Absender: "Aroundalone" Empfänger: Datum: 08. Mar 2003 21:19 IT'S GETTING HOT, HOT, HOT Here in Salvador the heat is searing and the samba music blaring as the port gears up for the arrival of the first boat, but the question on everyoneÂ’s lips is, "which boat is going to get here first?" ItÂ’s a good question and the answer will not be revealed until the first boat crosses the finish line in the next few days. At the moment Thierry Dubois is still holding onto a slim lead over Bernard Stamm, but the margin is diminishing daily. At the 06:00 poll this morning Solidaires led Bobst group Armor lux by 32 miles. Eight hours later that gap had been reduced to just 17 miles. The relentless pace being set by Stamm has Thierry Dubois resorting to some unorthodox means for changing his luck. Who can blame him? Desperate times call for desperate measures and for the French skipper these are indeed desperate times. ThierryÂ’s log reveals just how far he is prepared to go in his effort to be the first boat into Brazil. "I had to make a sacrifice to appease the wind gods," he wrote. "It was him or me!" With that declaration Dubois retrieved a small stuffed kiwi bird from below and took the toy on deck in preparation for the sacrifice. "So why him, the poor kiwi toy?" he continued. "Because the daily suicide of flying fish is not recognized as a ritual sacrifice. And because he has not stopped bugging me, always passing comments that his (New Zealand) mate Graham Dalton was going faster than us...without a mast!!" With that the hapless kiwi bird was strung up and set alight. Unfortunately it does not seem to have helped. The indomitable Stamm continues his charge sailing further offshore, perhaps in a little more wind, while Dubois scours the beaches for a sign of new breeze. Had he not already shaved his head, he might just have pulled all of it out by now. Both boats are sailing close hauled with a light wind coming from the northeast. They are in tropical waters and the temperature both above and below decks is sweltering. ThierryÂ’s log continues. "ItÂ’s too hot...both the temperature on the boat, and the battle to stay ahead. I think I'm going to go to the beach! Now even more so because it is getting tighter. We are attacking the headwinds in tropical conditions. One tack to the east, one to the west, but never heading directly to the finish. ItÂ’s a story of having to endure paradise. I can tell you, hell is better. The heat inside the cabin is choking me and I am burning up on the deck too! Well, enough typing on the computer - I am dripping sweat on the keyboard." ItÂ’s still too soon to tell if Bernard Stamm will overtake Dubois. He has come this close before only to have Solidaires sail away again, so until the first boat crosses the finish in Salvador there is no saying who will take line honors. In the end Stamm will have to accept his 48-hour penalty for stopping and will be pushed down in the rankings for the leg, but itÂ’s the honor of being the first boat in that counts. Further back Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali and Emma Richards on Pindar are also sailing hard. EmmaÂ’s push for third place seemed to fade as soon as Tiscali got new wind that eluded Pindar, but their race is still far from over. Both skippers will be looking to finish within 48 hours of Bobst Group Armor lux in order to beat Stamm. The next few days will be really interesting as these four competitors struggle with the final few miles of this leg. --- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net AROUND ALONE LEG 4 NEWS FLASH: SPIRIT OF CANADA DISMASTS OFF CAPE HORN Absender: "Mary Ambler" Datum: 08. Mar 2003 00:47 LEG 4 NEWS FLASH: SPIRIT OF CANADA DISMASTS OFF CAPE HORN Media Contact: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - Current Mobile in Salvador: +55 71 9142 5225 (Please do not leave a message) Salvador, Brazil – 7th March 03. Canadian skipper Derek Hatfield reported in at 16:53GMT on 7th March to Around Alone Race HQ that his Open 40 boat Spirit of Canada had just been dismasted at 55 48 S 66 12 W, 30 miles to the ENE of Cape Horn. Derek confirmed that he was safe and has cut away the rig; that the boat is stable, although extensively damaged. The keel is loose again but he is confident that this problem is not going to worsen. He added that the winds at the time were gusting up to 80 knots from the west. Raymarine weather files (viewed online at www.aroundalone.com) show an intense low pressure passing to his South. The appropriate rescue authorities and an ice-breaker/cruise ship 100 miles from Derek’s position returning from the Antarctic, were immediately alerted to stand by should Hatfield request assistance, however so far the skipper is intending to head into Ushuaia under motor. At 22:00 GMT positions, Spirit of Canada was at 55°30' S 66°04' W ESE of Port Williams. The Captain of the cruise vessel on its way back from an Antarctic expedition was able to confirm to the Race HQ that the winds were around 70 knots and the waves 40 foot high. Coincidentally a friend of Derek’s was aboard the ship and had pre-arranged for both vessels to rendez-vous at Cape Horn today as Derek’s ETA had matched theirs. The intention was to film the Canadian Open 40 passing the famous rock; now ironically, this ship is actively heading to his current position and is on stand by should Derek need assistance. Nearest skipper in the Around Alone fleet is fellow Open 40 sailor, Bermudian Alan Paris on BTC Velocity, who had at 00:30 GMT 7th March had rounded Cape Horn himself in storm force conditions. Alan was alerted by the Race HQ of Derek’s dismasting as an initial precaution, but not asked to divert to assist Spirit of Canada. Soon after, Alan sent this poignant email through, which sums up the man Derek Hatfield is and the need now more than ever for the spirit of collaboration to be called upon: “I feel horrible and have to admit that the emotions in me are running so high that I was just literally shedding tears of frustration for my good friend Derek. Derek and I have been dreaming of the Around Alone since we first met in 1995, doing the Bermuda - One Two, we have become friends and swapped much information and encouragement in the lead up to the race. I flew to Canada to his beautiful boat, Spirit of Canada during its construction stages, a yacht that Derek, family and friends built over a period of three years. He competed admirably in the Europe One Star race in 1996, a race I tried to enter but failed to cross the Atlantic. “In the weeks prior to the start Derek, his shore crew and myself were housed by the same family in Newport and our bond, determination and passion for this grueling race became even stronger. This has been a bad leg for Derek, first electronics, then his keel mechanism, but all were surmountable with his consistent determination and desire to compete. Losing his mast is another story, I don't know if he can recover from this catastrophic loss, to a non sponsored campaign. Time and finances are not on his side. “If ever there was a time that someone who has been encouraged, inspired and lived vicariously through Derek's and the other skippers exploits and wants to help him in any way, particularly I would guess in a financial way, now is the time. What we have is a good man down and he needs help. Regards, Alan - BTC Velocity” We will post any further updates in the next 24hrs on Derek’s progress online at www.aroundalone.com International Media Relations: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - Mobile: +55 71 9142 5225 Media Centre, Salvador CENAB, Av da Franca, Salvador - Tel: 55 (71) 319 3434 319 3442 Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE