Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

Datum: 09. Dec 2002 16:34
FINAL YACHT TISCALI ETA TUESDAY MORNING WITH CAPE DOCTOR WIND

10th Dec: Tiscali ETA: mid-morning
12th Dec: Invitation to hear John Dennis speak
13th Dec: Pre-start Press Conference & Class 2 Prizegiving
14th Dec: Watch the Around Alone Leg 3 Start at 12:00hrs

Cape Town, South Africa Â– 9th December. Last boat to finish Leg 2 of Around Alone is Open 60 Tiscali, skippered by Italian Simone Bianchetti. He is currently 177 miles away and going at 10 Â– 11 knots average boatspeed, and expects to be in around mid-morning tomorrow 10th December in a good Â‘Cape DoctorÂ’ breeze.
The local south easterly wind is known as the Cape Doctor because it was thought to blow all the germs from the city out to sea leaving the downtown air fresh and clean. For now though it is whipping up everything at North Wharf on the V&A Waterfront and making work on the boats difficult as the Around Alone fleet rocks in the breeze, while halyards clang against the masts. Last night one of the docks broke free causing a minor panic as shore crews scrambled to run extra lines ashore. Fortunately there was no damage done.
It has not been an easy trip for the Italian circumnavigator. Simone w as plagued by both autopilot problems and a dismasting during Leg 2 from Torbay, England to Cape Town, South Africa. He & Tiscali nevertheless was determined to continue his race and pulled in to Northern Spain under jury rig, where he was welcomed and assisted by the Spanish Navy based at El Ferrol del Caudillo. Fellow competitor Bernard Stamm, winner of both Legs 1 & 2, lent Simone his spare mast so he could complete this leg and be on the start line for Leg 3. Emma RichardÂ’s sponsor, Pindar, offered to transport the mast to Northern Spain and did so in their converted fishing trawler Â‘HatherleighÂ’. And yet again, in the true spirit of camaraderie, all the Around Alone skippers are back in town to welcome Simone in to Cape Town tomorrow.

* John Dennis on Bayer Ascensia is diabetic, and will be sharing his experiences to fellow diabetic sufferers and the Bayer team at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital on December 12th at 1800hrs . You are welcome to meet him there Â– RSVP: 0860 102 672.

* Pre-start Press Conference & Class 2 Prizegiving, hosted by City of Cape TownÂ’s Events Office, Raymarine and AFROX, will be held upstairs at the BMW Pavillion, V&A Waterfront on Friday December 13th Â– proceedings will kick off with breakfast from 09:30am, followed by the Press Conference (10:15am), Weather Briefing, Prizegiving and Photocall, to wrap up at 11:30am. Invitations will go out separately. RSVP: Mary Ambler, T: 0823 709 058
* The Around Alone fleet and Race Village are based at North Wharf at the V&A Waterfront until the restart on December 14th.
* Watch the Leg 3 Restart December 14th Â– please contact Mary Ambler by Thursday 12th December if you want to book a space on a Media Boat for the restart on December 14th. Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - Cape Town Mob: +27 (0)823 709 058
The Cape Town Stopover is sponsored by Afrox (www.afrox.com)
For images of events & finishes : Cape Town media distribution - Roy Riley: royspics@aol.com International Distribution: Ali McKichan, Marinepics - Email: info@marinepics.com - Tel: +44 (0) 1489 573753
Positions at 1400hrs GMT 9th December 2002
Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF (nm)
1. Tiscali, 34 13.520 S, 14 53.070 E, 82.58 nm, 10.31 kt, 64 Â°T, 177.75 nm
Click on Cape Town Page in Race Route section on official website to find out more about Cape Town, South Africa.
Local & International Media Relations: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com Cape Town Mobile No: +27 (0)823 709 058