01/23/2001
Weather report
Helped by an airflow sweeping through between two weather
systems, Club Med is for the moment better placed than Innovation
Explorer. Loïck Peyron’s mega cat may have to switch south to
avoid losing the wind conditions she needs.
Club Med, currently about a hundred miles east of the Crozet Islands, is
enjoying a northwesterly flow which should stay with her for a while yet. At the
moment she is sailing on the port tack (wind blowing from the left!), steering 075
and travelling at 24 knots.
For Innovation Explorer, things are less promising. Although travelling at the
same speed for now, a high pressure system looks likely to overtake her which
would probably mean that she would have to move down to the southern fifties
where conditions are more severe.
This means that over the next twelve hours, Club Med is likely to see her lead
extend a little further, benefiting from the concertina effect.
Behind, Warta Polpharma is also southing, steering 170, to get below the high
pressure zone that she is now crossing. There, westerly winds which should
continue to gain in strength will at last enable her to latch on to the low pressure
systems of the Southern Ocean.
Tony Bullimore and Team Legato however seem to be in a very poor position.
Already becalmed in almost windless conditions, averaging less than nine knots,
they are now approaching another high pressure bubble.
In the meanwhile, Steve Fossett and his men have nearly completed their long
trip back to Miami and are now only 475 miles west of Palm Beach.
Stay tuned to Therace.org
CF
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