28.01.2001
The messages of congratulation and support that have flooded in to
Warta-Polpharma
have done nothing but strengthen their sense of
determination.
At the 1.00 pm radio conference, Dariusz Drapella described the excellent atmosphere
which reigns aboard the giant catamaran.
"The crew is working together in perfect harmony and the boat is going very fast. We
really appreciate all the messages of support that we have received recently, but at
the same time we know that we still have everything to prove and that there is still a
long way to go. We mustn’t let this display of warmth go to our heads and we can’t
afford to rest on our laurels. But don’t worry, the motivation is still 100%. We want to
show what we are capable of, and that’s what makes us strong."
This is the kind of clear thinking which is back in evidence aboard Roman Paszke’s
pursuer.
Jacques Vincent commented objectively on the situation aboard Team Adventure and
described the new organisation of the boat. "The fact that we are down to ten aboard
doesn’t seem to have made much difference so far. Each watch is one man short –
two rather than three. Manoeuvres, on the other hand, do take a minute longer, on
average. To make up for this we are trying to time the changes of sail with the
changes of watch so that we have a maximum of hands on deck."
This is a necessary reorganisation, because the stopover in Cape Town gave the crew
little time to rest, on the contrary: "Our enforced stopover broke up our rhythm and
was a bit tiring. What’s more, our first night back at sea was very difficult. We had the
wind on the nose and very choppy seas. It was a real bone-shaker!"
As far as tough conditions are concerned, Club Med has had her share as well. "We
are still in very big seas, very confused and very wet," said Franck Proffit. "What’s
new is that since yesterday we have encountered hail storms on deck. That means it’s
a lot colder – much too cold for me to go outside just to find out the exact temperature
for you!"
After having been hit by 50-knot winds, Club Med has also reduced her sail area
somewhat. "We have ‘dropped’ the small spinnaker and put two reefs in the indexsail,
to improve handling. With the spinnaker it is much more difficult to slow down and you
risk being driven into the bottom of a wave at forty knots and coming to a very
sudden stop!"
At these latitudes sail configuration is a key factor and Loïck Peyron’s crew are still
suffering the consequences of the damage to their reacher: "We have done a lot of
work on the large gennaker to keep it in good condition. Our reacher looks like a piece
of patchwork and this has led us to order a new sail, to be delivered to Cook, in case
we should stop there, even if we don’t really want to. Our future is now in the hands of
destiny."
Destiny doesn’t seem to be smiling on veteran yachtsman Tony Bullimore at the
moment – he is still stuck in the light airs. "I don’t have any very exciting news except
that I am waiting impatiently for the favourable winds in the southern latitudes. The
wind has picked up a little bit in the past few days. That must be a good sign!"
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CF
Translation by LMQV
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