Ellen Mac Arthur - und ihr B&Q Maxi-Trimaran www.teamellen.com - zur Übersicht 21.01.2005 Trimaran title sponsor B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest in the world. http://www.diy.com DAY 55: ELLEN TIRED, BRUISED AND BATTERED AS LEAD FALLS UNDER TWO DAYS... KEY DATA DAY 54 0710 GMT: Distance ahead: 669 miles Time ahead: 1 day 20 hours [representing 9.65% of time reindexing] calculated using the time it took for Joyon to get to the same Distance to Finish as Ellen's current position OMEGA: Official timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur Lat/Long: 25 33 S / 032 32 W (770 miles ESE Santos, Brazil / 1540 miles S of the Equator) Average Boat speed: 12 knots (heading NW) True Wind speed: 23.5 knots (direction N) Sea temperature: 25 degrees C Distance sailed so far: 21,959 miles at an average speed of 17.0 knots (data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband) Update based on data recorded 0710 GMT...check http://www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly IN BRIEF: * TIRED, BRUISED AND BATTERED AFTER 2 MAST CLIMBS yesterday to repair the indexsail mast track damaged by the headboard car ripping out of the track: "I feel like I've been beaten up this morning... Stiff as hell, and moving round with the speed and elegance of an arthritic robot!" It will take Ellen a long time to recover from the physical exertions of climbing the 30 metre mast. She was running on pure adrenalin and the relief of getting back down combined with the fact that the damage to the track had not proved terminal was plain to hear: "I've done it. I've finished the repair. All finished. The damage at the 1st reef was not so bad, not like the 2nd reef. It was just burred. I've drunk four litres of sports drink straight down - I cut my thumb while I was up there which made me laugh, as I thought to myself when I saw it bleeding, doc's advice would be to keep it elevated. At 25 metres up, I can't do better than that! I can't believe what I've been through in past two weeks, I'm buggered." Climbing the mast was a serious and dangerous undertaking for MacArthur who inevitably got thrown and bashed around during the climb: "It was all I could do to hold on, it was brutal, really hard...". Ellen undertook the first mast climb at 1600gmt yesterday to the second and lower reef point 69ft [21.05m] up the mast and discovered quite significant damage to the indexsail mast track. The indexsail is attached to the mast via a series of 'cars' that slide up and down a metal track fixed to the backside of the mast. The final car at the top of the indexsail is known as the headboard car, this is the one that takes the most load. She managed to tidy up the damage, filing down the jagged edges so the indexsail cars could pass smoothly without catching. Ellen could have replaced a section of the track if necessary but it would have been a mammoth job on her own, up the mast on a moving and lurching boat. She was unable to make the ascent to the first reef point without the indexsail in place, so made the decision to descend, hoist the indexsail back up to just under the first reef point, and then went for the second climb 82ft [25.05m] up the mast at 1900gmt. During the climbs she had sailed B&Q away from the wind, rather than bashing upwind, so had effectively sailed back down her course. An hour later, MacArthur was back on deck - job done, and ready to get her record attempt back on track. * LEAD DROPS TO LESS THAN 2 DAYS to 1 day and 20 hours at 0710gmt this morning after the trials and tribulations of unfavourable weather systems since rounding Cape Horn and not surprisingly having to sail away from the direct course for two hours yesterday. In terms of distance, B&Q is only 669 miles ahead of Joyon's equivalent position - her smallest advantage since approaching halfway on New Year's Eve. B&Q has covered just under 22,000 miles at an average speed of 17 knots and with 4,815 miles to go on the course, Ellen must indextain a VMG [velocity made good towards the finish] of 10.6 knots. Although the reality is that Ellen will sail more miles, possibly as much as 1500 miles, to stay in favourable conditions which will require faster boat speeds from B&Q of up to 12-12.5 knots. * B&Q TACKING TO STAY IN CORRIDER OF STRONGER NORTHERLY AIRFLOW but the writing is already on the wall that this weekend is going to be slow - a huge windless area from the St Helena high is expanding westwards all the time and a front to the south-west is adding to the decrease in wind pressure (like a suction effect). Last night Ellen tacked B&Q back on to starboard around 2200gmt, to then head north-west and conditions proved to be more lively than expected: "I had 27 knots of wind at one point, so had to bear away and furl the Solent up, now back on the smaller Staysail and 2 reefs in the index." This morning the wind is forecast to stay in the 20-25 knot range, edging left, requiring another tack to head back to the north-east around midday, and then decrease to 18-20 knots this afternoon until tonight when the winds will start to diminish significantly. The weekend ahead looks very slow indeed with winds forecast to be less than 10 knots. With Ellen exhausted and nursing a very bruised body, it could be a testing time. * ELLEN'S OC SAILING TEAM MATE UPDATE: Nick Moloney on Skandia, 7th place in the Vendee Globe, now only 250 miles astern of Virbac http://www.nickmoloney.com WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM COMMANDERS' WEATHER 0600 GMT: Will have light air to deal with from Fri night thru Sunday. Currently, N flow continues and will tend to edge more left towards 12utc Friday. This will mean a likely tack sometime around 12utc Friday, or when the wind becomes more NNW (around 345-350 true). Wind speeds 20-25 kts thru 12utc and still 18-20 kts around 18utc Friday. Wind will start to diminish, more significantly between 18utc Friday and 00utc Sat. A significant drop in the breeze is expected around and after 00utc Sat. We will have weakening high pressure well off to the SE and a front to the SW. With a flat pressure pattern, wind speeds will become quite light. Ridge of high pressure will be close by later Fri night and Saturday and this will mean very little wind around. May have to tack a few times to avoid getting too far east and into the weak high, and at the same time avoiding getting too far west and getting pushed too close to the Brazilian coast. Our goal then will be try and punch N as much as we can Sat and Sunday to pass the ridge and get into a more ENE and E breeze. This will be tough and slow as ridge tends to expand later Sat and Sat night. Right now, thinking is we shoot to do this between 32-33w around and after 18utc Sat. Will be a couple frustrating days coming up, but pattern does look more optimistic starting next week. Strategy: 1) In general want to limit westing so we can cross the Equator as far east as possible. 2) Likely another tack between 12-15utc Fri 3) We have you heading slowly north between 32-33w after 00 utc Sun trying to punch thru the ridge. 4) Further east ok but not sure winds will allow it but we will see when the time comes. Wind forecasts Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, time is UTC Fri, Jan 21 09: 350-010/21-26- winds lighter to the E-stronger to the W and S 12: 345-360/20-25, near 25s/33 45w - will tack to port around this time or when wind is consistently 350 true or left of that 18: 345-360/17-22 - wind coming down - lighter wind to the N and E Partly cloudy. Seas 7-12 Sat, Jan 22 - winds get lighter as ridge builds to NW 00: 350-010/14-10 - tack to starboard around this time 06: 360-020/ 7-11 - wind lighter to the E 12: 350-020/ 7-11, near 21 20s/33 10w - probably tack again 18: 350-360/ 5-9 - wind more right if further N, more left to the S Fair to partly cloudy. May have a combination NW and NE sea, 6-8 ft http://www.commandersweather.com PARTNER OF THE DAY : ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE Official Business Partner to Ellen the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team 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 Email powered by Active24 http://www.active24.com B&Q has over 350 stores in the UK, China and Taiwan and employs about 40,000 people. 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