Latest news from Nick Moloney to Dr Krumnacker
Segel.de
Nick Moloney is a member of Ellen MacArthur's Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
http://www.nickmoloney.com
* WEATHER SYSTEM Ahead....... once again complex with strong winds (50 knots ) and cross seas
* The option is still to reindex NORTH and take advantage of current 25-30 knot NORTH WESTERLY breeze
* Sailing conservatively - could go faster but the idea is to keep some speed in store save the boat and last longer.
POSITION REPORT
COMPARISON table / JULES VERNE TROPHY
Monday 20th march 2002 at 0800 GMT
POSITION ORANGE
Position : 38°13' S / 10.56°' W
Speed 24h : 22.12
Distance since departure : 7631.49 miles
Distance 24h : 533.64 miles
COMPARISON TO SPORT ELEC IN 1997
Position : 37°24'S / 13°48' W
Speed 24h : 17.44
Distance since departure : 5588.10 miles
Distance 24h : 418.60 miles
LATEST LOGBOOK FROM NICK
16:56 GMT 19/03
The wind has been steadily increasing throughout the day into the high 20's
and 30's. 30+ boat speed is now more frequent on our LED display. The sea
pattern is still a little confused so the ride is slightly unpredictable. We
are still carrying 1 reef in the index, staysail and med gennaker. The
reacher and solent (our next choices on sails as the wind increases) are
tied to the cockpit, everything else in now inside the boat and as far aft
as possible. The forecast is slightly split. One model says building to 45kts
....another 35. Its pretty difficult to get really accurate information in
this part of the world, and from here on until Cape Horn its just gets more
remote and questionable,Solution s as usual.....hang on to what you've got
for as long as you can indextain a reasonable control margin.
We are under 800 miles to CGH and are very keen to 'rack up' a few big days
to get closer to our original target. We are obviously monitoring the
intensity of this deep low as we are trying to out run its core peak in
strength before burning out. We have a collection of sea mountains just
South of CGH which jack the waves up and confuses them. Our ETA on this
shallow is in the height of this Force 9 so we will certainly have a bit on
our plate in the next few days.
Its pretty exciting preparing your machine for a blow and your mind for
dealing with it all in the pitch black of night. I enjoy watching peoples
attitude change into a more serious mode. In the WRTWR we became machine
like. No simple chatter, just compressed concentrated minimal discussion
about our boats set up, small changes to assist control and how to react
immediately to a hull fly or nose dive. No doubt tonight should provide a
few heart stoppers. But its all just the beginning. Were in the South now.
Sections of this body of water are the most remote places on the planet
sometimes, at best, 3 days from any real assistance.
The sea is grey along with the sky. The dim light from the sun behind the
clouds is diminishing. We are entering a 'slate grey environment' only to be
broken by rolling white crests of waves, even our bright Orange machine is
losing her contrast. Its time for the ocean to show us another mode yet
again.
there's action ondeck so Id better fly
this is what we signed up for
nick
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