Miami, USA, April 9th, 2002
Let the battle commence: leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race starts this
Sunday
After a little rest and relaxation for the race crews in Miami, and a busy
time in the boatyard for the shore crews, the fleet racing in the Volvo
Ocean Race will be ready and raring to go out again this Sunday and do
battle in leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts at 1300 local
time.
With the overall points now so close, finishing on the podium after
completing the 875 nautical mile stage from Miami to Baltimore, will be
more important than ever before. The question is, can John Kostecki’s
illbruck be beaten? Ross Field says it is still possible. “Illbruck has
to finish to win and there is plenty of sailing left. The Atlantic can
kick up anything and the North Sea can kick up anything. Illbruck could
have a major failure and then it is all open again” Field commented after
being forced off News Corp with a back injury.
America’s John Kostecki leads the eight-strong fleet with illbruck the
clear leader with 36 points. Assa Abloy, with her American navigator,
Mark Rudiger and American crewmembers Chris Larson and Michael Howard,
have pushed up to second place in the rankings with 28 points, after a win
in leg five – their second win in this event. The next set of points is
close: Grant Dalton’s Amer Sports One clings onto third position with 25
points, chased hard by Tyco with 24 points and News Corp with 23 points.
Djuice lies in sixth place with 19 points and SEB, who has missed two legs
due first to rudder damage and then to rig failure, has 17 points. Amer
Sports Too, improving their competitiveness all the time, lies in eighth
with eight points.
On Sunday, the fleet should start its voyage from Miami with light
tradewinds, augmented by the daily sea breeze. The strength of the wind
will depend upon the position of the Azores, or as it more often call on
the east side of the Atlantic, the Bermuda High, which moves around the
North Atlantic with the seasons.
Travelling north, the weather will become more variable as transient
depressions and fronts displace the high pressure. Routeing charts, a
compliation of wind data over many years, show that the wind can come from
any direction depending upon the life cycle of any depressions that may be
around or forming.
The Gulf Stream, which is a fast flowing current that originates in the
Gulf of Mexico , flowing through the Straights of Florida and up the
eastern coast of the United State, will have a big influence. This
‘river’ of warm water follows the edge of the continental shelf before
turning to the east near Cape Hatteras and heading across the Atlantic.
This band of water not only has a big influence on the course the yachts
choose to gain full benefit from the current, but also on the weather
itself, as it transports warm, moist air north. Heat and moisture drive
weather systems and, with the continental landmass of America providing
dry, cold air from the northwest that can then mix with the warm, moist
air from the south, depressions can quickly form. Cape Hatteras has a
reputation as being an area where storms are spawned and the warm waters
Gulf Stream and cold waters form a front. It is particularly bad for
producing violent storms with little warning.
On hitting the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, a front can intensify into
a more vigorous system with the surface air becoming unstable and large
scale, convective activity quickly developing. This can quickly
regenerate the front, creating line squalls and thunderstorms. With
strong wind opposing the two to four knots of the Gulf Stream, dangerous
seas can develop, something that the crews will be aware of, particularly
as so many of the teams have been training in this area.
The final run into the Chesapeake Bay is likely to be made in lighter,
more variable winds as the influence of the Gulf Stream is moderated by
the land mass to the west.
Restart Miami: Sunday April 14, 1300 local time.
ETA Baltimore: Wednesday April 17
Distance: 875 nautical miles
POS Yacht Name Race Points
1 illbruck 36
2 ASSA ABLOY 28
3 Amer Sports One 25
4 Tyco 24
5 News Corporation 23
6 djuice 19
7 SEB 17
8 Amer Sports Too 8
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