19.02.2004
Day 13 Evening
Another good run South as Cheyenne chalks up 474 miles over past 24 hrs
News arrives that Orange II has returned to France
19 February 2004 1710 GMT - 1030 nm East of Porto Allegre, Brazil: Skipper Steve Fossett and crew aboard Cheyenne enjoyed another strong run at over 20 kts due South through the day Thursday, covering a total of 474 nm at an average of 19.75 kts over the past 24 hrs. Over the coming 'tactical' 1-2 days they will inject themselves into the westerlies needed to carry them to Cape of Good Hope.
Ken Campbell of Commanders Weather related tonight:
" I just talked to Steve and Adrienne - The next 36 hours will be tactically important as the High is basically coming at us. Wind speeds will come down and we'll see poor wind angles - we'll need to be smart and set up tactically for the new weather pattern - and say goodbye to tropical winds and hello to the westerlies around 38 degrees S."
Steve | © Nick Leggatt 2004
Orange II returns to France:
In a press release just received from our friends and rivals on the maxi-catamaran Orange II, double Jules Verne record-holder (1993, 2002) Skipper Bruno Peyron announced that the 120' French cat had suffered a 'technical incident' and was returning to France, scarcely 24 hours after they crossed the official RTW startline at Ouessant on Wednesday. Orange II had terrific start conditions and covered a formidable 580+ miles during the first 24 hours of this attempt. The Press Release states:
Early this morning (around 06:00 GMT / 07:00 local time), as the boat was doing more than 30 knots, a technical incident occurred onboard. After consulting his crew, Bruno Peyron decided to turn back and head for Brittany.
Bruno Peyron :
"What happened does not allow us to continue racing, and we're still close enough to home to come back quickly, have this problem fixed, and take another start. The real concern is that we were sailing in exceptional sea and wind conditions, downwind, and now we'll have to come back upwind against 35 knots of breeze".
End Day 12: Cheyenne drives ahead of RTW record track for first time
454 miles past 24 hrs
94 nm ahead of Orange's 2002 Day 12 position
19 February 2004 - 0510 GMT - 660 nm E/SE of Rio de Janeiro: As rival Bruno Peyron set out Wednesday morning from the official RTW start line at Ouessant, Steve Fossett and Cheyenne found improved and consistent NE breeze driving South through the S Atlantic throughout Day 12 of their RTW attempt - a day that eventually saw them cover over 454 nm (avg 18.91 kts), catching up to and then passing the position of the 2002 Day 12 position of Orange.
Measuring ahead to the next probable course waypoint - South of Cape of Good Hope - Steve Fossett and crew (now slightly to the S of and well to the E of the 'phantom' position) are approximately 95 miles ahead of Orange after 12 days.
Skipper Steve Fossett commented on moving ahead of the record pace for the first time:
"It is very encouraging to have recovered the lost time from our slow start. It shows that the record is achievable if we continue to sail well. We are now facing two or three days of challenging conditions, and might well fall back slightly over these next several days, but I am encouraged."
Brian Thompson reports on Day 12 (Wednesday 18 Feb)
"All well here, another day of trade wind sailing, but very different to yesterday. Today there has been an almost constant stream of weak squalls in comparison to the clearer skies yesterday. We have been playing these squalls, staying on the leading edge of them and using our speed to slide around their leading edges, and not falling into the light airs just underneath and behind them. It's been an interesting exercise and one that you need a fast boat for - your boat speed needs to be greater than their movement to pull it off consistently.
Up ahead we are looking at the constantly evolving forecasts for our imminent rounding of the South Atlantic High, and things are looking up. A few days ago we were forecast to park up for 2 days but now it appears that we will hold 10 knots of wind in the critical section where we are closest to the high and running downwind past the western side.
Today we passed 100 miles to the West of Isle de Trinidade, a tiny Brasilean island inhabited by their navy. As we passed by its latitude we started to see a number of terns. Our photographer and resident poet Nick Leggatt from South Africa recognized these as sooty terns, also called wide awake birds due to the squeaks they make as they follow ships at night. Added to Nick's other titles should be that of ship's naturalist...
We are enjoying the last few days of warm weather till we hit the south, water is in scarce supply as everyone takes the opportunity to wash their clothes and themselves..
- Brian"
www.brianthompsonsailing.com
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