Betreff: AROUND ALONE LEG 5: COUNTDOWN TO SWISS VICTORY
Absender: "Mary Ambler"
Datum: 30. Apr 2003 19:59
LEG 5: COUNTDOWN TO SWISS VICTORY
ETA’S, FINISH LINE & LATEST POSITIONS
OVERALL POINTS AND ELAPSED TIMES AFTER 4 LEGS
Media Contact: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - USA Mobile: +1 401 225 2462
ETA for Bernard Stamm: Between 05:00 – 09:00 US time, Thursday 1st May 2003
Southampton, England – 30th April 03. The 28,000 mile, 8 month grand prix Around Alone race is going to reach its zenith for Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group – Armor Lux when he crosses the finish line in Newport RI in the next 24 hours. As he makes it his fifth straight time to arrive first in port, not only will he have won Leg 5 to make it four leg wins in total, but also secured the coveted victor’s place on the podium for Around Alone 2002-03.
“I have left to race the equivalent mileage of how long it takes to cross Switzerland from one end to the other – 300 kilometres! I’m still in race mode, nothing has changed around me, so it’s hard to think that soon I’ll be on land. But I’m also missing friends, eating fresh food, drinking a cold beer..” Stamm has got out of the calm winds and is currently moving at 8 – 10 knots but only making 7 knots towards the finish and getting nicely chilled as the sea and air temperature dropped from 23° to 14°. In view of the new season he has also started his ‘spring-cleaning’ in anticipation of his arrival. “No mirror on this boat, so I hope I don’t cut myself shaving!”
At the Newport Shipyard, a horde of friends, supporters, and international media are readying to celebrate his arrival, which will begin with the ceremonial spraying of the victor’s magnum of Champagne Mumm at the pontoon, followed by the skipper’s press conference and then no doubt a party will ensue…
Parties are the last thing on the minds of the other skippers behind Stamm. While the weather in Newport is still sunny and warm, the forecast is for it to turn gnarly later in the week when the bulk of the Class 1 boats and Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America will be arriving. A stationary front will place itself inconveniently right off the coast of Rhode Island and will drench the fleet with a persistent rain. The boats behind Bobst Group - Armor Lux will start sniffing the Newport shoreline during the day on Friday.
Italian Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali still has a reasonable hold on second for the leg positioned now between the line and 3rd boat Ocean Planet. At current speeds should arrive during the day on Friday. Ahead of the front he will find a favorable west southwesterly wind, but once through the front the wind will switch into the northeast and start to blow. If Bianchetti is lucky he will make it in before the switch in wind direction, but it will not be so for the rest.
Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet, Brad van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America, the leading Class 2 boat, and Thierry Dubois on Solidaires will definitely face headwinds. Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal described this 30 knot Northerly as if “someone is setting a huge 30 knot fan on the finish line and pointing it right at us. I guess that will be the character-building part of this leg.”
Kojiro Shiraishi on Spirit of yukoh has sailed a great leg but he has not had an easy time of it. After finding his index halyard stuck he had to climb to the top of the mast to find that the pulley at the top of the mast had broken, making it impossible for him to lower his indexsail. Fortunately for Koji there was a gap in the weather that allowed him to make a repair. Had the wind come up he would have been in a dangerous situation. Alan Paris on BTC Velocity is nearing his home of Bermuda, and despite the temptation to call in on family and friends, Paris’ goal is the finish line in Newport.
Weather - The Raymarine 3 day weather forecast and map is posted up online at www.aroundalone.com every other day.
ETA for first boat: Between 05:00 – 09:00 US time, Thursday 1st May 2003. The ETA’s will be updated every day online, based on the performance data calculated by RayTech 4.1 navigational software supplied by Official Race Partners Raymarine (www.raymarine.com).
Finish Line is a transit from Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport RI at 41 27.6 N 71 21.8 W. The boats will then dock at the Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington Street.
POSITIONS AT 1400GMT 30th APRIL 2003
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.
Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF
1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux 39 34.680 N, 68 54.960 W, 64.05 nm, 8.02 kt, 345 °T, 158.84 nm
2. Tiscali 34 09.400 N, 65 36.520 W, 47.50 nm, 5.93 kt, 311 °T, 515.97 nm
3. Ocean Planet 33 28.440 N, 65 27.320 W, 51.34 nm, 6.41 kt, 313 °T, 555.41 nm
4. Solidaires 33 40.080 N, 62 06.360 W, 55.34 nm, 6.91 kt, 288 °T, 641.51 nm
5. Pindar 32 05.120 N, 60 15.008 W, 50.23 nm, 6.29 kt, 297 °T, 774.43 nm
Class 2
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF
1. Tommy Hilfiger 32 56.560 N, 64 21.080 W, 56.30 nm, 7.04 kt, 320 °T, 610.70 nm
2. Everest Horizontal 30 26.711 N, 62 43.065 W, 53.55 nm, 6.70 kt, 330 °T, 782.13 nm
3. Spirit of yukoh 27 35.177 N, 57 55.760 W, 63.11 nm, 7.89 kt, 329 °T, 1062.18 nm
4. BTC Velocity 23 11.857 N, 54 51.841 W, 50.16 nm, 6.27 kt, 8 °T, 1373.35 nm
* Spirit of Canada (Leg 4) at 14:00 GMT - 22 11 001S, 36 29 538W Distance to Finish 567nm
Overall Results in Points / Total Elapsed Time after 4 Legs
Class 1
1 Bobst Group-Armor Lux – 39pts / 97 days 23 hrs 7 mins 13 secs
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 - USA Mobile: +1 401 225 2462
Media Centre, Newport RI:
The Cox Business Services Media Centre will be open on 28th April 03.
Address: Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington Street
Tel/Fax: +1 401 619 0297
Opening Times: 09:00 – 19:00 hrs daily (and for all arrivals)
Communications provided by Cox Business Services at www.coxbusiness.com.
Capacity: 25 workstations, 6 of these with computers, monitors and phones
Internet, local and long distance phone services available for accredited media.
Accreditation and Media Boats: contact Mary Ambler in advance of arrival
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