Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

Betreff: HIGH PRESSURE DILEMMA
Absender: "Aroundalone" Empfänger: Datum: 26. Apr 2003 21:23 HIGH PRESSURE DILEMMA

The weather pattern for the leading Around Alone yachts is getting more interesting as the yachts skirt under a large area of high pressure. This clockwise circulating mass of air has caused both Class 1 leader Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux, and second place Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali to sail a course that is taking them west rather than north towards Newport. As both these boats approached the high they encountered northerly headwinds. Early yesterday Bianchetti tacked over onto starboard and headed almost due west. Stamm tacked to cover and both yachts sailed with headwinds along the bottom of the high. As they got below the center of the high pressure the wind started to rotate to the northeast and then more to the east allowing the boats to sail a more reasonable course.
This dramatic detour has consolidated the positions of these two boats with Ocean Planet and Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America who have indextained a consistent pace to the west of the fleet. At the last poll Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet had closed to within 56 miles of Tiscali. Schwab was also sailing in more wind and at a better angle, reflected in his boat speed which is three knots faster than that being indextained by Bianchetti. The next 24 hours are going to be critical for all the boats as they sail in to the circulation of this large weather system.

Fleet positions on Saturday April 26 - 3D image courtesy of www.voyager2020.com

Pink fluffy clouds in a S Atlantic seascape behind Spirit of yukoh - photo Shiraishi

Brad van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is indextaining his cracking pace and although Schwab has opened up the distance between the two boats, it was not unexpected. Ocean Planet is an Open 60 where Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is only 50 feet long, and Schwab was first into the stronger winds. The same has happened between Van Liew and his closest rival Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal. As soon as Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America picked up the stronger winds associated with the high, he once again pulled away from Everest Horizontal. This kind of seesawing in not unusual when boats sail from old weather patterns into new ones. The same is holding true for Emma Richards and Thierry Dubois out to the east of the fleet. The winds has filled in and Emma is having to adjust her habits to suit the new reality.
"It's funny that having had so little wind for so long, as soon as there is some breeze filling in, you are reluctant to waste a breath of it," she wrote. "So since this new wind has filled in I have forgotten most of my shorthanded lessons and stayed awake for a long time to keep going. So now I find myself pretty tired at the end of a second long night without much sleep. It's time to get some winks in." Emma is watching the developments at the front of the fleet with a keen eye. The fact that Bruce Schwab has closed in Tiscali gives Emma a bit of renewed hope that she might be able to indextain her overall podium position. It's still a bit of a stretch, but this late on the leg it's the last hope she has. Should Schwab overtake Tiscali and beat the blue boat to the finish, and should Emma allso be able to beat Thierry, she will hold onto third overall. It's not going to be easy and the odds of it happening look slim, but sailboat racing is all about slim odds and the odd curve ball being tossed into the playing field. As the Class 1 and leading Class 2 boats enter their last week on the racecourse everyone will be keeping an eagle eye on the weather and the positions. This race is coming down to the wire.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net