Southampton, England, April 29, 2002 Day 2
Iceberg Alley Ahead
The sailing instructions for this last trans-ocean leg in the Volvo Ocean
Race have added an exclusion zone to keep the yachts out of the ice that
is swept south by the Labrador Current. Large icebergs are drifting as far
south as 40N, that’s as far south as Spain or Italy. It was about this
latitude where Titanic hit an iceberg, exactly 90 years ago in an average
ice year. The introduction of the ‘ice-box’ was made after the dangerous
incident in the Southern Ocean, where News Corp hit a growler that
eventually cost her the rudder on leg four after passing Cape Horn.
The area called Iceberg Alley is located about 250 miles east and
southeast of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Iceberg Alley is usually
considered to be that portion of the Labrador Current, that flows
southward from Flemish Pass, along the eastern edge of the Grand Banks of
Newfoundland, to the tail of the Banks.
The introduction of a prohibited area has made following the Gulf Stream
even more important as the course avoiding the prohibited area closely
follows the axis of the Gulf Stream. The fleet will therefore try to ride
the Gulf Stream as far as possible taking advantage of favourable eddies
in the stream. This adds to the complexity of the weather as the warm
waters of the stream and the cold water to the north can develop violent
weather patterns. The transition zone is known as the Cold Wall and it has
a reputation for being an area of extremely volatile weather. The east end
of the Cold Wall presents the greatest hydrodynamic contrasts in the
world, the water changing from the olive or bottle green of the Arctic
side to the indigo blue of the Gulf Stream, with temperature changes of 11
degree Celsius or more over short distances.
A combination of the US Coast Guard Ice Patrol service, their Canadian
counterparts, and the numerous cargo ships working the north Atlantic keep
a track of ice in the area. The International Ice Patrol flies aerial
reconnaissance missions (using forward and side-looking radar), and those
results are combined with the ship reports to create charts showing the
“Limit of all Known Ice”. This data is crucial for all shipping. Today’s
ice chart, provided by the United States Coast Guard shows masses of
icebergs at 43N 50W and 45N 45W. The shortest route from the Chesapeake
Bay to La Rochelle would lead directly through this area. Still the yachts
can see ice outside the restricted area.
While icebergs generally show on radar, the smaller pieces - called
‘growlers’ and ‘bergy bits’ - can get lost in the waves. At the speed of a
V.O.60, hitting even a growler can mean serious damage.
The typical North Atlantic iceberg began life as snowfall over Greenland,
somewhere in the 1,000 B.C. timeframe. As more and more snow falls, the
weight of the snow compresses the older snow into solid ice - a glacier.
Over time, the glacier slips toward the coastline and interacts with waves
and tides, causing huge slabs to break off in the form of. It can take
three years for an iceberg to make it south far enough to mess with the
course of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Although each year brings slightly different steering currents, there is a
general region that can be counted on for berg congestion. The
International Ice Patrol has identified an ‘iceberg alley’ about 250 miles
east and southeast of Newfoundland. Flowing southward from Flemish Pass,
the Labrador Current helps concentrate icebergs in the area.
In a cruel twist, nature created yet another hazard that exacerbates the
problem - fog. The cool waters near the Grand Banks are a breeding ground
for dangerously thick fog, making the chore of spotting ice all the
harder.
For the Volvo Ocean Race organisers, crew safety is paramount, and the
decision to avoid ice was probably easy.
Meanwhile the eight yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race have left the
Chesapeake Bay and fanned out in search for the quickest way into the
favourable Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream gives the yachts an extra boost
toward Europe. The navigators obviously have different views on how to get
into the current as quick as possible. While ASSA ABLOY, illbruck, Tyco,
News Corp and SEB go straight east; staying closest to the direct course,
djuice and Amer Sports One chose to stay to the south but within ten miles
of the others tracks.
Amer Sports Too has sacrificed eight miles over the last six-hour period
to sail away from the coast a right angles.
As the breeze is veering from the southwest to the northwest, the yachts
will soon have to gybe.
Passage times Chesapeake Entrance Bridge:
AONE - 0613GMT; ILBK - 0615GMT; AART - 0615GMT; TYCO - 0624GMT; NEWS -
0625GMT; SEB - 0627GMT; DJCE - 0636GMT - estimated; ATOO - 0656GMT
For more information on the ice in the North Atlantic, please go to Lee
Bruce’s story at
http://www.volvooceanrace.org/news/tactics/leg_7/t7_020429_ice.html
Southampton, England, April 29th, 2002 2200 GMT
Riding the Stream
Boat speeds have shot up during the past 6 hours of Leg 7 of the Volvo
Ocean Race. Average speeds have increased from between 10 and 12 knots to
over 18 knots in some cases. The result of this has been a sorting out of
the leader board, notably ASSA ABLOY has dropped from 2nd place, just 2
miles behind the leader, to 4th place, and trailing by 11 miles. Illbruck
maintains the leading position, followed by News Corp and SEB, both 9
miles behind.
The Gulf Stream Drift is playing an important role at the start of this
leg. The trick is to find the core flow of this current, which can give a
boost of up to 2 knots in the right direction, at this stage of the race.
The crew of Djuice have just happily reported that they are in touch with
the Gulf Stream, and are benefiting from a boost to their boat speed. They
went on to say that it is pretty hard to predict the exact movement of the
stream, as the information they can access is updated only every 5 days.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 2, 2207 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 ILBK 37 05.20N 071 22.00W 3173 82 18.4 246 0 0 11/05/02 09:46 49
2 NEWS 37 03.80N 071 32.92W 3182 84 17.7 240 9 +5 11/05/02 10:30 38
3 TSEB 37 15.36N 071 37.64W 3182 78 18.2 232 9 0 11/05/02 10:31 27
4 AART 37 04.36N 071 35.76W 3184 80 16.9 238 11 +9 11/05/02 10:40 39
5 TYCO 37 04.32N 071 35.84W 3184 82 17.3 236 11 +7 11/05/02 10:40 31
6 AONE 37 01.40N 071 40.64W 3188 81 17.1 234 15 +7 11/05/02 11:04 35
7 DJCE 37 03.56N 071 48.80W 3194 81 17.1 228 21 +8 11/05/02 11:33 23
8 ATOO 37 02.28N 072 13.92W 3213 81 15.7 210 40 +15 11/05/02 13:17 10
Southampton, England, April 29, 2002 1600 GMT
illbruck Leads Familiar Pattern
Winds from the northwest, gusting up to 30 knots are pushing the fleet at
exhilarating speeds towards Europe. The exclusion zone just 200 miles to
the north allows the yachts to sail on a straight easterly course.
Illbruck excels in these conditions, taking a lead over ASSA ABLOY and
News Corp, the winners of the last two legs.
These strong winds will hold for the next few days and the boats will be
back to the speeds they were missing since they rounded Cape Horn earlier
this year. This leg will be the last chance to have a go at the V.O.60
class record of 460 miles, held by SEB since leg two.
The situation on the leader board is not unfamiliar from previous legs and
some yachts will be desperate to change that. The leading four yachts are
within four miles of each other and trying to make a break from Amer
Sports One and SEB, who are within one mile of each other. djuice and Amer
Sports Too are bringing up the rear of the fleet and having nothing to
lose could try to break away from the main course of the other yachts.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 2, 1554 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 ILBK 36 50.76N 073 38.20W 3281 91 11.8 0 0 11/05/02 13:13 49
2 AART 36 47.48N 073 39.32W 3283 94 11.7 2 +2 11/05/02 13:23 41
3 NEWS 36 52.04N 073 43.64W 3285 93 11.5 4 +3 11/05/02 13:33 37
4 TYCO 36 49.32N 073 43.12W 3285 93 11.4 4 +3 11/05/02 13:35 32
5 AONE 36 45.36N 073 46.44W 3289 93 11.5 8 +3 11/05/02 13:52 36
6 TSEB 36 53.20N 073 50.44W 3290 90 10.5 9 +7 11/05/02 13:58 24
7 DJCE 36 47.28N 073 53.96W 3294 96 11 13 +6 11/05/02 14:21 23
8 ATOO 36 47.48N 074 09.84W 3306 89 10.3 25 +7 11/05/02 15:25 10
Southampton, England, April 29, 2002 1000 GMT
Into The Big Wide Ocean
Immediately after passing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay the eight yachts
in the Volvo Ocean Race fanned out in search for the quickest way into the
favourable Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream gives the yachts an extra boost
toward Europe. The navigators obviously have different views on how to get
into the current as quick as possible. While ASSA ABLOY, illbruck, Tyco,
News Corp and SEB go straight east; staying closest to the direct course,
djuice and Amer Sports One chose to stay to the south but within ten miles
of the others tracks.
Amer Sports Too has sacrificed eight miles over the last six-hour period
to sail away from the coast a right angles.
As the breeze is veering from the southwest to the northwest, the yachts
will soon have to gybe.
Passage times Chesapeake Entrance Bridge:
AONE - 0613GMT; ILBK - 0615GMT; AART - 0615GMT; TYCO - 0624GMT; NEWS -
0625GMT; SEB - 0627GMT; DJCE - 0636GMT - estimated; ATOO - 0656GMT
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 2, 0956 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AART 36 52.48N 075 06.08W 3348 123 8.7 0 -1 11/05/02 13:04 42
2 ILBK 36 52.32N 075 06.08W 3348 123 8.8 0 -1 11/05/02 13:04 48
3 TYCO 36 53.24N 075 07.76W 3349 123 8.9 1 -1 11/05/02 13:09 33
4 NEWS 36 55.24N 075 09.00W 3349 122 8.5 1 -1 11/05/02 13:11 36
5 TSEB 36 53.48N 075 08.96W 3350 124 9.3 2 -2 11/05/02 13:14 25
6 AONE 36 49.00N 075 11.88W 3353 128 8.5 5 +5 11/05/02 13:32 35
7 DJCE 36 53.76N 075 15.36W 3355 127 8.3 7 +4 11/05/02 13:39 23
8 ATOO 36 46.68N 075 26.92W 3366 141 9.3 18 +8 11/05/02 14:36 10
Next stop Europe
The Volvo Ocean Race Fleet is still making good headway towards the
Chesapeake Bay entrance or in this case the Chesapeake Bay exit and
looking forward to having more sea room while making their way towards
Europe.
The yachts are averaging 10 knots of boat speed in 20 knots of wind from
the southwest. The sea temperature is currently 16.5 celcius, visibility
is moderate and reported to be four to five miles. Seven of the eight
yachts are within sight of each other.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 2, 0358 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 AONE 37 20.44N 076 01.68W 3411 166 9.4 999999 0 0 11/05/02 12:34 40
2 ILBK 37 21.00N 076 01.56W 3412 167 9.3 999999 1 +1 11/05/02 12:37 48
3 AART 37 21.16N 076 00.72W 3412 164 9.7 999999 1 -1 11/05/02 12:38 40
4 NEWS 37 22.16N 076 02.52W 3413 167 9.3 999999 2 +1 11/05/02 12:43 36
5 TYCO 37 22.40N 076 03.68W 3413 168 9 999999 2 +2 11/05/02 12:44 31
6 DJCE 37 23.28N 076 04.92W 3414 169 8.9 999999 3 +2 11/05/02 12:48 24
7 TSEB 37 24.24N 076 07.08W 3415 171 8.6 999999 4 +4 11/05/02 12:54 23
8 ATOO 37 29.92N 076 10.76W 3421 173 8 999999 10 +7 11/05/02 13:25 10
|
