Jules Verne Rekord 2003 www.kingfisherchallenges.com - zur Übersicht JV DAY 9: MEDIA UPDATE 1600GMT Absender: "Team Kingfisher" Datum: 07. Feb 2003 16:17 SUMMARY: 1400 GMT 7.2.03 Position: 1 41' S 26 40' W (approx 100 nm south of the Equator) Av/Max boat speed in last hour: 10.97 / 22.8 knots Av/Max wind speed in last hour: 9.95 / 17.6 knots Wind direction: 153 Distance to WP4 35 00'S / 24 00'W St Helena high : 2014 nm (theorectical shortest distance) SE TRADES BRING RELIEF FROM THE DOLDRUMS From being gripped by the Doldrums KINGFISHER2 is now sailing at 16-18 knots in a building SE trade wind. "The SE trades will hopefully increase more over the next 24 hours and hold for two to three days," said MacArthur. "We're more west than we'd probably like but on the wind and just aiming to get south as far as we can in this breeze." The good fortune of the SE trades will be tempered by the difficult tactical decisions ahead for Ellen and shore-based weather router, Meeno Schrader, as they look for the options to cross the south Atlantic high pressure zone and the big decision as to whether to "cut the corner" towards Cape Town or go round the edge keeping closer to the Brazilian side of the Atlantic. Only 9 minutes behind Orange's record at the 0700GMT this morning, KINGFISHER2 is just over a day behind Geronimo who are still enduring "boat breaking conditions" in the Southern Ocean holding a course at around 44 degrees south. De Kersauson will not risk going further south (although offering the shorter distance) whilst the Southern Ocean storms deliver gale force winds and waves of up to 7-8 metres high. EXCERPTS FROM LATEST CREW EMAILS (see http://www.teamkingfisher.com for full crew emails) ANDREW PREECE: "Sailors are highly superstitious and asking Neptune for permission to pass across the Equator has humourous overtones but a very serious underlying purpose..." JULES VERNE RECORD: KINGFISHER2 started Jules Verne record attempt at 06:48:39 GMT on 30.1.03. To beat the existing 'Orange' record of 64 days 8 hours 37 minutes 24 seconds, KINGFISHER2 must finish 1 second before 15:25:13 GMT on 4th April or less if GERONIMO lowers the record. http://www.grandsrecords.com JV DAY 9: KINGFISHER2 CROSSES EQUATOR BUT STILL GRIPPED BY DOLDRUMS.. Absender: "Team Kingfisher" Datum: 07. Feb 2003 09:43 SUMMARY: 0700 GMT 7.2.03 Position: 0 27' S 26 06' W Ahead/Behind the record: 0 hours 9 minutes behind Orange Ahead/Behind Geronimo: 24 hours 21 minutes behind Geronimo DAY 8 24 hour run (point to point) : Kingfisher2 143 nm, Orange 162 nm, Geronimo 302 nm End DAY 8 distance to go (on theoretical course) : KF2 21626 nm, Orange 21624 nm, Geronimo 21237 nm Click on POSITIONS link at http://www.teamkingfisher.com to see graphic images comparing the tracks of these 3 challengers at 4 hourly intervals. Av/Max boat speed in last hour: 3.00 / 11.1 knots Av/Max wind speed in last hour: 3.02 / 10.2 knots Wind direction: 167 Distance to WP4 35 00'S / 24 00'W St Helena high : 2085 nm (theorectical shortest distance) IN BRIEF: * KINGFISHER2 FINALLY CROSSED THE EQUATOR AT 0121 and 51 seconds, after a painful and slow final 50 miles in virtually no wind at all. Her time of 7 days, 18 hours, 33 minutes, 2 seconds from the start to the Equator was just ahead of Orange's time set last year by 3 hours, 26 minutes, 58 seconds, but 1 day, 7 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds behind Geronimo. * WHILST CROSSING THE EQUATOR IS A MILESTONE in any circumnavigation, unfortunately there is no sudden switch in the wind! The doldrums are still in control, and KINGFISHER2 this morning is still sailing in only 3 knots of wind... Neptune is clearly not happy at the moment. The South Atlantic ahead of them is not looking too favourable either, challenging times for Ellen and the crew! * NO CEREMONIES AT THE TIME OF CROSSING for the two uninitiated Kevin and Andrew - too much concentration on boat speed - maybe their punishment will wait for daylight and some much needed breeze... * "THE CONTRAST IN ONE WEEK is incredible...we started in huge seas, freezing temperatures and 60 knots of wind and now, only our minds and bodies are overheating, virtually no wind and a calm sea, I think we prefer the cold..." a very tired and hot Ellen. * GERONIMO SETS A NEW RECORD FROM USHANT TO CAPE LEEWIN (SW tip of Australia) of 26 days, 4 hours, 53 minutes, 13 seconds over 3 days FASTER than Orange's time from last year... (See http://www.grandsrecords.com) * CREW MEMBER FOCUS: Hervé Jan the most experienced on board - watch leader with 7 circumnavigations to his name - a natural born sailor... Listen to Ellen on latest audio this morning... Visit http://www.teamkingfisher.com and click on the 'Audio' icon on the menu bar or download from http://www.ocftp.com/audio/em070203a_uk.mp3 Kingfisher operating company of the day HORNBACH: Hornbach is the leading warehouse player in the German home improvement market and has interests in several other EU companies. Kingfisher has a 25% stake in the business. http://www.hornbach.de ELLEN EMAIL ON CROSSING THE EQUATOR (communications hosted by BT): morning all..... crossed at 0121 and 59 secs. being as it was night time i am under the impression that andrew and kevin got away lightly. cheers, well done all - eventually got the sodding breeze back (unfortunately not for long). ex ELLEN LOG PRE-EQUATOR (communications hosted by BT): It's a still night tonight with little other than a gentle swell to help fill our sails. This time the Equator is not so much on our side... The winds light and variable, the temperature - even at midnight - searing. My nav station feels like a sauna, there is little ventilation but still I'm spending over 20 hours a day here - decision making, communicating and, dare I say it for the moment, worrying. Not only are we lacking wind for the moment but we have a very dfficult decision to make for the South Atlantic sitation. There are a possible two doorways which could be open - and there is no guaranteeing either. The most sure option is to follow the coast of brazil in a norherly breeze before 'hanging a left' and heading over towards Cape Town. This will mean though we are forced to sail a thousand miles further than our rivals... The second option could be to cut through the South Atlantic in general and try to catch a front passing through the southern sector. But it's a long shot - and every hour we spend here with less breeze means we are one step further away from that open door. It's hard not to appreciate what a fantastic night it is though... I've just popped up to help with a sail change mid-email and earlier this evening spent an hour on deck with the guys. The moon is lying on its back - as it does near the Equator - and though it's just a mere sliver of it's potential we can still see outside clear enough to recognise each of our faces... Earlier this evening we had a pod of dolphins, just feeding a hundred meters or so from the boat. I've never seen dolphins with a water temperarure so warm before...just goes to show that no area of the world is ever predictable, and can always surprise you. The wind outside is warm, and at night quite pleasant - but the temperature saps energy away, anything physical and you are soaked. We must make the most of it though.. in days rather than weeks the temperature will be falling and, once again, in an incredibly short space of time we shall be dreaming of even a little heat from the sun. It's a trip of extremes - just 7 days ago we were freezing, sailling in a bitter northerly storm. Now we are at the boiling point of the earth... As I finish my email we are just approaching 8 miles from the Equator... a very different feeling with a group of people. This will be my fourth Equator crossing - but my first with company. It doesn't feel the same...it's different. But it's an awesome feeling to be out here together. Such an awesome bunch of positive people... Ronny just popped his head in through the nav station door to fill in the engine log. His final words on seeing my sweaty furrowed brow staring at the computer screen were 'a donf' - that just about sums up this team. ex USHANT (START) TO EQUATOR TIMES FOR SUCCESSFUL JULES VERNE ATTEMPTS: 1993 Commodore Explorer (Peyron) 8 days 19 hours 26 minutes 1994 ENZA (Blake/Knox-Johnston) 7 days 4 hours 24 minutes 1997 Sport Elec (de Kersauson) 11 days 2 hours 2002 Orange (Peyron) 7 days 22 hours 2003 Geronimo (de Kersauson) 6 days 11 hours 26 minutes 21 seconds 2003 KINGFISHER2 (MacArthur) 7 days 18 hours 33 minutes 2 seconds OMEGA official timekeeper of KINGFISHER2'S Jules Verne record attempt CREW MEMBER FOCUS: Hervé Jan - Watch Leader Not only is Hervé's CV very long but also you realise there cannot be many other people on the planet who have done as much... Jan has competed in 5 Whitbread Round the World/Volvo Ocean Races, two successful Jules Verne records - Sport Elec (Kersauson) and Orange (Peyron) and crewed Club Med to victory in The Race. Big boats with big crews but Jan has also competed in short-handed racing - he raced Sobedo solo in the 1999 Transat Jacques Vabre and was the first monohull to arrive at the finish line. He has crewed on the ORMA 60 multihull circuit with Alain Gautier and first raced with Ellen during the EDS Atlantic Challenge on Kingfisher. He is described as a natural sailor who rarely uses or needs the instruments for him there is only one answer to why he wants to race around the world again: "Why? It's simple, I like sailing especially in the South. Just to be out there racing the oceans with a good bunch of people on a good boat it is the best way." Email Hervé direct on board KINGFISHER2 at herverace@kingfisherchallenges.com PARTNER OF THE DAY - OYS: Ocean Yacht Systems are official rigging and hydraulics supplier to KINGFISHER2. http://www.teamkingfisher.com/oys Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE