zur Übersicht 13th April 2003 START DAY SALVADOR Latest update 14:00 local time: Just over an hour after the start of Leg 5 Bernard Stamm passed the final turning mark of the inshore course and headed out to sea. He was followed by Thierry Dubois on Solidaires and Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet. There were loud fireworks for the first three boats as they sailed among the spectator fleet. The wind has died down to around 12 knots and is still blowing from the east. Latest update 13:30 local time: The leading boats have rounded the turning mark with Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux first around with Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet a half-boat length behind and Thierry Dubois on Solidaires a boat length behind Schwab. They were followed by Simone Bianchetti and Emma Richards. Brad Van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America was the first Class 2 boat around with Kojiro Shiarishi, Tim Kent and Alan Paris right behind. The boats are now sailing towards the Farol da Barre lighthouse with Dubois and Stamm neck and neck and Bruce Schwab further inshore. They are all sailing close-hauled in 18 knots of easterly wind. Latest update 13:15 local time: Thierry Dubois on Solidaires is in the lead flying along at 10 knots with Bernard Stamm just behind and Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet a half boat-length behind Stamm, also moving very fast. Simone Bianchetti has just overtaken Emma Richards. At the front of Class 2 Brad Van Liew has a slim lead over Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal with Alan Paris and Kojiro Shiarishi just behind them. The boats to windward seem to have a bit more wind. They will be rounding the turning mark in less than 5 minutes. Latest update 13:03 local time: Alan Paris on BTC Velocity was first across the line just seconds after the gun fired. He was closely followed by Emma Richards on Pindar with Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet close behind. A minute later Thierry Dubois on Solidaires rolled over the top of Ocean Planet to move into third. In a group at the committee boat end Brad Van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America, Bermard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux and Kojiro Shiarishi on Spirit of yukoh were all a few seconds late for the start, but all sailing at full speed. Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali was also a few seconds late but he too was sailing at full speed. The boats are now sailing downwind with Gennakers set heading for the first turning mark 3 miles away. Latest update 12:58 local time: BTC Velocity is on the start line. Skipper Alan Paris is clearly hoping to take the start. Emma Richards is just off the line while Brad Van Liew, Bernard Stamm and Bruce Schwab are reaching in towards the start line. It's going to be a very close. Brad van Liew mit Siegchancen in class 2 Photo: Mark Pepper- Marinepics Emma Richards - Zweite beim Start Photo: Mark Pepper- Marinepics Start Leg5- Dubois vorn Photo: Alain Zimrini- Marinepics Die Flotte vor dem Start Letztes Gruppenfoto in Bahia Mary Ambler photo Latest update 12:55 local time: The 5-minute gun has just sounded and the boats are all gathering around the Brazilian minesweeper that is the start boat. There was a last minute scramble to get the spectator boats out of the start zone, but they are all gone and the way is now clear for the skippers to set up for the start gun. Latest update 12:45 local time: Fifteen minutes until the start and all the shore crews are off the boats. The skippers are finally alone on board. They are all in the start area sailing with full sails. The wind has picked up and is now blowing at around 15 knots from the east. Latest update 12:30 local time: Thirty minutes until the start of Leg 5. All the boats have their indexsails up and are sailing in the start area. It's slightly cloudy with 10 knots of wind blowing from the east. There is a large speactator fleet out on the water. Latest update 12:00 local time: All the boats have left the dock in Salvador and are heading out to the start area. There is a large spectator fleet also leaving the docks. Check out the image gallery for images of the skippers leaving. Original story: It is a big day today for the Around Alone fleet. Not only will the yachts start the final leg of the race from Salvador, Brazil this afternoon at 13:00 local time, but Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada has also officially rejoined the race. After leaving Tierra del Fuego yesterday afternoon, Derek sailed back to the area where he capsized, passed over the exact point where he turned his engine on, turned his bow north and resumed racing Leg 4. "At 01:52 GMT on Sunday, April 13th, Spirit of Canada and I rejoined the race," he wrote in a brief email to Race Opps. "I will send in a full report in the morning. I am totally exhausted right now." A long and very difficult sail lies ahead of the plucky Canadian skipper, but it's most certainly better than the tedious rebuilding of the boat in Ushuaia. The wind is currently blowing from the northeast at 17 knots and it's raining and foggy. Meanwhile in Salvador the docks are abuzz with activity. The skippers will be attending a Raymarine sponsored breakfast at the CENAB this morning before leaving the docks and heading out to the start area. It's only a short distance from the marina to the start line, but most of the skippers will want to get out there early to get the sails up, settle the boat down and prepare for the start. The boats will have to sail a short inshore course to allow the spectators on land a view of these incredible machines, but by mid-afternoon they should be out of sight and heading towards the equator and points beyond. The weather today is fine. It's warm with a light easterly wind blowing. The wind is forecast to strengthen to around 10 to 12 knots; perfect conditions for getting back into the rhythm of life at sea. Stay tuned to this page as the start approaches and remember to refresh your browser so that you can get the latest updates as they happen. --- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net Betreff: AROUND ALONE 02-03 LEG 5: THE 4,000 MILE SPRINT TO THE FINISH Absender: "Mary Ambler" Datum: 13. Apr 2003 14:50 LEG 5: THE 4,000 MILE SPRINT TO THE FINISH CLASS 1 & 2 PREVIEW DEREK HATFIELD REJOINS RACE TODAY LEG 5 COURSE, WEATHER & ETA’S OVERALL POINTS AND ELAPSED TIMES AFTER 4 LEGS Media Contact: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - Fixed Mobile in Salvador: +55 71 9142 5225 Salvador, Brazil – 13th April 03. After 24,000 miles of solo ocean racing around the globe, only two points and a matter of 10 hours and 50 minutes on elapsed time separates the leading two contenders for overall Class 1 victory in Around Alone 2002-03 before the restart of the fifth and final 4,000 mile leg from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil to Newport, RI. Current Class 1 leader Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm on Open 60 Bobst Group-Armor Lux is psyched up for the ‘ultimate fight’, two words his closest rival Frenchman Thierry Dubois has written on the cabin wall of Solidaires. Stamm is nothing but totally focused: “The first part of the leg will be all about speed, and after the Doldrums we will have to negotiate the northern hemisphere trade winds, which can shift from south to north east. So it will be a game of finding the right compromise between course and speed. I must cross the finish line of the last leg in order to breathe a sigh relief and say to myself that it's over. There are 4000 miles, 5 different weather systems, a lot of tactics, and of course 'Boisdu' always on my tail.” The other fight in Class 1 is for overall 3rd place, currently held by British skipper Emma Richards on Pindar, who could become the first woman to be on the podium in the 20 year history of Around Alone if she plays her cards right. However, Italian skipper Simone Bianchetti on the powerful Lombard designed Tiscali, can still topple Richards if he can beat her by 2 points in this last leg - despite his dismasting on Leg 2. Neither skipper is taking the final leg lightly: “The wild card is Bruce Schwab,” Emma commented. “Simone and I both know that Ocean Planet holds an advantage over the beamier boats if we get moderate upwind conditions.” Bruce Schwab is indeed looking forward to finishing the Around Alone on a high point with his slim Tom Wylie designed boat. “I am confident that I can finish in the top three of this last leg.” Latest Class 2 News: Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada rejoined the race at 01:52 GMT Sunday 13th April at 56 02 S 066 24 W. He reports 17 knots of wind from the North East, rain and fog and is making 7.3 knots boatspeed. He dismasted on March 7th to the east of Cape Horn and has spent 27 days rebuilding his Open 40 in order to complete Leg 4 of Around Alone. In Class 2, current overall leader, American skipper Brad Van Liew on Open 50 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America, heads into the last leg as the only skipper in this fleet with 4 straight wins and maximum 40 points under his belt. Van Liew will be aiming to consolidate his consecutive victories – a run which has only been matched by Class 2 winner Yves Dupasquier, who won all four legs in the 1991 BOC Challenge. With an average boatspeed of 8.54 knots on the racecourse so far, Van Liew has also surpassed his boat’s previous performance in Around Alone 4 years ago, when she was skippered by Mike Garside to 2nd place overall with an average boatspeed of 7.63 knots. However, Van Liew does not claim that the final leg will be plain sailing: “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. The same applies to fellow American skipper Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal, who is trailing Van Liew by 5 points overall: “Goal Number One for this campaign has always been to finish the race. 4,000 miles is a long way to go, but the goal reindexs the same: to bring Everest Horizontal safely back to Newport.” This has not been achieved without a considerable amount of hard work, generous supporters and some invaluable volunteer help along the way for his unsponsored campaign. Kent and his boat are both in remarkably good shape for the off: “This is the first time that I have had more than 45 minutes sleep the night before a restart!” he remarked. Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi on Open 40 Spirit of yukoh could spring a surprise on his big brothers in Class 2 as in each leg of Around Alone he has been climbing up the rankings to finally score 3rd place in Leg 4. Without the unstoppable Canadian skipper Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada physically racing with the class, Koji will be biting at the heels of the 50 footers - especially now he has natural energy strips fixed on the hull and in the indexsail to dispel any opposing forces in the elements. Bermudian skipper Alan Paris on Open 40 BTC Velocity is looking forward to achieving his solo circumnavigation, which has been a smoother ride than most for the skipper who has spent so far a total of 174 days at sea. “I don’t have shore crew, but have never had anything huge to fix each time I finish a leg. I guess I owe my organisational skills on the boat to more to 18 years as a hotel manager – it’s enough training for anyone!” Leg 5 Restart from Salvador, Brazil – Newport, RI USA The start of Around Alone Leg 5 will be given at 13:00 hrs local time (GMT 17:00) off the breakwater in front of the CENAB (Central Nautico de Bahia). The start gun will be fired from a Brazilian navy vessel with special guests of the Governo da Bahia on board. The boats will head up to Mont Serrat point and round a channel marker after which they will sail along the waterfront of Salvador towards Barra lighthouse. There, the boats must pass between two marker buoys laid 150 metres offshore, before heading out on the 4,000 mile leg to Newport, RI. There will be a big fireworks display at the lighthouse as the boats pass by, and over 100 spectator craft watching the restart. The leg from Salvador, Brazil back to Newport, RI is the final sprint. Luck and tactics still play their part. The Doldrums have to be crossed again, then the yachts will run into the Northeast trades that will push them fast towards their destination, but there is another agonizing choice: to go straight, which means close to Bermuda and risk a high-pressure system removing the wind, or take the longer westward route, closer to the US Coast, where at least the Gulf Stream will give you miles even if the wind disappears. The shortest distance may appear to be a straight line between two ports, but this may not give the shortest time. Weather - The prediction is for a clear blue sky, no clouds and no rain with light 10 – 12 Easterlies. The Raymarine 3 day weather forecast and map will be posted up online at www.aroundalone.com every other day. ETA’s - The first boats are expected to arrive at the finish from May 1st 2003. The ETA’s will be updated every three days, based on the performance data calculated by RayTech 4.1 navigational software supplied by Official Race Partners Raymarine (www.raymarine.com). Overall Results in Points / Total Elapsed Time after 4 Legs Class 1 1 Bobst Group-Armor Lux – 39pts / 97 days 23 hrs 7 mins 13secs 2 Solidaires – 37pts / 98 days 9 hrs 57 mins 47 secs 3 Pindar – 27pts / 110 days 16 hrs 30 mins 23 secs 4 Tiscali – 26pts / 140 days 0 hrs 51 mins 41 secs 5 Ocean Planet – 23pts / 138 days 19 hrs 5 mins 45 secs Class 2 1 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America – 40pts / 128 days 0 hrs 0 mins 54 secs 2 Everest Horizontal – 35 pts / 148 days 0 hrs 15 mins 41 secs 3 *Spirit of Canada – 25 pts / 174 days 6hrs 47 mins 44 secs 4 Spirit of yukoh – 28 pts / 155 days 23 hrs 24 mins 44 secs 5 BTC Velocity – 23 pts / 174 days 6 hrs 47 mins 44 secs * Spirit of Canada points & elapsed time after 3 legs only, 3rd place ranking based on his completion of Leg 4. International Media Relations: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - Mobile: +55 71 9142 4343 Media Centre, Salvador CENAB, Av da Franca, Salvador - Tel: 55 (71) 319 3434 319 3442 Around Alone TV - APP Broadcast Andrew Hawthorn - Email: ahawthorn@appbroadcast.com - Mobile: +55 71 9142 5225 APP Broadcast London Office - Tel: +44 (0)208 964 4992 Official Photography - Marinepics International distribution: Ali McKichan - Email: info@marinepics.com - Tel: +44 (0) 1489 573753 Official Schools' Programme: HSBC Glocal Education Challenge - www.education.hsbc.com Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE