s a boat that can get through all sorts of seas. We tried her out this summer. With the previous generation, the arms were lower on the water. When you’re flying along at 30 knots on the water, the sea is like concrete.»
«We follow closely all the time where the others had reached. We also have a third virtual opponent and that is Orange I. As far as the weather is concerned, it’s not as good as in 2002, as in a boat that wasn’t as fast, we were more or less in the same position. It is a little better than for our second start last year. But it’s not as good as if we had set out two days later!».
Sébastien Audigane : «We’re starting to get into the rhythm of the watches. We started to get our books out yesterday. We grant ourselves two or three minutes of reading now and then. I’m currently reading “L’Enchanteur” by Barjavel. Our first two days went well. The boat is in finer form than last year. She sailed well during the records, but this time with a load on board to go around the world, she is sailing even better.»
The data from 10 this morning GMT:
Date/start time: Monday 24th January 2005 at 10h 03 mins and 07 seconds GMT.
Position : 21° 23.76’ North / 23° 05.28 West
Current bearing: 262°
Current speed: 23.5 knots
Average speed over 24 hours: 21.1 knots
Team Abn Amro Brazil crew selecton
TEAM ABN AMRO is pleased to announce that we have just completed our Brazilian crew selection process. Out of an original pool of 19 sailors, five have been chosen to continue on to a final crew selection in Portugal in March. These five are hoping to become one of two Brazilian finalists in the ABN AMRO Volvo Ocean Race crew selection.
The five sailors are:
Lucas Brun
Andre Mirsky
Mauricio Baptista
Bruno Santos
Edgardo Vieytes
B&Q Records
<
Cape Horn to the Equator was not a fast phase of the course for Macarthur. Her time was 374 hours, 64 slower than Joyon.
Subject to WSSRC ratification, she has also set a new solo Equator-Equator record of 51 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes.
Looking ahead Macarthur's advantage is nearly 35 hours. From the equator to the finish Joyon took 262 hours/10 days 22 hours. This gives Macarthur 12 days and 9 hours/297 hours to reach the finish and set a new record. In the history of the Jules Verne fully crewed attempts final stage times have ranged from 189 hours for Cheyenne to 352 for Geonimo. The average has been 280 hours. So, Macarthur would seem to have some built in slack.
About her chances of meeting that time deadline she says:
"I think realistically the biggest hurdle we have is the high pressure which is hovering around the western approach to the English Channel at the moment. The movement of that high pressure will dictate whether the record is breakable or not, pretty much, and if it decides to eat us up and sit over us and not allow us to get to the finish line or, in fact, sit over the finish line, we could be in big trouble. But if that high pressure helps us and is situated in a reasonable position to allow us to sail into it and out of it, or indeed round the west side of it then that will help us enormously. So our destiny really is in the hands of the high pressure system. We've still got 3000 miles to go, which is a one-seventh of the whole trip. We've just got to try and grunt up and get on with it. The good news is that the breeze will get lighter as we get further north - it will be at a better angle to sail and good for the preservation of the boat too."
ELLEN MACARTHUR SOLO ROUND THE WORLD - NEW SOLO TIMES:
Ushant-Equator 8d 18h 20m 7/12/04 0230GMT (taking 14h 3m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape of Good Hope 19d 9h 46m 17/12/04 1756GMT (taking 10h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Leeuwin 29d 14h 5m 27/12/04 2215GMT (taking 17h 24m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Horn 44d 23h 36m 12/1/04 0746GMT (taking 4 days 2h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Equator 60d 13h 35m 27/1/05 2145GMT (taking 1d 10h 50m off Joyon's time)
Linky Sailing News
Racing 1 day remains at OCR. Equator record. Orange II island hopping
News NZL at home
Great Lakes Ferry suit
Water Level Update
Below you'll find water level info that pertains to Lakes Michigan and Huron.
Reference Point- Measurements in Inches
Difference from Chart Datum +3
Difference from last month -1
Difference from last year +10
Difference from long term average for January -10
Difference from Record High -43
Difference from Record Low +19
Forecast for 28 February 2005 0
Vendee Globe Report 28 January
Whilst we go about our daily routines 20 lone sailors are racing around the world without a stop.
Each weekday ATWOS will present a report on the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe race. Who will join Lamazou, Desjoyeaux etc. as winners? Who will be a breakout young star like Ellen Macarthur? Which sailors will participate in dramas such as those of Pete Goss & Yves Parlier?
The report will cover the rhythm of the race, whether it's fast or slow, what's the degree of difficulty, is it iceberg territory?
Each day we'll check the standings to see who the leaders are and who else is on the move.
The fleet roundup will cover news of interest from any and all boats both the success's and the inevitable failures.
From the lone sailors will highlight the most interesting communications from the multi national group of sailors.
Rhythm of the Race "The drag race continues"
Standings 1. PRB 2. Bonduelle 116 miles back 3. Ecover 195 miles back
Fleet Round Up Golding report. Retirees. Record?
From the Lone Sailors Mike Golding "t’s not looking very good, it’s looking like there is breeze all the way in. Even the ridge we’re about to go through looks quite benign, whereas a few days ago there were some real holes in it. The forecast looks good for getting to Les Sables d’Olonnes quickly, but not so good for getting past Vincent Riou." Bruce Schwab "I made a nice breakfast of hash browns, with a bit of chorizo added in. Not bad at all! Then I did my inspection of the boat looking for things that need attention. Nothing really, so I feel pretty ready for the strong easterlies coming this weekend. But I will have to stay on our toes and be ready for anything." J.P. Dick "Under the clouds, my batteries are barely recharging. I’m relaxing by helming a little, 3 hours a day, and I’m reading too. I can’t listen to my stereo, just a little walkman which I know all the songs on by heart. I’m having some fine days though."
1 Day to Go at OCR
Tomorrow is the "make it or break it" day for leaders at the Rolex Miami OCR. After four days of racing, only one day remains to secure - or sacrifice - a coveted victory in one of the nine Olympic and two Paralympic classes competing. The Rolex Miami OCR is an ISAF Grade 1 event that helps establish the rankings of elite sailors worldwide and those aspiring to become members of the US Sailing Team and Disabled Sailing Team. Over 320 sailors, representing 26 countries, are participating.
In the Star class, Andrew Horton (Newport, R.I.) and Brad Nichol (Hanover, N.H.) had a "worst and first" today. They posted an OCS for starting early in the first race and not turning back, then followed it up with victory in the second race.
"We wanted to win the pin and go left," said Nichol about the fatal first start, "but everyone stacked up and the Germans under us pushed us over." Had the team turned back, they could have accepted a lesser "Z" flag penalty of 20%. "I should have gone back; that was stupid of me," said Horton.
Horton and Nichol still lead the 40-boat fleet but must watch again for those who have stacked up under them, this time on the scoreboard. Olympic Gold Medallist Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and crew Phil Trinter (Port Washington, N.Y.) have risen from sixth yesterday to second overall, nine points behind the leaders. The next three finishers are tied in points, only three points behind Reynolds and Trinter.
"I would say that out of the top five players, whoever gets two good races tomorrow will win the regatta," said Horton. "It should be fun!"
49er sailors Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Miami Beach, Fla.) finished second in each of their two races today, while Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and Zack Maxam (Coronado, Calif.) claimed double victories.
"It could,ve been worse," said Spaulding. "Dalton had very good starts and they are fast in light air; our speed was okay, but we just didn,t get off the line quite as fast as we wanted." Larson claimed that his team,s strategy for tomorrow, when the winds are expected to increase substantially from today, is "to not tip over."
"Seriously," Larson said, "I'm keeping it simple. I,ll keep tabs on Dalton and Zack, but match racing is a little hard to do in a 49er if there's big wind."
The teams of Sven Coster/Kalle Coster (NED) and Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (Shelter Island, N.Y./Matawan, N.J.) held their leads in the 470 Men,s and Women,s classes, respectively.
"It's okay that it has been light air for the last few days," said Coster, who finished sixth with his brother at the 2004 Olympics, "because we need to focus on that for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. We are actually more expert in strong air, so we are not too concerned about tomorrow. We,re right up there and being smart."
Clark, a two-time College All-American, and Mergenthaler have a whopping 23-point lead on their women,s fleet and in combined scoring for men,s and women,s fleets are sitting in second overall. "That,s a significant accomplishment for us," said Clark. "The first part of the regatta, we focused on securing our lead in the women,s division. A secondary outcome was that we,re doing pretty well overall, too. We like light air, but some better breeze tomorrow will liven things up."
Other Action
Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) reclaimed her lead today after winning the first of today,s two races in the Yngling class and finishing fifth in the second. Only two points stand between her and yesterday,s leader Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.). Barkow sails with Deborah Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.), while Cronin sails with Jamie Haines (Newport, R.I.) and Kate Fears (Washington, D.C.).
The Tornado class, which did not sail for a second consecutive day, should get a boost with the heavier breezes expected tomorrow. John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, Texas), the USA,s 2004 Olympic Silver Medallists in this class, are the current leaders.
Brad Funk (Belleair Bluffs, Fla.) still holds his lead in the Laser class after three races today, as does Canada,s Christopher Cook in the Finn class after two races.
In Paralympic sailing, Sweden,s Stellan Berlin is still dominating the 2.4 Metre class after three races today, with Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.) moving up to second overall. Great Britain,s John Robertson and crew Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas have not let go of their Sonar fleet lead since the regatta,s beginning. They won both of their races today.
The Rolex Miami OCR is the only qualifying event used for determining US Sailing Team members in the 470 (Men and Women), 49er, Tornado and Yngling classes. Top-five finishers will claim the distinction tomorrow, and the Golden Torch Award will be given to the American sailor deemed to have the best overall performance among all classes.
In addition to Rolex, other sponsors of the event are Nautica, Sperry Top-Sider, Team McLube and Zodiac. Regatta Headquarters for the 2005 Rolex Miami OCR are at the US Sailing Center, with classes hosted by the US Sailing Center; Coral Reef, Key Biscayne and Miami Yacht Clubs; the Coconut Grove Sailing Club; and Shake-A-Leg-Miami.
For more information, including the latest results and photos, visit the event web site at www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR. Video produced by T2P TV can be viewed after 9 p.m. Eastern tonight and for each of the remaining days of the event at www.t2p.tv .
Rolex Miami OCR
Day 4 (Jan. 27, 2005) Results
Position, Skipper/Crew, Hometowns, Finishes, Total Points
Finn (26 boats)
1. Christopher Cook, CAN, 2-1-[4]-2-1-4-3-1-3, 17.00
2. Kevin Hall, Bowie, Md., USA, 1-4-6-1-2-[8]-1-5-1, 21.00
3. Bill Hardesty, San Diego, Calif., USA, 5-8-1-[14]-7-1-4-4-5, 35.00
470 Men (11 boats)
1. Sven Coster/Kalle Coster, NED, 1-2-1-2-[5]-1-2-1-4, 14.00
2. Mike Anderson-Mitterling/David Hughes, San Diego/San Diego, Calif., USA, 2-3-2-[7]-1-4-3-2-5, 22.00
3. Stuart McNay/Graham Biehl, Chestnut Hill, Mass./San Diego, Calif., USA, 3-5-3-9-4-6-4-[14]-6, 40.00
470 Women (9 boats)
1. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler, Shelter Island, N.Y./Matawan, N.J., USA, 5-1-4-1-2-3-[6]-5-1, 22.00
2. Henriette Koch/Lene Sommer, DEN, 4-4-5-6-7-5-10-4-[14], 45.00
3. Erin Maxwell/Alice Manard, Stamford, Conn./Evanston, Ill., USA, [21/OCS]-7-8-12-3-9-1-6-2, 48.00
49er (17 boats)
1. Morgan Larson/Pete Spaulding, Capitola, Calif./Miami Beach, Fla., USA, 1-1-1-[3]-1-2-2, 8.00
2. Dalton Bergan/Zack Maxam, Seattle, Wash./Coronado, Calif., USA, 4-2-2-2-[5]-1-1, 12.00
3. Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk, UKR, 2-3-4-1-[6]-3-3, 16.00
Laser Full (46 boats)
1. Brad Funk, Belleair Bluffs, Florida, USA , 2-1-2-[3]-3-2-1-3, 14.00
2. Andrew Campbell, San Diego, Calif., USA, [4]-4-4-2-1-3-2-2, 18.00
3. John Pearce, Ithaca, N.Y., USA, [10]-2-1-4-10-1-7-9, 34.00
Laser Radial (24 boats)
1. Anna Tunnicliffe, Norfolk, Va., USA 3-[6]-1-5-1-2, 12.00
2. Paige Railey, Clearwater, Fla., USA, 1-3-2-4-[8]-3, 13.00
3. Lenka Smidova, CZE, 2-[7]-3-3-5-1, 14.00
Star (40 boats)
1. Andrew Horton/Brad Nichol, Newport, R.I./Hanover, N.H., USA, 3-1-8-3-9-11-[41/OCS]-1, 36.00
2. Mark Reynolds/Phil Trinter, San Diego, Calif./Port Washington, N.Y., USA, 2-5-14-[23]-8-9-2-5, 45.00
3. Vincent Brun/Douglas Brophy, San Diego, Calif./Rowley, Mass., USA, 10-4-3-11-[41/OCS]-2-1-17, 48.00
4. Eric Doyle/Brian Sharp, Costa Mesa, Calif./Franklin, Mass., USA, 6-2-11-2-[30]-4-15-8, 48.00 5. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom, SWE, 7-6-5-4-5-8-13-[14], 48.00
Tornado (11 boats)
1. John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree, New Orleans, La./Kemah, Texas, USA, 2-1-1-1, 5.00
2. Roland Gabler/Gunnar Strukmann, DEN, 1-2-5-3, 11
3. Rob Parrish/Lars Guck, Hillsborough, Calif./Bristol, R.I., USA, 3-5-3-4, 15.00
Yngling (8 boats)
1. Sally Barkow/Deborah Capozzi/Carrie Howe, Nashotah, Wis./Bayport, N.Y./Grosse Pointe, Mich., USA, 1-1-[6]-1-4-6-1-5, 19.00
2. Carol Cronin/Kate Fears/Jamie Haines, Jamestown, R.I./Washington, D.C./Newport, R.I., USA, 5-2-1-2-2-2-[7]-7, 21.00
3. Liz Baylis/Nancy Haberland/Katie Pettibone, San Rafael, Calif./Annapolis, Md./Sacramento, Calif., USA, [7]-6-4-4-6-1-3-1, 25.00
4. Felicity Clark/Kari McKay/Joanne Abbott, CAN, 4-[8]-2-3-5-5-2-4, 25.00
2.4 Metre (18 boats)
1. Stellan Berlin, SWE, 2-1-1-[4]-4-1-1-3-1-1, 15.00
2. Nick Scandone, Fountain Valley, Calif., USA, [12]-2-10-1-3-2-7-2-4-2, 33.00
3. Marko Dahlberg, FIN, 1-4-7-5-2-3-[10]-4-3-6, 35.00
Sonar (7 boats)
1. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Steve Thomas, GBR, 1-1-1-2-[3]-1-2-1, 9.00
2. David Schroeder/Keith Burhans/Bradley Johnson, Miami, Fla./Rochester, N.Y./Hollywood, Fla., USA, 3-2-2-[8/DSQ]-1-5-3-2, 18.00
3. Ken Kelly/Robert Jones/Andre Belcourt, CAN/Issaquah, Wash., USA/CAN, [4]-3-4-4-2-2-1-3, 19.00
Equator Record for Macathur
KEY DATA DAY 61 0710 GMT:
Distance ahead: 426 miles
Time ahead: 1 day 13 hour [representing 12.85% of time remaining] calculated using the time it took for Joyon to get to the same Distance to Finish as Ellen's current position
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
Lat/Long: 01 43 N / 029 23 W (104 miles N Equator / 870 miles SSW Cape Verde Is)
Average Boat speed: 5.99 knots (heading NW by N)
True Wind speed: 5.8 knots (direction ENE)
Sea temperature: 28.1 degrees C
Distance sailed so far: 23,819 miles at an average speed of 16.3 knots
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)
Update based on data recorded 0710 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly
IN BRIEF:
* <
* LONG WAY TO GET OUT OF HIGH RISK DOLDRUMS and Ellen not expecting to clear this area until late tonight
* JOYON STARTING TO SPEED UP AGAIN after a slow couple of days inching northwards close into the Brazilian coast.
* MORE UPWIND CONDITIONS EXPECTED AFTER THE DOLDRUMS as the north-easterly trades are not expected to veer into the east until Sunday.
* CONCERN GROWS FOR SLINKY as hundreds of emails pour in overnight from everyone wanting to know whether MacArthur had sacrificed Slinky to Neptune when crossing the Equator.
IN DETAIL:
<
There is still a long way to get out of high risk doldrums and Ellen is not expecting to clear this area until late tonight: "Wind up and down, fluctuating between 5 and 9 knots, and its gone further to the north which is a good sign. Have been hesitating about putting the Code 0 up [giant light wind sail, good up to 8 knots only, takes massive effort to put up and get down]...There is a very thin line of cloud I can see on the sat pics that looks like the end of the Doldrums to me, but its 195 miles to the north which is a long way at 8 knots..." Since crossing the Equator, <
Francis Joyon, on board IDEC, started to speed up again after a slow couple of days inching northwards close into the Brazilian coast. From today his Distance Made Good [ie effective miles covered towards finish line] starts to improve dramatically - 232 miles today, 257 miles tomorrow then 300 miles. Ellen can expect to lose some of her advantage as she stays slow through the Doldrums today. [See below for Joyon's daily VMG runs to the finish]. Joyon crossed the Equator after 62 days and 25 minutes on 23.1.04 [on Ellen's timetable, tomorrow the 29th] and was fortunate not to get trapped by any Doldrums activity - picking up the beginings of the NE Trade Winds before even reaching the Equator.
Further upwind conditions are expected after the Doldrums as the north-easterly trades are not expected to veer into the east until Sunday. Commanders' Weather warn Ellen to keep east of 35 degrees West or risk getting caught in lighter winds. For now, <
Concern is growing for 'Slinky' as hundreds of emails pour in overnight from everyone wanting to know whether MacArthur had sacrificed him to Neptune at the Equator. On the outbound crossing it was a copy of Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About The Bike" but this time, she promised to offer up the most valuable thing she had on board. Slinky is MacArthur's long-suffering on board companion - furry looking, around six inches long and purple in colour, you sometimes see him hanging around the webcam. His has suffered in silence for the past 62 days and now he has disappeared from view: "Slinky? I'll try to do some photos to clarify the situation soon..." was MacArthur's only comment. For most sailors including MacArthur, offerings to Neptune are a serious business, not to be taken lightly.
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600 GMT:
It has been fine in the doldrums area so far, but Ellen will be not clear of the doldrums trap until she is north of 4N.
Wind speeds have been mainly 8-13 kts, but will likely diminish further over the next 6 hours. There are no heavy showers/squalls on the satellite imagery at this time – hopefully wind speeds will not fall below 3-4 kts, without the shower/squall activity. Regardless, it will be a tense situation until Ellen is north of 4N.
Once north of 4N, the ENE and NE trade winds will increase to 13-18 kts on Saturday. It will be important to stay east of 35W, to sail a shorter distance and there will be more wind speed E of 35.
This will require Ellen to sail tight to the wind. Winds will not veer into a more favorable easterly wind direction until later Sunday.
The large high pressure area NW of Ireland this morning will play a role in Ellen’s approach to the finish line. Hopefully the high pressure area will be over the Bay of Biscay instead of over or north of Ellen’s projected route.
Wind forecasts
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC
Fri, Jan 28
12: 050-080/ 6-12, near 2 45N/29W
18: 040-070/ 6-12
Weather∑Variable clouds with some scattered showers/squalls.
Sat, Jan 29
00: 050-070/10-15 - wind stronger to the N (around and N of 5 30n)
06: 040-060/13-18
12: 050-070/15-20, near 7N/31 30W
18: 050-070/13-18
Partly cloudy Sat and Sun with a brief squally shower or 2.
Sun, Jan 30
00: 060-080/13-17
06: 060-080/13-18
12: 070-090/14-20, near 11 30N/33 30W
18: 070-090/13-18
http://www.commandersweather.com
ELLEN MACARTHUR SOLO ROUND THE WORLD - NEW SOLO TIMES:
Ushant-Equator 8d 18h 20m 7/12/04 0230GMT (taking 14h 3m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape of Good Hope 19d 9h 46m 17/12/04 1756GMT (taking 10h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Leeuwin 29d 14h 5m 27/12/04 2215GMT (taking 17h 24m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Cape Horn 44d 23h 36m 12/1/04 0746GMT (taking 4 days 2h 45m off Joyon's time)
Ushant-Equator 60d 13h 35m 27/1/05 2145GMT (taking 1d 10h 50m off Joyon's time)
FRANCIS JOYON 24 HOUR RUNS
Francis Joyon's 24 hour runs. These are VMG distances, ie distance sailed towards the finish, not through the water:
26.1.05 IDEC 162 miles / B&Q 388 miles
27.1.05 IDEC 130 miles / B&Q 367 miles
28.1.05 IDEC 232 miles
29.1.05 IDEC 257 miles
30.1.05 IDEC 300 miles
31.1.05 IDEC 299 miles
1.2.05 IDEC 278 miles
2.2.05 IDEC 221 miles
3.2.05 IDEC 212 miles
4.2.05 IDEC 162 miles
5.2.05 IDEC 284 miles
6.2.05 IDEC 383 miles
7.2.05 IDEC 400 miles
8.2.05 IDEC 439 miles
9.2.05 IDEC 345 miles
[dates normalised to Ellen's]
Orange II heads to Cape Verdes
Orange II goes faster since 10:30 this Thursday morning. Her speed went up above 20 knots and from that moment the maxi catamaran sails between 20 and 26 knots of average speed.
Bruno Peyron's cat has escaped from the disturbed zone of the Canaries and can from now head to south-west (course at 230° at 5 pm). She sails on starboard tack to go down towards the South while nibbling gradually in the west. Her VMG is slightly weaker than its real speed because the crew seems decided to sail away from the African coasts to take the direction of the archipelago of Cape Verde.
If there is not a news from on board as it is difficult to join the crew by satellite phone, Jean-Baptiste Epron has been able to send some images of the day. He photographed Jacques Caraës, his assistant to the embarked images, when this one was filming the boat with its digital camera. Also in the galery, Yann Elies' board, with Ludo A glaor and Yves Blévec, having diner...
Facts: 497 miles in 24 hours...514 miles ahead of Cheyenne's record.
Orange II Crew fuels Up
January 27, 2005
What does Nellie Bly have to do with Sailing?
With the Jules Verne trophy carrying the name of the author of Around the World in 80 days, Mr. Verne is suitably honored by sailing.
A recent listed to news on the radio introduced me to Nellie Bly which was a pen name for Elizabeth Jane Cochran. Bly was a journalist who enacted Verne's proposition of a world circling voyage in under 80 days.
In 1888, it was suggested that the New York World should send a reporter on a trip around the world, mimicking Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. It was decided that Nellie Bly should be that reporter, and on November 14, 1889 she left New York on her 24,899-mile journey. "Seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds after her Hoboken departure" (January 25, 1890) Nellie arrived in New York. This was a world record for circling the earth, which would stand until 1929, when the Graf Zeppelin did it in "20 days, four hours and fourteen minutes".
Bly wrote of these adventures in Around the World in 72 days
Today Andy Green a British sailor writing in the Daily Sail had this comment about Ellen Macarthur's Around the world Record Bid "Ellen on the other hand needs to break the record for all of us: her blinding determination and guts can only be a good reflection on sailing as a whole." This comment shows how top of mind and popular Ellen really is.
It's interesting that while Vernes book was fiction, Bly's trip actually occurred. I don't know how popular Bly was, but indications are she was a determined under cover journalist. We know that Macarthur is a determined and very public sailor.
Currently she seems to be right on the edge of breaking Francis Joyon's solo around the world record of 72 days 22 hours. Perhaps an additional goal might be for her to break Bly's time of 72 days 6 hours. In fact maybe there should be a Nellie Bly trophy for the 1st to post a time under 72 days 6 hours....
During her trip Bly met Jules Verne. Bly wrote this of their meeting, ""If you do it in seventy-nine days, I shall applaud with both hands," Jules Verne said, and then I knew he doubted the possibility of my doing it in seventy-five, as I had promised. In compliment to me, he endeavored to speak to me in English, and did succeed in saying, as his glass tipped mine: "Good luck, Nellie Bly."
Finally one of Verne's less known works is 'An Antarctic Mystery' as a sequel to Poe's 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.' The 1st page of this story mentions: Desolation Islands (see Desolation Peak), Captain Cook and the Kerguelen Islands....delicious
P.S. The Rowing Reporter plans to produce Book Scout Look out pieces on both Bly's trip and Verne's Antarctic Mystery in the near future.
Short Side of 5000
Elapsed Time: 81 days, 01 hours, 30 mins
Vendée Globe Fleet Leader: PRB (V. Riou FRA)
HELLOMOTO: 8th out of 13, level with Florianopolis & SE of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• HELLOMOTO has passed under the 5,000 mile barrier to the finish and moved up to 8th place after the retirement of Skandia, but as Conrad knows, the biggest dangers lie in the final stage of such a marathon race when both man and machine have been at sea for 80 plus days…
• However, the situation with the failed keel ram has stabilised, and Conrad is enjoying the tactical duel up the Atlantic with French skipper Joe Seeten as HELLOMOTO lies 210 miles behind Arcelor-Dunkerque
• This morning Conrad cooked up a high-protein breakfast of flying fish – and squid! He has also let his pasty legs see some sunshine and fresh air as he dons a pair of shorts for the first time in 2 months!
Conrad Humphreys interview from onboard HELLOMOTO this morning courtesy of Geolink/Iridium:
“Joe Seeten and I have sort of switched sides. Things are looking a little clearer than yesterday, the weather models are showing tricky soft patches 800 miles ahead at around 17 degrees South and through that the Trades are quite established up to the Doldrums. The Doldrums are changing and widening, but we’re still heading for the same crossing point. So far so good…the keel’s okay it’s losing a bit of pressure, which is a little annoying more than anything else, I don’t know if it’s a signal of things wearing or the ram getting worse, but fingers crossed its nothing serious. Right now I’m losing a fraction of performance, may be only 1/4 knot of boat speed, but it will be more telling in the stronger reaching conditions of the Trades when the boat sails much quicker if the keel is canted right over. Joe doesn’t I think have any gennaker or solent headsails and so what with my handicap and his, it will probably even out but as I have all my sails, I hope we’ll have the edge.
“It’s almost Trade wind conditions here, we’ve got 14 knots of breeze from the south, it’s dying and going forward, I’m pretty much making course, I’m about to put the spinnaker staysail up, so it’s pretty cool. I have got my shorts on now and so my pasty legs have absorbed some sunshine for the first time in a couple of months! Oh, and this morning I cooked up my first breakfast of flying fish – and squid! The squid landed on deck and as it had already died I got my mallet out to bash it, which tenderises the flesh, and then cut it into rings and fried it in lemon juice!
“I’m glad to hear that Nick is safely ashore, he’s been incredibly positive about it all, and it’s so hard to put yourself in his shoes and know what he must be feeling. I just have to stay on top of things with boat maintenance, check and double check every part of the rigging, as something as small as a damaged winch or chafe on a sheet can lead to bigger problems if you don’t spot them in time. More dangers lie in the last 5,000 miles of a race like this, as the boat and the skipper are more fatigued.
“I can honestly say that the last 10 days has flown by. This leg is so tactical you’re spending every waking hour deciding where to position yourself, changing sails and watching the weather, you’re so busy you’re not thinking about the days. I know from experience the next 15 days will be the same, and then when you’re a week away from port it’s only then you really count down the days! At the moment I’m enjoying the sailing and the tactical battle with Joe Seeten. I think there’s a lot of mileage in that, Virbac is now under 1,000 miles ahead, which is amazing considering where they were a week ago. We’ve had a good run up the South Atlantic and I hope it continues!”
Linky Sailing News
Racing OCR B&Q ahead. Orange II day 3
News Brasil 1 VOR Team
Great Lakes Ontario level study. Muskegon Lake Health
Vendee Globe Report 27 January
Whilst we go about our daily routines 20 lone sailors are racing around the world without a stop.
Each weekday ATWOS will present a report on the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe race. Who will join Lamazou, Desjoyeaux etc. as winners? Who will be a breakout young star like Ellen Macarthur? Which sailors will participate in dramas such as those of Pete Goss & Yves Parlier?
The report will cover the rhythm of the race, whether it's fast or slow, what's the degree of difficulty, is it iceberg territory?
Each day we'll check the standings to see who the leaders are and who else is on the move.
The fleet roundup will cover news of interest from any and all boats both the success's and the inevitable failures.
From the lone sailors will highlight the most interesting communications from the multi national group of sailors.
Rhythm of the Race "With seven days to the finish, Vincent Riou is ideally placed to take on the final sprint which may end with a match race in the Bay of Biscay"
Standings 1. PRB 2. Bonduelle 150 miles back 3. Ecover 225 miles back
Fleet Round Up Potential winner certain non finisher. Skandia reaches Brazil. Day 81.
From the Lone Sailors Nick Moloney "My initial concern at the start was that I wasn’t mentally strong enough to get around the world. But I was overcoming the problems, and I was on the home stretch and my focus was the finish. I felt I was strong enough to do the Vendée. I never ever expected the boat to fail in any way." “After passing New Zealand, I knew there was no going back, and Cape Horn really did mark the moment that I had passed the 3 Capes, and I really felt like I’d completed my 3 round the world voyages at that time.” Benoît Parnaudeau "Thinking of you Nick. The goal of any sailor is to bring his boat back to port, which isn’t always possible and not always easy. That wasn’t the case for Nick though. He got his boat into port even without a keel. A boat without a keel is like a man without balls or a parrot without a voice, if you know what I mean." Mike Golding "My plans after the Azores are to try and bag some sleep before I get into the Bay of Biscay. Though the weather is unlikely to be wild there it does look a bit tricky."
Nick Moloney and Skandia getting a tow