Betreff: LE DEFI: TEAM COWES 223 MILES TO FINISH ETA TOMORROW LUNCHTIME...
Absender: "Team Cowes"
Datum: 16. Dec 2003 16:17
LE DEFI: TEAM COWES 223 MILES TO FINISH ETA TOMORROW LUNCHTIME...
TEAM COWES Le Défi Atlantique campaign is supported by Skandia and Cowes Waterfront
STB TACK UPWIND -26 KNOTS - APPROX 223 MILES TO FINISH AT LA ROCHEELE - TEAM COWES 5TH - DISTANCE TO LEADER ECOVER 92 MILES
IN BRIEF:
* MOLONEY OBJECTIVE TO PRESERVE TEAM COWES AND REACH FINISH LINE TO QUALIFY FOR 2004 VENDÉE GLOBE...after a 'heinous night' at sea last night in 30 knots of breeze, the focus is to get to the finish and complete qualification for the Vendée Globe... The fleet have clocked up some serious miles over the last 7 weeks racing in two transatlantic races in succession - 4,340 miles in the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre and now 4,100 miles back. Alex Thomson reported going easy on AT Racing that is showing 'signs of wear and tear'...
* TEAM COWES ETA AT LA ROCHELLE TOMORROW LUNCHTIME...with 223 miles to go to the finish, Moloney expects to arrive for lunch! Leader Mike Golding can be expected to arrive in the early hours of the morning in the company of Alex Thomson and Vincent Riou who are neck and neck, and only 20 miles behind Golding as Sébastian drops back into 4th.
AUDIO CALL NICK MOLONEY - 1500GMT 16.12.03:
We had 30 knots of wind overnight in heinous conditions - the boat was slamming hard through a very confused sea state. You could not sleep and I spent the night on deck trying to slow the boat down and on watch for fishing boats of which there are loads in this area.
Now we have about 26 knots of breeze upwind and making about 9-10 knots average with 2 reefs in the index and the solent...the waves have changed direction which is slightly better. The water is absolutely freezing now - a real change from a few days ago!
The objective now is to get to that finish line at La Rochelle and qualify for the 2004 Vendée Globe - it is about preserving TEAM COWES to the finish and not about trying to catch the others and risk breaking something.
LE DEFI POSITIONS 16.12.03 1100GMT:
Pos/Skippers Name/Boat Name/Lat/Long/DTL/DTF
1st Mike Golding / Ecover / N460746 / W0042499 / 0 / 0131.0
2nd Alex Thomson / AT Racing / N461036 / W0045480 / 20.6 / 0151.6
3rd Vincent Riou / PRB / N460596 / W0045516 / 20.9 / 0151.9
4th Sébastien Josse / VMI/ N460824 / W0050784 / 29.7 / 0160.7
5th Nick Moloney / TEAM COWES / N454076 / W0063488 / 92.4 / 0223.4
6th Joe Seeten / Arcelor-Dunkerque / N450288 / W0111172 / 290.5 / 0421.5
7th Benoît LEQUIN / Wel.network / N403048 / W0182572 / 688 / 0819.0
8th Benoît PARNAUDEAU / Colibri / N372648 / W0210372 / 892 / 1023.0
9th Anne LIARDE / Gonna Gitcha / N305316 / W0251988 / 1316.2 / 1447.2
10th Jean Pierre Dick / Virbac / N245676 / W0333556 / 1872.9 / 2003.9
PERFORMANCE PARTNER OF THE DAY : TBS
Official footwear supplier to Ellen MacArthur and the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
http://www.offshorechallenges.com/tbs
For Race Information go to www.defi-atlantique.org
NOTES:
Skandia Set Sail: making sailing more accessible; growing the sport's reach; enriching people's lives. Skandia is the title sponsor to Sam Davies' 2003 Figaro Campaign Skandia Cowes Week is the oldest and largest sailing regatta in the world with up to 1000 boats racing in the Solent. Skandia Cowes Week 2004 takes place between 7th to 14th August. Skandia is a leading international long term savings company. www.skandia.com
Cowes Waterfront is a major regeneration initiative for the Medina Valley, encompassing the towns of Cowes, East Cowes and Newport Harbour on the Isle of Wight. It aims to strengthen the Island's position as a centre of excellence for the composites and specialist marine sectors by providing the resources and infrastructure that businesses need. It will bring new life and new visitors to town centres by attracting modern leisure and recreational facilities, including hotels, restaurants and cafes and promote the area as 'the home of world yachting'. www.coweswaterfront.co.uk
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