12.01.2003
TASMAN TWO-STEP
Latest news: At 13:00 local time Hexagon had narrowed the gap between herself and Tiscali to less than 1 mile. Ocean Planet had overtaken Pindar and was 8 miles ahead.
Original story: The first two Around Alone skippers might be sipping latté at the race village in Tauranga thankful that their passage from Cape Town is over, but there must be a slight wistfulness when looking at the incredible racing still going on in the Tasman. Around Alone sailors are very competitive by nature, but much of the time they are racing by themselves with the closest competitor a hundred miles away. Today there is an incredible race taking place in the northern Tasman and I am sure that Bernard Stamm and Thierry Dubois wish they were a part of it.
Early yesterday afternoon the Italian yacht Tiscali moved into third place in Class 1. Simone Bianchetti, Tiscali’s skipper reported that he had been working every puff of wind and had finally found a steady breeze to push him past Graham Dalton on Hexagon. For Dalton there was very little he could do but watch it happen. It’s one of the tough truths about sailboat racing that often the new wind comes from behind, and when it does it brings those at the back storming up on the frontrunners. Dalton was helpless to do anything as he sat becalmed and frustrated. He could only hope that the wind filled in where he was before being overtaken. It was not to be and at the early poll this morning Tiscali held a 18 mile lead. Dalton fans at his home port of Tauranga can only sit and watch, hoping that the New Zealand skipper’s local knowledge will help him regain the lead once the boats are around Cape Reinga.
Further back the racing is even closer. Class 2 leader Brad van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America has sailed a masterful leg especially since rounding Tasmania, and has overtaken first Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet and then Emma Richards on Pindar. Both Class 1 boats are sailing with equipment problems, but that should not take a thing away from van Liew who has opened a small lead of 21 miles over Pindar. For all intents, Pindar and Ocean Planet are dead even; barely a half mile separates them on a distance to go basis. Bruce Schwab could barely contain the glee in his log. "The last 24 hours (roughly) has been very light air," he wrote. "While it’s been slow going, Ocean Planet is lethal in light air so we have caught up some to Brad and have just about passed Emma on Pindar. We had been gaining on Simone and Graham too, but they have finally escaped the dead spot they were in and are on the move again." Ocean Planet has proved since the start of the race that it is an extremely quick boat in light winds, and Schwab is taking advantage of that fact as the yachts close on the New Zealand coast.
Emma Richards has not lost her sense of humor as she struggles to keep her boat sailing fast with a damaged indexsail. "I am a little disappointed today that neither Bruce or Brad want to join our 2 knot contest we have going on," she wrote. "They insist on keeping up the boat speed and somehow have dodged this parking lot that we have found! The 0600 poll just came in and I'm afraid that may be the last one I see with Bruce behind, only a few miles, at least he has slowed a little! Emma was starting to get a cramp in her neck from constantly looking aloft to keep an eye on her repaired indexsail, and was enjoying the sailing while dreaming of life on land."
Unless the boats find some decent wind, they will not be arriving in Tauranga until the early hours of Tuesday morning. Dealines and ETA’s are coming and going as these five compeitiors wait for a steady breeze. The forecast is for the easterly wind to swing into the northeast, and then go into the southeast adding insult to injury as it will foce the boats to beat from Cape Reinga. Stay tuned; we will update the ETA’s as often as realistically possible. For now they stand as follows (all local time):
Absender: "Aroundalone"
Datum: 12. Jan 2003 11:38
TIME FOR DALTON'S DOSE OF KIWI MAGIC
THIRD & FIFTH PLACE IN CLOSE CONTENTION
FIVE YACHTS TO ARRIVE WITHIN 24HRS
TOMMY HILFIGER OVERTAKES CLASS 1 BOATS
TAURANGA - MEDIA INFORMATION
SITIONS AT 14:00GMT 12th JANUARY 2003
Track the Around Alone fleet with Raytech Navigator 4.1 – go to www.aroundalone.com positions page and follow the link at the top of the chart.
Leg 3 Provisional Rankings
1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux finished at 22:24:43 GMT 8th JAN 03 after 25 days, 12 hours, 24 minutes, 43 seconds
2. Solidaires FINISHED AT 09:03:54 GMT 9th JAN 03 after 26 days, 23 hours, 56 minutes, 6 seconds
Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF
3. Hexagon 34 14.070 S 172 06.360 E 7.55 kt 44 °T 310.44 nm
4. Tiscali 34 10.120 S 171 58.480 E 5.90 kt 85 °T 317.34 nm
5. Pindar 37 12.240 S 169 59.290 E 9. 12 kt 35 °T 504.43 nm
6. Ocean Planet 37 05.530 S 169 46.190 E 7.99 kt 46 °T 505.56 nm
Class 2
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF
1. Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America 36 41.240 S 169 46.140 E 8.10 kt 45 °T 487.48 nm
2. Everest Horizontal 42 24.010 S 150 00.970 E 7.95 kt 105 °T 1451.38 nm
3. Spirit of Canada 43 41.400 S 145 54.780 E 4.52 kt 82 °T 1645.83 nm
4. Spirit of yukoh 46 17.100 S 144 58.420 E 6.86 kt 108 °T 1731.59 nm
5. BTC Velocity 44 29.530 S 130 36.220 E 5.79 kt 93 °T 2308.03 nm
International Media Relations:
Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - NZL mobile: +64 (0)21 706 519
Local Media Relations – Tauranga, NZL
Julie Chadwick, Tauranga Around Alone Ltd – Email: julie@taa.co.nz - Tel: +64 (25) 595 083
Website: http://www.taa.co.nz
Official Photography - Marinepics
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Production & New Zealand distribution: Roy Riley – Email: royspics@aol.com
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