Round-up of the third week (January 16th-22nd)
Tuesday, January 16th 2001, 10.00 pm GMT – with a slight change of course that
enabled them to be the first to reach the low pressure system opening up the way to
the Southern Ocean, Grant Dalton and his crew took a decisive advantage which
would last them some days.
They knew that the first boat to catch the favourable winds of the Southern
expressway (which earned its nickname this week!), would quickly open up a gap wide
enough to undermine the morale of her pursuers.
In just a few hours, this is exactly what happened. Averaging 26 knots (compared
with 16 knots for Team Adventure and 13 knots for Innovation Explorer), Club Med
suddenly quickened the pace to pull away from her closest rivals.
Innovation Explorer, far to the west, struggled to overcome the light winds keeping
her in third place. A handicap intensified by the fact that her reacher had already
delaminated (the protective film covering the index part of the sail had come away).
A makeshift repair made the poor sail look like a piece of patchwork. This will be a
real concern as The Race develops. The crew would now have to use the damaged
part sparingly.
Second placed Team Adventure, the fastest boat in the fleet, was not giving up the
fight and was now recording the fastest average speeds of the race. Speeds indeed
never before achieved in a race. 617. 44 miles (1143.5 km) covered in 24 hours at
the 8.00 pm GMT position update on Wednesday, 17th January. A few hours earlier
(3.00 pm GMT), Club Med had opened hostilities with an impressive 596.77 miles
(1007 km).
This was when the true dimension of The Race became apparent. The big cats rode
down the waves of the Southern Ocean like giant toboggans. Hearts leaped and eyes
opened wide. What a sight! The voyage was further enhanced by sightings of local
wild life. Seals and albatross bore witness to the advent of the Southern Ocean
latitudes. The Forties at last! Many crew members were new to this part of the world
that had filled their dreams for months or even years. Now here they were, at the
controls of the most powerful vessels that the sailing industry can devise.
But the enthusiasm that had so far kept the crews from feeling the cold was about to
be cooled by the first signs of a very real danger. In a laconic yet apprehensive
e-mail, Larry Rosenfeld reported the first ice-monster sighted by the fleet - " We
have just encountered our first iceberg. Its position is 45°41’ south, 04°11’ west.
Please warn the other boats".
There was an uneasiness that you could almost feel. All the senses were on full alert.
At night the crew put on night vision glasses to help them to spot ‘growlers’, smaller
chunks of ice that radar cannot pick up.
In broad daylight the crews must be extremely alert. It is difficult to distinguish the
blocks of ice from the foaming peaks of the waves as they break with greater and
greater violence.
Yet they must go on as fast as ever if want to make up ground or catch the leader.
Club Med’s baptism of fire really began on Thursday, January 18th, in gigantic seas,
strewn with blocks of ice – thirteen icebergs sighted in two hours! – and with waves
much larger than any that most of the crew had ever seen.
To guide such huge vessels through the mountainous waves demands very high
levels concentration and forward-thinking from the helmsmen. You can’t take on
these enormous moving masses of water recklessly, and the giant catamarans don’t
look so imposing in such extreme conditions.
Nonetheless, Club Med went on her way unperturbed at the head of the heroic fleet.
These harsh conditions don’t impress the blue boat’s Kiwi skipper. Grant Dalton has
sailed in worse before now and in lower latitudes. In fact, conditions were not as bad
as expected on January 18th, with winds staying below 35 knots rather than the
predicted 50 knots.
Innovation Explorer battled hard to make up ground on the leaders but couldn’t find
the right wind angle to get the best out of her limited sail wardrobe. Loïck Peyron’s
crew had no idea that second place would be within their grasp much sooner than they
could have dared to imagine.
Chasing Club Med at an average of 26 knots, Team Adventure was stopped in her
tracks at 9.00 pm GMT. The American mega cat had ploughed into a solid wall of
water at full speed. Mickael Lundh, Jeffrey Wargo and Philippe Peche were injured in
the unexpectedly violent impact.
Under unbearable strain, the forward beam on the starboard side twisted out of shape
with a deafening shriek. The damage was severe. If Cam Lewis and his crew hoped to
have any chance of continuing in The Race they would have to stop for repairs. With
a heavy heart the American skipper steered his boat 044 towards Cape Town, South
Africa. The rules state that such a pitstop must last at least 48 hours.
On board, the remote medical service functioned perfectly. With the help and advice
of doctor Jean-Yves Chauve, first-aid was administered to the injured crew members,
pending a thorough examination when the crew arrived in South Africa.
Although Grant Dalton and his crew were saddened to see their closest rival forced to
put in to port, there was also a sense of relief for the front boat. They began to push
further north towards less dangerous climes.
The mood lifted aboard Innovation Explorer as they moved into second place. The
weather conditions were enabled them make the most of the boat’s limited sail
wardrobe. In spite of fog, drizzle and generally gloomy weather, Loïck Peyron’s crew
were delighted to put the frustration of their long period in light airs behind them and
pick up the pace at last. They were making terrific headway, regularly hitting speeds
of over thirty knots, until the rigging let them down again when a batten broke in mid
gybe. The crew managed to repair the damage but discovered in the process that the
edging of the solent (headsail) had become entangled in the indexsheet.
Meanwhile, Club Med was crossing into the Indian Ocean, 700 miles in front of her
nearest pursuer – a comfortable lead, which could lead to errors. Julien Cressant,
perhaps feeling a little giddy after climbing to the top of the mast, steered the giant
catamaran off the back of a wave at over 40 knots! Some of the more experienced
crew members quickly stepped in to temper the helmsman’s enthusiasm, anxious to
avoid suffering the same fate as Team Adventure.
The smaller boats taking part in The Race can only dream of such speeds. Still
struggling in the grip of the St Helena high pressure zone, Warta-Polpharma’s able
crew are pulling out all the stops to break free off the light airs which dog them,
breaking their video transmission aerial in the process.
Bringing up the rear, Tony Bullimore is not so worried. The ‘British bulldog’ appears
reconciled to the idea that he must wade through the high pressure that is causing the
problems. The light air is expected to last another few days, giving him a little longer
to enjoy the cooking talents of his crew’s chef. Sailing ‘traditional-style’ – with plenty
of onions!
CF
Translation by LMQV
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