06.12.2004
Trimaran title sponsor B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest in the world. http://www.diy.com
DAY 9 MEDIA RELEASE:
NEW EQUATOR TIME POSSIBLE BUT FURTHER LOSSES ON THE RECORD TIME EXPECTED...
KEY DATA AFTER 8 DAYS 7 HOURS: 7 hours 45 minutes ahead of Joyon
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT YAHOO!)
Lat/Long: 02 28 N / 028 46 W (165 miles north of the Equator)
Average Boat speed: 11.00 knots (heading SW)
True Wind speed: 11.8 knots (direction SE by S)
Distance sailed so far: 3279 miles
Update based on data recorded at 1510 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly...
IN BRIEF:
* "PRETTY TIRED THIS MORNING, PRETTY TERRIBLE NIGHT..." Ellen's words this lunchtime (see excerpts below) describing a sleepless night of typical Doldrums conditions that have left her exhausted...
* YESTERDAY'S ADVANTAGE IS HALVED...still over 7 hours ahead of Joyon's time but further losses expected as Joyon's track kept him further east sailing a shorter and more direct course to the south...
* B&Q EXPECTED TO CROSS EQUATOR BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 0300 GMT at around 29 degrees west and could take up to 16 hours off Joyon's time... Joyon crossed at approximately 26 degrees west in 9 days, 8 hours and 23 minutes. In comparison, in the current Vendee Globe, it took Jean Le Cam on his Open 60 monohull just 10.5 days to get the Equator compared to Ellen's 2000 Vendee Globe time of X days; on Olivier de Kersauson's Jules Verne attempt last winter on board Geronima, the fully-crewed multihull set a new time of 6 days, 11 hours and 26 minutes...
* LOOKING Ahead SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR, the breeze is expected to continue trend to the left (from more easterly direction) allowing Ellen to free the sheets and head west towards the Brazilian coast...
* UNEXPECTED VISITORS ON THE HIGH SEAS..."Just been buzzed by a helicopter! pretty strange to be in the middle of nowhere and see a helicopter! They said they'd be back in an hour with the ship!" The Royal Navy's frigate, HMS Iron Duke, expected to rendez-vous with B&Q later this afternoon. The ship's crew have been following Ellen's progress since the start and contacted Ellen's shore team today to arrange a fly-past...the Lynx helicopter flew over B&Q at approx 1615 GMT this afternoon
* TO AVOID CONFUSION...On the first day of a record attempt, the boat is at 0 days X hours, on the second day the boat is at 1 day X hours. So after 8 days of sailing you enter your 9th day. It's a question of being at the 9th day, after 8 days...perfect sense!
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
IN DETAIL:
The Doldrums, never to be underestimated in their capacity to test the very limits of any sailor let alone a solo skipper, lived up to their reputation last night for Ellen MacArthur onboard B&Q. It proved to be a sleepless night as the wind strength and direction varied in extremes: "The sky was full of huge great big black clouds and there is no moon at the moment which is even worse as it's very hard to see what's coming. You're constantly battered by squalls and rain in the clouds. One minute you've got 5 knots of wind which obviously you need completely different amount of sails for, and then 20 knots of breeze heading in the same direction. So, I must have changed sails about 6 or 7 times during the night." Ellen now reports a new breeze from the south-east and latest data shows B&Q making 11 knots of boat speed in 11.8 knots of breeze from the SE by south. Beyond the Equator the breeze is forecast to continue the trend to the left (further east): "The Equator is well south of the Doldrums area so we should keep the breeze until we get there and after that the breeze should slowly free off so we can bear away from the wind and go faster down the coast of Brazil before plunging down round the high pressure of the St. Helena High and into the Southern Ocean..."
Not only do the Doldrums effect the pace of B&Q but it is also physically debilitating: "I'm losing a lot of fluids - I'm trying to drink a huge amount because it's just so warm on board, particularly when I'm charging the batteries - the cabin turns into even more of an oven! I've got lots of salt sores all over my hands and my arms, which appear when you get sweaty for a long period of time. There's no escape from it..."
The effects of the Doldrums, and B&Q's course to the west of Joyon's track, means Ellen's advantage has been halved to just under 8 hours but it is expected that B&Q will cross the Equator well in advance of Joyon's time of 9 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes. B&Q must cross the Equator before 16:33:44 GMT on Tuesday (7.12.04). However, it is predicted she could cross between midnight and 0300 GMT which means, Ellen could take as much as 16 hours off Joyon's time. But expect to see further losses on the Omega clock as Joyon's track [he crossed the Equator further to the east at around 26 degrees west] will stay inside to the east of Ellen's track for the next couple of days...
The Royal Navy's HMS Iron Duke en route from the Falklands Islands to the UK, contacted Ellen's shore team today to set up a rendezvous...The 170 ship's crew under the command of Commander Peter Carden, have been tracking B&Q's progress south and the Type 23 Frigate and sent out their Lynx helicopter to scout for B&Q making contact at approx 1615 GMT this afternoon... The Royal Navy has promised to send the photos on...!
EXCERPTS FROM ELLEN AUDIO 1200 GMT :
courtesy of Geolink/Iridium
To listen to the full audio http://www.ocftp2.com/audio/ellen/em061204a_uk_e.mp3
How are you managing?
Pretty tired this morning, pretty terrible night. I didn't get any sleep at all during the day yesterday, sail changes and lots going on. It was good to feel that new breeze this morning, however hot is was(!), with a steady breeze from the south east. We're sitting in that now, we've got 15 knots of breeze and making pretty good progress so it will be good when we can crack off a bit and go a little bit faster but for the moment we hanging in there, we're doing okay.
Are you happy with you're position?
I think we're pretty happy with the position. It would be nice to be a bit further east but I'm not sure we would have had the same crossing through the Doldrums area if we had been further east.
Describe what it's like on deck?
It's very hard because you desperately have to keep the boat moving no matter what, because moving it's the way to the new breeze you are looking for, the better breeze and it's extremely hot even at night. And the sky is full of huge great big black clouds and there is no moon at the moment which is even worse as it's very hard to see what's coming. You're constantly battered by squalls and rain in the clouds. One minute you've got 5 knots of wind which obviously you need completely different amount of sails for, and then 20 knots of breeze heading in the same direction. So, I must have changed sails about 6 or 7 times during the night and goodness knows how many times during the days yesterday. It's a constant fight to have the right amount of sails to keep the boat moving without breaking anything which is very easy when you're suddenly getting such large amounts of breeze
How are you holding up physically?
My body is okay but I'm losing a lot of fluids. I'm trying to drink a huge amount because it's just so warm on board, particularly when I'm charging the batteries, the cabin turns into even more of an oven - more like a sauna! I've got lots of salt sores all over my hands and my arms, which appear when you get sweaty for a long period of time. There's no escape from it, there's nowhere to go. All the water around you is salty, you're salty, so you're sweat is salty! It's pretty difficult but you've just got to look forward and know that it's going to be getting colder soon, and when it gets colder it's a negative thing and a positive too. I'm looking forward to getting to the south, I really am.
When do you expect to cross the Equator?
At the moment we've got a pretty good course and we're heading almost south so, the equator is roughly 180 miles away so I reckon we should be crossing, all being well, in about 12 hours. So that will be about midnight tonight, English time. I'm looking forward to getting across... It's well south of the Doldrums area so we should keep the breeze until we get there and after that the breeze should slowly free off so we can bear away from the wind and go faster down the coast of Brazil before plunging down round the high pressure of the St. Helena High and into the Southern Ocean...
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER:
From: Commanders' Weather Corp 0600UTC Monday, December 6, 2004
Have plugged away through the Doldrums and there have been a few pockets of light air as expected. Most of that should now be behind us as we ease south of them and looking for an increasing ESE and SE wind during today and tonight. We should be able to pick up a little more speed today as the breeze comes up. Winds speeds generally 10-15 knots today, and up to 12-17 knots tonight.
Next on the agenda is the Equator crossing and expect to pass there during Monday night. Our aim will be to cross near 29W or so. From there, ESE flow should be quite good and we will progress a little west of south. Flow should back a little by Wednesday and become more E, and we will then head pretty much due south.
Basically, after the Equator, we will be shooting for 5S/31-32W and then 10S/32W.
Routing: Gates are trying to keep you in the max wind strength
1) 0/29-29 30 - prefer 0/29W
2) 5-6S/30-31W - prefer 30W as strongest wind likely closer to 30W
3) 12S/31-32W
4) 20S/32W
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC
Mon, Dec 6
09: 120-140/ 8-13
12: 110-130/10-15, near 3 20N/28 15W
18: 110-130/10-15
Partly cloudy. An isolated shower early morning
http://www.commandersweather.com
PARTNER OF THE DAY : TBS
Official shoe partner to Ellen MacArthur
Click here for further information on Sailing Speed Records http://www.sailspeedrecords.com and here for information on Ellen's campaign http://www.teamellen.com
For further information, please contact Offshore Challenges:
Lou Newlands or Lucy Harwood
T: +44 (0)870 063 0210
E: lou@offshorechallenges.com or lucy@offshorechallenges.com
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