18.12.2004
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DAY 21 MEDIA RELEASE: LESS WIND AND ROUGH SEAS SLOW PROGRESS FOR
B&Q....
KEY DATA DAY 20 1410 GMT: 22 hours 7 minutes ahead of Joyon (data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)
Lat/Long: 43 44 S / 025 30 E (1140 miles W Crozet Is/1800 miles W Kerguelen Is)
Average Boat speed: 16.77 knots (heading SE)
True Wind speed: 23 knots (direction WNW)
Distance sailed so far: 8086 miles
Update based on data recorded 1410 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly
OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
IN BRIEF:
* HARD TO GAIN AND EASY TO LOSE, AS 22 HOUR LEAD EXPECTED TO DECREASE as winds diminish and rough seas slow boat speeds. Further concern towards the end of the week: "Around the Kerguelen Island area there looks like there is literally going to be no wind..."
* HARD DAY'S NIGHT ON B&Q...excessive wind speeds and huge seas: "A mountainous seascape that is in fact hard to imagine the edge of.." It is now becoming light at around 0300 GMT for Ellen...
* B&Q WILL GYBE AS BREEZE SHIFTS IN RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE putting B&Q back on port and on a more easterly course before the next low pressure rolls in tomorrow...
* BATTERY CHARGING GLITCH IS UNRAVELLED...Ellen has discovered the reason why the power consumption seemed to be excessive as the 'isolating switch' on the index generator was still switched on and drawing 3 amps. Although Ellen is no longer using the index generator, just having this switch on was enough to make a difference to the power usage.
To listen to Ellen's audio audio, courtesy of Geolink/Iridium, click here to download http://www.ocftp2.com/audio/ellen/em181204a_uk_e.mp3
IN DETAIL :
This afternoon, B&Q is approximately 1140 miles west of the Crozet Islands [the Kerguelens are another 660 miles down the course] having covered 8086 miles of the round the world race course so far. Ellen is now over 22 hours ahead of Joyon's time but doubts that this can be extended much more in the days to come: "I'm not sure we will make a day ahead of Francis because now we've begun to slow and shortly we're going to gybe and head to the east. Now the sea conditions are quite big and the wind conditions are quite light so that's going to make boats speeds very slow. The issue is that, although there's a new weather system coming in from the west and we stand to make some good miles, the sea conditions are actually very rough and trying to go fast in these conditions is not going to be easy. So I've got a question mark over how many more miles we can take in the short term, and looking at that in the longer term, in a few days time around the Kerguelen Island area there looks like there is literally going to be no wind."
MacArthur had an adrenalin-pumping night of Southern Ocean sailing in strong NW winds: "Last night was pretty stressful - it certainly had its moments. When the breeze went up to 46 knots and I was doing a fairly delicate sail change with boat speed in excess of 30 knots - I had to work so hard to get the sails changed that the back of my throat felt like it was going to drop out, it was burning." And it was just not the winds that were huge but the sea state too: "Its like driving an all-terrain vehicle very fast over mountains [but] the mountains are moving! It is absolutely spectacular and the seas really are big."
The strong breeze is expected to decrease to around 18-25 knots as B&Q negotiates a weak ridge of high pressure this evening. But the next big low pressure system is on its way and by Sunday night the wind will increase to 30-40 knots with rough sea state. In advance of this low, Ellen will gybe back on to port as the breeze clocks round from WSW to NW heading east near 44-45 degrees south. "The breeze is beginning to die off now which is flattening things out a little bit." Current routing shows B&Q to stay well south of Joyon's track for now - the north-south difference is approximately 370 miles at this stage but this looks set to increase as Ellen pushes back south mid-next week after passing the Crozet Islands on Tuesday.
The drama of the Southern Ocean is only matched by its sheer beauty: "The sunrise was amazing - the light fantastic, and the seabirds, as ever, around us all the time..." [See Ellen's latest email below] Heaven or hell, Ellen has up to another 28 days of the Southern Ocean to go: "In another four weeks, we're be heading out of here and heading home. Day 21 today and I've finished my week 3 food bag, it will be week 4 next which is quite cool, and when I finish week 5 we'll be half way round!"
ELLEN EMAIL - 18.12.04:
It's incredible out here. Though we've had a few more than scary moments over the last 24 hours down here, there have also been the most incredible moments too. We're in a huge southern ocean swell - a mountainous seascape that is in fact hard to imagine the edge of, as the huge waves roll away as far as the eyes can see...
Last night was a dark night, hard to see anything out there, just the noise of B&Q speeding through the water, and the sound of the howling wind and breaking waves. The hills are so steep here that poor B&Q feels like she's either running down a hill or being pushed hard up one. There are regularly waves breaking on the windward float quarter. What is noticable though the dark, even brighter than our glowing instruments, are the crests of phosphorescence - unbelievable, beautiful - and at times immense. You spend your time, even when trying to rest huddled in a ball in the cuddy, just feeling where we are on each mountain, how fast, how far and when will we hit the bottom...
Last night I did a series of sail changes which had the adrenalin pumping hard - wind speeds were up above 45 knots, and our surfs were regularly over 30 knots. All this, plummeting down unpredictable slopes of black powerful sea in the dark...
But sunrise was amazing - the light fantastic, and the seabirds, as ever, around us all the time. Wandering albatross, sooty albatross, black bellied storm petrels, and little shearwaters. All dancing not just in the wind, but dancing with the immense waves. I guess for them it's just another day in the southern ocean. As for me, sometimes I find it hard to come to terms with the fact that this is in fact my job.
ellen
xx
WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600 GMT:
From: Commanders' Weather Corp 0600UTC Saturday, December 18, 2004
Very rough conditions of the past 12-18 hours will be improving Saturday as the trough of low pressure which moved thru overnight continues to track eastward. WSW winds behind this trough will continue to diminish to 18-25 kts today and sea conditions will continue to improve as weak ridge of high pressure
arrives by 18 utc. Ellen will continue to head ESE today.
But already the next low pressure trough will be fast approaching and will clock Ellen's wind into the NW later Saturday night. As this clocking wind occurs Ellen will go onto port Saturday night, heading rapidly eastward down near 44-45s, trying to stay ahead of this trough as long as possible and also north of the potential ice further south.
But another rough period though is on tap later Sunday/Sunday night as
this trough catches up to Ellen bringing another 12-18 hour period of 30-40 kt winds, squalls and very rough seas.
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC
Sat, Dec 18
15:00 260-280/20-25
18:00 260-280/18-25
21:00 270-290/17-22 probably gybing around now and before 00utc Sun
Considerable cloudiness. Seas subsiding to around 15-20 ft
Sun, Dec 19 Front/trough approaching from the west - winds clock
00:00 290-310/20-25, g30 now heading to the east
06:00 300-320/22-30 wind stronger to the S
12:00 320-340/22-32 near 44 10s/34 20e
18:00 320-340/25-35 g40
Partly cloudy to cloudy, few showers developing. Seas building to 18-25 feet
Mon, Dec 20
00:00 340-300/30-35 g 40 - squally - front close by
06:00 260-230/35-25 front has passed
12:00 230-260/20-30 near 44 30s/44 30e - wind stronger to the S
18:00 280-300/20-25
Showers and squalls with the cold front then a mix of clouds and some sunshine with a few squally showers scattered about. Seas 18-25 ft - bigger seas to the S and SW
Tues, Dec 21 - winds very light north of 46s and stronger to the S
00:00 280-300/20-20 stronger wind S, lighter N
06:00 280-300/17-24 passing N of Crozet
12:00 280-300/18-25
18:00 270-290/20-25
Partly cloudy to cloudy, scattered showers likely
http://www.commandersweather.com
PARTNER OF THE DAY : NAUTIX
Official supplier of underwater finishings to Ellen and the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
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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.
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