12.03.2004
ELLEN MACARTHUR AND DELIVERY CREW STARTING TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF THE
SOUTHERN OCEAN... "WE ARE IN THE SOUTH...!"
* B&Q TRIMARAN POSITIONED AT 48S AND 156W HAVING COVERED 1400 MILES SINCE
LEAVING AUCKLAND 5 DAYS AGO...APPROX 3100 MILES TO CAPE HORN
* MACARTHUR REPORTS LOSING TIP OF RUDDER AND HAS FIRST CLIMB UP THE MAST...
Visit http://www.teamellen.com for latest information and images.
IN DETAIL:
It has been five days since the 75-foot B&Q trimaran left Auckland to start
her delivery trip back to Europe via the Falkland Islands. On board are
skipper Ellen MacArthur, boat captain Loik Gallon and Mark Thomas - Loik and
Mark are sailing with Ellen as far as the Falkland Islands and from there,
she will embark on first solo voyage on board the custom-made trimaran that
has been designed and constructed with one objective to try and set new solo
speed sailing records.
As with any new, high-tech boats the first days of offshore sailing have
presented its challenges but the overall feeling from on board is one of
immense relief: "It's so great to be out here again, tackling little
problems, sleeping hearing the water rushing past her hulls, and just being
at sea again. I feel like I'm back in my element. Very happy - albeit very
tired, and more than any other feeling - feeling so very, very lucky..."
Forty-eight hours ago "a sudden bang" on board revealed the tip (20cm) of the
rudder on the starboard float had been snapped off after an impact with a
submerged object. It took less than an hour for the crew to replace the
rudder with a spare carried on board. Ellen has also had her first trip up
the mast after the genoa head lashing broke at the top of the furler. They
reefed down and hoisted the small jib as the repairs were made and a after
two hours they were back on course.
B&Q left Auckland in a high pressure zone that moved east with them for the
first 48 hours. As the trimaran progresses eastwards and south, both the
breeze and the seaway has begun to build as the pressure slowly but surely
starts to drop. B&Q at 1200GMT was 48 degrees south and 156 west having
covered 1400 miles with approximately 3100 miles to go to Cape Horn.
Conditions on board are getting cold both as air and sea temperatures drop:
"We are in the south..." said Ellen.
FROM ELLEN ON BOARD B&Q:
"Looks like the sky may well be grey for a while now... There is more breeze
moving in behind us now - we have about 30 knots from wnw - and the pressure
is slowly but surely falling. We looked at a gybe today - but i think that
we'll carry on port for a while... With the wind conming in stronger from the
nw i don't want to find that we're running downwind and heading into the ice!
A bit of runway could well be prudent!
I'm pretty much out of the watch system, and the guys are running 3 on/off
from 1800Z to 0600Z, and then 4 on 4 off from 0600 to 1800. Food seems very
good, and no-one going hungry! The charging systems are all OK - we're
charging three to four times a day - each time for an hour...which feels
great.
The albatross are fantastic! We had 8 with us yesterday, and they were just
stunning... Really beautiful with long almost fragile looking wings, but
huge... Not sure what they thought to Mark's Aussi music - but it does seem
that 'Powderfinger' brought the biggest crowd!
We're easing into the sailing - not pushing too hard - and just easing her up
when we feel that she's really loading. Little by little we want to
progress, not forgetting that this is just her delivery trip..."
Speak later,
ellen x
For further information, email lou@offshorechallenges.com
B&Q has over 350 stores in the UK, China and Taiwan and employs about 40,000
people. With its sister DIY company Castorama which has stores in France,
Italy and Poland, B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest
in the world.
http://www.diy.com
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