Betreff: LE DEFI: IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER...
Absender: "Team Cowes"
Datum: 15. Dec 2003 18:07
LE DEFI: IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER...
TEAM COWES Le Défi Atlantique campaign is supported by Skandia and Cowes Waterfront
STB TACK - 17 KNOTS - APPROX 140 MILES NW CAPE FINISTERRE - TEAM COWES 5TH - DISTANCE TO LEADER ECOVER 79 MILES
IN BRIEF:
* HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSES FLEET AND SHUFFLES FRONT PACK...only a matter of miles separating the top three now led by Mike Golding (Ecover), Sébastien Josse (VMI) and Alex Thomson (AT Racing). This morning's leader, PRB, now in fourth place 12 miles behind Ecover as TEAM COWES pushes to close the 67 mile gap...
* FINAL STAGES OF RACE IN UPWIND CONDITIONS TO FINISH AT LA ROCHELLE...with under 400 miles to go to the finish, the final stages of this race will be in upwind conditions to La Rochelle... After nearly 4,000 miles of racing it will be an incredibly close finish - Ecover ETA is for Wednesday morning...
* MOLONEY IN UPBEAT MOOD NOW BACK IN THE FRAY and believes it's not over until it's over: "There are potential passing lanes out there - all it takes if for somone to make a mistake, fall asleep at the wrong time, miss a wind shift...who knows."
AUDIO CALL NICK MOLONEY - 1500GMT 15.12.03:
Yesterday we could see the high pressure and knew that this compression of the fleet could happen. And Joe Seeten is also making huge gains on us - we have all got to go upwind although he may reach longer and close up on us even more. When he eventually goes on wind like we all are I hope to manage to hold him.
We are averaging around 9.5 knots with full index and solent. The wind has built to 17 knots and we are pretty much in the same conditions - it is a really tight bunch up at the front. PRB is suffering a bit right now but expect him to put in a hard chase in the upwind conditions which PRB is fast in. VMI is not so flash in the upwind stuff and I can put some heat on Jo-Jo and maybe even PRB if they can't get out of the south quickly...
There are potential passing lanes out there - all it takes if for somone to make a mistake, fall asleep at the wrong time, miss a wind shift...who knows.
It is really, really close and very bizarre to think of how far we have all come dealing with many different stresses along the way and it comes down to just 50 miles in the final stages of this race...
LE DEFI POSITIONS 15.12.03 1100GMT:
Pos/Skippers Name/Boat Name/Lat/Long/DTL/DTF
1st Mike Golding / Ecover / N443852 / W0095463 / 0 / 0374.6
2nd Sébastien Josse / VMI/ N444784 / W0100163 / 2.2 / 0376.8
3rd Alex Thomson / AT Racing / N444300 / W0100344 / 4.8 / 0379.4
4th Vincent Riou / PRB / N442308 / W0100567 / 12.2 / 0386.8
5th Nick Moloney / TEAM COWES / N441772 / W0114208 / 79.4 / 0454.0
6th Joe Seeten / Arcelor-Dunkerque / N432204 / W0134808 / 183.7 / 0558.3
7th Benoît LEQUIN / Wel.network / N374364 / W0221020 / 681.5 / 1056.1
8th Benoît PARNAUDEAU / Colibri / N350128 / W0241068 / 856.8 / 1231.4
9th Anne LIARDE / Gonna Gitcha / N292104 / W0255188 / 1160.9 / 1535.5
10th Jean Pierre Dick / Virbac / N232948 / W0324120 / 1664.5 / 2039.1
PERFORMANCE PARTNER OF THE DAY : MUSTO
Official technical clothing supplier to the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
http://www.offshorechallenges.com/musto
For Race Information go to www.defi-atlantique.org
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