Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

Absender: "Aroundalone" Empfänger: redaktion@segel.de Datum: 08. Jan 2003 00:37 THE UNSTOPPABLE STAMM
The unstoppable Bernard Stamm rounded Cape Reinga on the northern tip of New Zealand during the night and sailed smack bang into the teeth of a gale. The wind is blowing from the southeast at 30 to 35 knots with higher gusts and the sea conditions are described as rough. He kept on going in an easterly direction to get well clear of land and at daybreak this morning (Wednesday local time), he was 90 miles due east of the cape. The forecast from the New Zealand Met Service reads as follows: Â‘Southeast 25 knots gusting 35 knots, rising to easterly 35 knots gusting 45 knots this morning and easing to northeast 25 knots gusting 35 knots in the evening. Sea becoming very rough this morning and easing to rough in the evening. Poor visibility in rain at times."

Red sky in the morning,
sailors take warning.
Daybreak in Tauranga
Billy Black photo

StammÂ’s welcome to New Zealand waters has not been an exceptionally warm one, but he can expect that to change very shortly. He will get lashed by the strong winds for most of the day, but by nightfall the worst of it should be over and he should have a reasonable go of it for the reindexder of his trip to Tauranga. The conditions do not bother him. Stamm set a cracking pace all the way from South Africa and is on a record setting time. Four years ago the leg was won by the indomitable Giovanni Soldini on Fila after a passage of 27 days, 5 hours. In order to beat SoldiniÂ’s time Bernard will have to arrive in Tauranga (a slightly longer course Â– the last race stopped in Auckland) by 0500 Saturday local time. (1500 GMT Friday)

While today and tonight might be wet and miserable for the Swiss sailor, tomorrow will certainly be anything but. A warm welcome is planned. Once across the finish line he will be greeted by Maori sailors aboard a Waka, a traditional Maori war canoe. These sailors will come in peace, and will escort Stamm and his yacht, Bobst Group Armor lux into Tauranga harbor. It appears as if most of the international journalists covering the AmericaÂ’s Cup in Auckland will be taking a day off from the scandal and intrigue of modern AmericaÂ’s Cup racing, and will be coming to Tauranga to give Bernard a huge welcome, something he fully deserves. Stamm is a sailors sailor and an extremely personable one as well.

The latest ETA for Bobst Group Armor lux will be updated throughout the day (remember to refresh your browser). For now it stands at 0700 local time Thursday (1800 GMT Wednesday).
The latest ETA for Solidaires is Friday night at midnight local time (1100 GMT)
The latest ETA for Hexagon is early morning on Sunday local time.
Note about the images on this page - If you ever doubted the adage, "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning," you would change your mind if you were in Tauranga this morning. These images were taken by Billy Black, one of the best marine photographers in the world. He is in Tauranga covering the Around Alone for a number of the competitors. With jet lag plaguing him, Billy was up before dawn this morning and captured these amazing images of the storm that Stamm is currently experiencing.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net