13.06.200
GHOSTING TO THE FINISH LINE....
IN BRIEF:
* Nick Moloney looks set to steal fourth place in The Transat race later today (13th June). SKANDIA had 117.4 miles to sail at 1100GMT today.
* His progress to the finish has been thwarted by light winds. "Skandia is sailing pretty slow right now. We're not surrounded by any breeze at all".
* Briton Mike Golding on ECOVER won the IMOCA Open 60 Monohull contest in a new record time of 12 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes and eight seconds at an average speed of 9.23 knots. TEMENOS takes 2nd and PINDAR ALPHAGRAPHICS takes 3rd
IN DETAIL :
Nick Moloney is set to be the fourth monohull skipper to finish the Transat race later today. At 1100GMT, his Open 60 SKANDIA had 117.4 miles to go with a 83 mile buffer on fifth-placed Conrad Humphreys, skipper of the British
yacht HELLOMOTO.
"I've got Cape Cod in front of me. Once I get there, there are no real passing lines and the options diminish for the guys behind me," said Nick this morning. After nearly 13 days at sea, through storms and calms, jumping from tenth to fourth, the end of The Transat race is now hours away.
Progress to the finish line has been thwarted by light winds. "Skandia is sailing pretty slow right now. We're not surrounded by any breeze at all," he continued. "The sea is like a lake; the sun is coming up and there is a
clear blue sky."
Nick's last night at sea proved hectic as SKANDIA got caught-up in fishing gear. "It's a real drama, there are fishing pots everywhere," he explained. Some have radar reflectors and I couldn't for the life of me imagine there could be that many nets all together and bam, bam, bam, they were all around me."
"It's quite stressful in terms of trying to get sleep. Sometimes we just have to shut down and sleep and in some ways it is quite inevitable that one day you will be caught in these things. I'm really tired and it's going to take its toll. I will be happier when the breeze fills in then I will shut my eyes and get enough rest so I can navigate okay right to the finish."
Three Open 60s completed the 2,800 mile race today. Briton Mike Golding on ECOVER won the IMOCA monohull contest in a new record time of 12 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes and eight seconds at an average speed of 9.23 knots. That shaves two days and 43 minutes off the existing 1992 record set by Yves Parlier.
Dominique Wavre on TEMENOS sailed the race of his career to finish second while New Zealander Mike Sanderson, racing PINDAR completed the podium early this morning to take 3rd.
Log on to http://www.nickmoloney.com to follow Nick's finish.
IMOCA POSITIONS 1100 GMT
NAME / SKIPPER / LAT / LONG / DIST
1. ECOVER / Golding / Finished 04:18:08 GMT 13/06/04 (12d 15h 18m 8s taking 2d 43m off the 1992 record)
2. TEMENOS / Wavre / Finished 07:22: 03 GMT 13/06/04 (12d 18h 22m 03s)
3. PINDAR ALPHAGRAPHICS / Finished at 09:54:33 GMT 13/06/04 (12d 20h 54m 33s)
4. SKANDIA / Moloney / 41 57.92' N / 68 21.88' W / 117.4 to finish
5. HELLOMOTO / Humphrey's / 41 12.80' N / 66 43.20' W / 201.1 to finish
ABD CHEMINÉES POUJOULAT - AMOR LUX / STAMM
ABD PRB / RIOU
ABD VIRBAC / Dick
QINETIQ FACT OF THE DAY : Physiological testing of Nick before and after the Transat
Immediately Nick crosses the finish line and docks the Skandia, QinetiQ will be on hand to repeat the tests carried out in Plymouth before the start of the Transat to assess the impact the race has had on Nick. The results of these tests along with those data recorded during the race, which include energy expenditure, heart rate and sleep, will provide vital information to Nick for his preparation for the Vendée Globe.
Briefly, Nick will first have a blood sample taken from him after which he will complete a battery of 6 tests to measure, the muscular power in his legs, the strength of his back and of his hand wrist and forearm (i.e. grip strength), fatigue in the legs and muscular endurance in the shoulders and upper arms (2 minutes of press-ups).
Only after completing these tests and handing over his food discards to QinetiQ, (used to determine Nick’s energy consumption) and his daily urine samples (for analysis to determine his energy expenditure) will Nick be allowed to take a well earned rest.
Further information see http://www.qinetiq.com
PERFORMANCE PARTNER OF THE DAY : ROYAL NAVY
Official Offshore Challenges Partner to promote the centenary of the Entente Cordiale
http://www.nickmoloney.com/royalnavy
For more information visit http://www.nickmoloney.com or contact :
Helen King
hk@offshorechallenges.com
T : +44(0)870 063 0210
M : +44(0)7870 678360
* For further information contact http://www.skandiasetsail.com
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