Absender: "Aroundalone"
Datum: 16. Dec 2002 17:22
BIG WIND COMING
The front runners are on the edge of the Roaring Forties and if the wind gods come through, they should be roaring by this evening. The first big wind of Leg 3 is fast approaching from the west and the skippers are preparing for a long night. Derek Hatfield, the current Class 2 leader sailing Spirit of Canada, sent a log early this afternoon. "The wind has finally arrived on day two of Leg 3 to New Zealand. The seas are very flat so I am enjoying the perfect sailing while it lasts. We are expecting a lot of wind by the end of the day so I have been eating and resting up to prepare for a long wet night, but in great surfing conditions." HatfieldÂ’s Open 40 has been enjoying the conditions since the start, and now with a big night of surfing ahead, the Canadian skipper is ready for it.
Hatfield was not the only Around Alone skipper getting ready for the wind. Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet, sailing 35 miles ahead of Derek, was also preparing for a long night. "The wind has been steadily building as the first low pressure system approaches. I've been feeling nervous, running around and checking things, and will be reefing a bit early until I get a feel for how accurate the weather models are. I think we're ready, but you just never know! The clear skies of yesterday have given way to low clouds and spots of rain. There is a real feeling of anticipation and wonder about what it will be like in a week or so when we will be getting deeper into the south."
While Derek and Bruce ready for the big winds, the leaders are already enjoying fast sailing. Thierry Dubois on Solidaires and Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux were averaging 15 and 16 knots respectively. They are being propelled by a stiff northwesterly wind blowing at 25-30 knots. For now DuboisÂ’s move to the east seems to be paying off. Stamm has gybed over to consolidate with the French sailor, and if he holds his course will pass astern of Solidaires. My guess is that he will gybe in the next few hours and head deeper south where more wind is forecast. This move by Thierry Dubois is exactly the same as one taken by Mike Garside in the Around Alone four years ago. Garside was sailing Magellan Alpha (now Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America) and was trailing the fleet out of Cape Town. He decided that the weather would allow him to sail across the Agulhas bank south of So uth Africa, and so he took the chance. "I was trailing out of Cape Town and decided that the wind would let me cut across the banks south of Cape Agulhas, so I went for it," he wrote. "It was a hell of a fast, hairy ride in fog with loads of fishing boat all over the place, but it paid off and I opened up a good lead over the whole fleet - including the 60's - which I held for 2 days. Boy was I flying! My blood was up and that was the occasion when I held over 30 knots for 30 plus minutes." This email from Mike Garside might just be a precursor of how the night might be for this Around Alone fleet. Stay tuned.
Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net
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