Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

Absender: "Aroundalone"
Empfänger: redaktion@segel.de
Datum: 09. Feb 2003 03:13

A SPECTACULAR SENDOFF
The sendoff from Tauranga was nothing short of spectacular. After a 15 minute postponement caused by a delay getting the shore teams off the boats, the start gun fired and the fleet took off at full speed. Derek Hatfield sailing Spirit of Canada was first across the line (for the fourth start in a row) closely followed by local favorite Graham Dalton on Hexagon. Dalton may have mistimed the start by a few seconds, but he more than made up for it by screaming into the lead at fifteen knots. Hexagon caught a puff of wind and the boat literally took off. The thousands of spectators on the water cheered as Hexagon took the lead, and then the chase was on. Alan Paris on BTC Velocity was third across the start line, but he was soon rolled by Bobst Group Armor lux, Pindar, Ocean Planet and Tiscali.
If half of Tauranga was out on the water, the other half was on shore lining every vantage point to get a glimpse of the boats. "I have never seen anything like it," one spectator was heard to say. "There has never been this many boats out on the water for any occasion." The spectator craft, estimated to be close to 300 boats, churned the water white as they chased the Around Alone fleet along the beach. "This was really incredible," Prime Minister Helen Clark said at a reception after the start. "I could really feel the emotion in the air and I will be thinking about the sailors tonight when I get back home and they are still out there and will be for a many days." The Prime Minister had the best view of the start as the yachts sailed past her vantage on the naval vessel Moa that marked one end of the start line.
The fresh northwesterly wind propelled the fleet along the coast with the front runners sailing at sixteen knots. It appeared that the autopilot on Bobst Group Armor lux had some problems because the boat suddenly rounded up into the wind, but Bernard Stamm soon got it back under control and as if to show the boat who was boss he loaded on the sail area. Fifteen minutes later Stamm powered into the lead and when the spectator craft started to turn back, Bernard was in a dominating position. He already looked almost untouchable.
Further back Brad van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America soon took his familiar place at the front of Class 2. The colorful sails and hull graphics left no one in doubt who the sponsor was, and no one in doubt that Brad meant business. He too looked untouchable. As the boats sailed over the horizon Derek Hatfield was still holding tenaciously onto second place in Class 2, but Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal was catching slowly. Back on land the docks are empty and the there is a sad feeling in the air. This has been an amazing place and leaving Tauranga will be a bittersweet experience for all.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net

AROUND ALONE 02-03: FROM THE WARMEST WELCOME TO THE MOST SPECTACULAR FAREWELL
Absender: "Mary Ambler"
Datum: 09. Feb 2003 05:25

LEG 4: FROM THE WARMEST WELCOME TO THE MOST SPECTACULAR FAREWELL

Tauranga, New Zealand – 9th February 03.
The Leg 4 restart of Around Alone 2002-03 from Tauranga, New Zealand for the reindexing 11 racing yachts was breathtaking, with at least 300 craft - jet skis, kayaks, yachts and motor boats - on the water and 5 helicopters overhead. A 15 minute delay was imposed in order to safely clear the starting zone off Mount Maunganui. At 12:15 local time New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark fired the start gun from the naval vessel Moa and for the fourth time in a row it was Canadian Derek Hatfield sailing Spirit of Canada who crossed the line first midway, followed closely by native Graham Dalton on Hexagon at the port end. Alan Paris on BTC Velocity was third across the start line, but he was soon rolled by Bobst Group - Armor Lux, Solidaires, Pindar, Ocean Planet and Tiscali, all bunched at the pin end, taking advantage of a faster sailing angle in the fresh 10 – 15 knot North Westerly breeze.

Thierry Dubois auf Solidaires
photo Max Ranchi/www.maxranchi.com

Ocean Planet surft über die Startlinie
photo Max Ranchi/www.maxranchi.com

Bernhard Stamm unterwegs zu neuen Siegen?
photo Roy Riley

Hexagon/Graham Dalton nach der Startlinie
Photos: Brian Hancock photo

Die Flotte umringt von Zuschauern
Roy Riley Marinepics

Prime Minister Helen Clark gibt Startsignal
Brian Hancock photo

Dalton then took a puff of wind and screamed into the lead at 15 knots. Hexagon showed her fluorescent keel as the boat heeled right over closer to the wind, but the chase was on as the boats at the starboard end soon unfurled their spinnakers as they raced into clearer water ahead of the mass of sea-going spectators. In typical style, Swiss race leader Bernard Stamm majestically powered past Hexagon to windward by the time they reached the second marker buoy along Papamoa Beach. However, Stamm suffered a slight incident when his autopilots failed and the boat suddenly rounded up into the wind. The master skipper got the boat back under control within moments and as the last of the chasing craft turned back he was already in a commanding lead.
French skipper Thierry Dubois on Solidaires and American Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet were enjoying a close race just behind, followed by Italian Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali and then Britain’s Emma Richards on Pindar. (Simone’s face had been painted with Maori war markings before the start, and four of the local Maori’s in full traditional war dress were performing a Haka on the bow of his boat on the way out to the start line.)
Further back Brad van Liew on the helm of his stunning red, white and blue branded Open 50 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America soon took his familiar place at the front of Class 2. Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal hoisted a beautiful spinnaker once clear of the spectator boats buzzing around and overtook Spirit of Canada coming up to the second marker buoy. Both Alan Paris and Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi on Spirit of yukoh brought up the rear, still being chased by a few last boats and two helicopters circling overhead.
“This was really incredible,” Prime Minister Helen Clark said at a reception after the start. "I could really feel the emotion in the air and I will be thinking about the sailors tonight when I get back home and they are still out there and will be for a many days.” Certainly the skippers will have left the warm shores of Tauranga buzzing from the best send-off they have ever received. Now 7,880 nm of Southern Ocean lies ahead of them, with the next sighting of land being Cape Horn at the tip of South America. The ETA of the first boat into Salvador de Bahia is around the 8th March 2003.
POSITIONS
The first set of position reports will be at 0600hrs GMT (1900hrs NZ time) on the official race website at www.aroundalone.com. You can track the race boats using RayTech 4.1 navigational software by going to the Positions page online and clicking on the link to the Raymarine website at the top of the index chart. Free copies of the RayTech 4.1 software are available on CD – please contact Sabina Mollart-Rogerson on email: sabina@adpr.co.uk