12 Apr 03
LOOKING Ahead AT LEG 5
The start of the final leg of the Around Alone is less than 24 hours away and the competitors are completing last minute tasks before the gun fires at 13:00 Sunday afternoon local time. This has been a long and fairly relaxing stopover for all the competitors and to a man (and lady) they are raring to go. Newport and the end of this edition of the Around Alone is calling and as much as finishing the race is going to be a bittersweet moment for everyone involved, it's time to send this event into the history books.
Ironically the stopover in Salvador has been the least relaxing for the skipper and shore team who have had the most time in port. Since arriving in Brazil Bernard Stamm and his team have worked relentlessly to get the boat back in tip top condition for the final push to Newport. Stamm is taking nothing for granted. Two points and less than 10 hours of elapsed time separate Bernard on Bobst Group Armor lux and Thierry Dubois on Solidaires. "The last leg has many potholes in it and anything is possible right to the end," Stamm said when asked about the upcoming leg. "I must cross the finish line of the last leg in order to breath a sigh relief and say to myself that's it, I've done it, it's over. There are 4000 miles, 5 different weather systems, a lot of tactics, and of course 'Boisdu' (Thierry Dubois) always on my tail." The fact that he is under a lot of pressure never seems to show and Stamm, as always, was in high spirits on the eve of the star t. "This leg I am racing for my new daughter," he said. Bernard became a father for the second time a week ago when his partner Catherine gave birth to their second child.
Further back in Class 1 Emma Richards on Pindar and Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali are also keeping a wary eye on the standings and leg ahead. Despite a dismasting on Leg 2, Bianchetti can still topple Richards from the third place and neither he, nor Emma are taking the last leg lightly. "The wild card is Bruce," Emma said referring to Bruce Schwab and Ocean Planet. "Simone not only has to beat me but he has to put a boat between us and we both know that Ocean Planet has ample speed in light upwind conditions." The conditions on the first part of the last leg will be particularly favorable for the slim Tom Wylie design and Bruce Schwab is looking forward to finishing his circumnavigation on a high point. "I hope to finish in the top three on this leg," Schwab said.
At the front of Class 2 Brad Van Liew is not taking anything for granted. "The final leg of this race will not be easy," Brad said in an interview shortly before the start. "The last 1,000 miles will be the most tactical. As I pass Bermuda my strategy must be decisive. There is Cape Hatteras to pass and the weather could easily be unpredictable and nasty." After suffering a dismasting on the final leg of the Around Alone four years ago the American skipper knows better than most that anything can happen, even to a top-notch campaign like Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America. The same applies to Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal. "Goal Number One for this campaign has always been to finish the race," Tim said. "4,000 miles is a long way to go, but the goal reindexs the same: to bring Everest safely back to Newport."
It looks like the wind gods will be kind to the racers when they leave Brazil tomorrow. The forecast is for light easterlies, around 10 to 12 knots. The skies will be clear and no rain is forecast for the first 24 hours. After that it will be squalls and the difficult sailing that comes with a passage through the trade winds to the equator. The bulge of Brazil will present a problem until the boats are beyond Fortaleza, at which point they will be able to ease sheets and romp across the Caribbean Sea. Alan Paris on BTC Velocity will be looking to see if he can see Bermuda, the small island that he calls home, as he passes close by on his way to Newport. He will also be looking out for his friend and fellow competitor Kojiro Shiarishi on Spirit of yukoh, and both skippers will be keeping an eye on the progress of that tenacious Canadian Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada. As Brad and Bernard have both said, the last thousand miles c an be the most difficult of the race and all the sailors will be working hard to make it safely to back Newport. It will be spring by the time the boats arrive and the bulbs that have been covered by a blanket of snow all winter long will finally be ablaze with color ready to greet the skippers as they sail the final few miles of this long and tough circumnavigation.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net
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