15.04.2005
DAY 13 : SKANDIA 4TH AS STEADY CONDITIONS CONTINUE...
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IN BRIEF:
* SKANDIA 4TH AND FASTEST BOAT SINCE 0400HRS WITH ONLY 24.8NM SEPARATING TOP FOUR BOATS...
* SAM, "ROUTING SIMULATION TO THE BAHAMAS LOOKS FAVOURABLE FOR US"...
* THE FIRST FLYING FISH IN THIS RACE - A SIGN OF CHANGING LATITUDES...
* SAM MAKES PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT FEW DAYS, "TOMORROW I THINK IT WILL TURN IN TO A LOTTERY - IT’S JUST GOING TO ABOUT ACCEPTING WHERE YOU ARE AND GETTING THROUGH IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE"...
IN DETAIL:
SKANDIA reindexs in 4th and as the fastest boat in the fleet since 0400hrs, has continued to make up miles on leader BOSTIK who is now only 24.8nm in front. Sam is currently 17nm from 3rd place Eric Drouglazet (CREDIT MARITIME-ZEROTWO) and sailing 4 knots faster, “I figured it would happen, it went a bit light last night as the sun set, the new winds are coming from the south so seeing as though I’m at the south, I’m going to get it first – so that’s cool.”
Sam has witnessed her first flying fish which is a true sign of the changing latitudes, "I need to get my flying fish bag out. Last year I had a ziplock especially assigned to putting on my hands to rescue flying fish with – they absolutely stink. If you pick one up with your bare hands, no matter how many baby wipes you use, you can’t get rid of the fish smell from your hands!"
Conditions are really changing onboard, the fleet were experiencing lighter winds yesterday and t-shirt weather for the first time since the start! This is allowing the fleet to dry their clothes, tidy their boats and carry out boat checks. The wind has has returned this morning and the warm temparatures are here to stay, “The temp inside the boat is 22degrees, and baring in mind the sun has just risen, it’s going to be a warm one today (as the weather forecasters say in America say)! Today the wind’s come back and it’s blowing 20 knots!"
Sam has spent some time looking at the long range forecasts and playing with the Maxsea routing software, to try and predict what may happen in the fleet as they approach the Bahamas passage. "I ran a routing simulation on my computer to see who has the advantageous position, because I believe it is me and also I want to see how Gildas (CERCLE VERT) will manage to get back South! I did a routing run for all the boats in the front row, BOSTIK, CERCLE VERT and GEDIMATto compare the differences in latitudes. It ran the movie with all 4 boats sailing in the weather we will are forecast to receive in the next few days. SKANDIA won the race by about 6 hours to BOSTIK!"
Although the majority of the fleet are now in the trade winds, it was important for the fleet to reindex in the curve of the high pressure for as long as possible to benefit from the best gradient which Sam has managed to do. If you are too far north like Antonio Da La Cruz (LITTLE BLACK SHARK) the wind could be south or south west - leaving the skipper unable to sail the course with a spinnaker, if you are too far south the wind turns to the east which Dominic Vittet (ATAO AUDIO SYSTEM) is experiencing - this leaves you a little too deep and means you have to keep gybeing to avoid getting too far south.
While the weather over the next 2 days appears to be stable, Sam makes predictions for later on, "Today and the beginning of tomorrow is fine but then it turns in to a lottery. I think it’s just going to about accepting where you are and getting through it as quickly as possible. Luckily the low pressure seems to be moving quite fast, hopefully the new high pressure that comes in behind will make the trade winds establish and we’ll be able to get down the Turks quite quick after that."
EMAIL LOG FROM SAM
Hello!
The drying out process on board Skandia is really getting somewhere now! I even managed to take off my oilskin trousers and get down to a T-shirt for the first time. Suncream is out!
Part of this is also "recovery" process from the physical first week. Some of my aches and pains are disappearing now, but also I have the wear and tear showing up. In particular, my hands are agony! Little cuts are slightly infected, the palms are red and sore from pulling ropes, my fingertips (just under the end of each nail) feel bruised (even typing hurts!) and my right wrist is aching from steering too much! Poor me!
I also saw my first flying fish today, which is a good sign of getting into warmer climes! We had less wind too, today, which was a little disappointing, but as I write this the wind is back and we are doing 9-10 knots again.
Today, I ran a routing simulation on my computer to see who has the advantageous position (because I believe it is me and also I want to see how Gildas will manage to get back South!) I put CERCLE VERT, BOSTIK, SKANDIA and GEDIMAT and ran a simulation race (to the Turks passage) with the latest grib (weather) file that I had downloaded from Chopper, and our polar file (boatspeed)
I created it into a "movie" and watched it! The charting software Maxsea that we have on board is incredible in its ability to do such things as this. Being able to receive weather and work on it to make tactical decisions is incredible, I am really enjoying this part of the race too. Anyway, SKANDIA won my little simulated race (yippee!) BOSTIK second, GEDIMAT 3rd and CERCLE VERT very last! Perhaps I was being optimistic by not putting Droug (CREDIT MARITIME-ZEROTWO) into my race!
So, my work confirms that I am happy with my position in the fleet, that Gildas will have a tough time in the next week, and also now I have the detailed breakdown of the optimum route to the Turks passage. This work takes not very long (30 min), and I do this every time a new weather file is available (four times per day). I am careful to use it only as a guide, because it is a weather forecast (and we know that sometimes the forecasters don't get it exactly right) especially once I am looking beyond 3-4 days ahead. I also compare the forecast from Chopper (our permitted source for grib files) to the weather maps that I am continuously receiving on the weather fax. The charts from Boston are the ones I am finding the most useful.
So, now I just need to sail SKANDIA as fast as Charles is sailing BOSTIK to make sure I can make the most of my advantageous position!
See you soon
Sam x
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO WITH SAM
How has your morning gone?
“The sun has just risen - a really, really nice one where you can see it coming right through the horizon. The temp inside the boat is 22degrees, and baring in mind the sun has just risen, it’s going to be a warm one today (as the weather forecasters in America say)! Today the wind’s come back and it’s blowing 20 knots! We’re still reaching with the asymmetric spinnaker. I was talking to Lionel Pean (Race director) last night about the asymmetric because it’s 1.2; it’s quite heavy cloth so that you can use it in just about anything. When it was new it was really hard, so when it collapsed and refilled it BANGED really hard and I didn’t like it on the rig. That was the reason why I changed down to the small spinnaker before, refilling the asymmetric was too powerful and the small spinnaker was not new so the cloth was more stretchy, but now when the asymmetric when it collapses and refills, it’s like an elastic band! It’ll probably come down in about a day and a half…”
So tell us about the Maxsea routing computer game you’ve been playing with the other boats, in a race to the Bahamas?
“It’s really clever and such a powerful tool. I’ve used all the time and used last year in the AG2R but this race is the first time I’ve got in to doing it really regularly. It’s quick and easy for me to do. (Obviously relying on the accuracy on the forecasting we can read with the software.) Last night I was looking at all of the boats in the front row, so to speak, of the race across and we’re so far spread from north to south. There’s quite a strange situation coming across – a low pressure which seems to develop in to 3 low pressures and all go off into 3 directions. So I wanted to see who was in the best position for getting to the passage at the Turks. So I put my navigation on to do the reckoning so I can move my little boat on the chart. I did a routing run for each of us – me, BOSTIK, CERCLE VERT and GEDIMAT - to compare the differences in latitudes. You do each routing separately and then you click on them all and create a movie. It will run the movie with all 4 boats sailing in the weather we will be receiving in the next few days. It’s really interesting and my little SKANDIA won the race by about 6 hours to BOSTIK! The trouble is, the situation that’s coming is really unstable and really unpredictable. Each forecast we get is completely different and this low pressure off the Bahamas is doing strange things so I don’t think you can read anything from my little race I did last night - but it was quite fun. It was satisfying for me to know that at the time with the information I had I put SKANDIA in the right place for the approach to the Bahamas so I was happy with that!”
What would you be thinking at the moment if you were Gildas Morvan on CERCLE VERT (boat 2nd furthest north)?
“I’d be a bit apprehensive about having to go upwind for a while but I think he’s probably doing the right thing compared to what TOTAL did. If he heads south now then he basically quits and gives in and as I said, with this low-pressure thing which is really uncertain at the moment, anything could happen. He could get away with it, come over the top and get back down in the new trade winds, which will be formed by the high pressure which follows the low so he might well be ok. I think he’s doing the right thing – sailing as fast as possible. He’s got nothing to lose."
What do you think will happen over the next few days?
Today is fine and beginning of tomorrow is fine but then it turns in to a lottery. I think it’s just going to about accepting where you are and get through it as quickly as possible. Luckily the low pressure seems to be moving quite fast, hopefully the new high pressure that comes in behind will make the trade winds establish and we’ll be able to get down the Turks quite quick after that.
At the 1000hrs positions, you are 24.8nm from BOSTIK and sailing at 9.3 knots compared to his 8.1 knots, so you’re just over 1 knot quicker…
“I figured it would happen, it went a bit light last night as the sun set, the new winds are coming from the south so seeing as though I’m at the south, I’m going to get it first – so that’s cool.”
How have you been eating over the past few days?
“Much better. In the last few days to start with after the Azores I was just tired. Then once I had recovered a bit, I was really hungry and I think I’ve eaten a bit more than I had before the Azores and now I’m back to normal - except there’s less nice things on board! I wish I had more interesting things to eat but it’s probably a good thing for the shape of me when I arrive in Cuba that there’s isn’t so much crisp and chocolate. It’s good – I’ve still got lots of oranges left which is a real luxury. Last night I have to confine my cheese from my airtight container into the gas locker in the cockpit because the cheese is now so ripe that it’s capable of climbing out of the airtight container on it’s own. I’m not sure how long it’s going to stay onboard but it’s tastes great. It just absolutely stinks! I’ve still got some cherry tomatoes aswell. It’s incredible the difference when you eat a cherry tomato one day after the start, and now when I eat one the taste is incredible! I always drink a tea just before sunset when I’m steering – that’s one of my little routines I have on long ocean races. I love to steer just before sunset with a cup of tea! It’s a habit and it’s keeping me happy!"
Have you found any flying fish victims onboard?
“No kamikaze fish yet – but normally there are plenty but I try and rescue them as well. I need to get my flying fish bag out. Last year I had a ziplock especially assigned to putting on my hands to rescue flying fish with – they absolutely stink. If you pick one up with your bare hands, no matter how many baby wipes you use, you can’t get rid of the fish smell from your hands. So you have to put your hand in to a ziplock before you try and catch the slippery, slimy, wriggly thing and put it back in the ocean!”
Listen to the full audio from Sam at Audio/Video section of website
Communications thanks to BT Broadband
LATEST POSITIONS 1000 BST 15/4/05
(boat name / average boat speed /distance to leader)
1. BOSTIK / 8.1kts / 2034.2nm to finish
2. CERCLE VERT / 7.6kts / +5.7nm
3. CREDIT MARITIME - ZEROTWO / 8.9kts / +7.5nm
4. SKANDIA / 9.3kts / +24.8nm
5. BANQUE POPULAIRE / 8.5kts / +70.4nm
6. AQUARELLE.COM / 8.1kts / +85.6nm
7. COUTOT ROEHRIG / 9.1kts / +87.3nm
8. TOTAL / 7.2kts / +95.3nm
9. GEDIMAT / 8.1kts / +97.9m
10. ATAO AUDIO SYSTEM / 9.0kts / +148.7nm
11. ENTREPRENDRE AU PAYS DE LORIENT / 7.8kts / 179.2nm
12. LITTLE BLACK SHARK / 8.7kts / +195.0nm
Click here for full positions report
Official race website: http://www.trophee-bpe2005.com (French only)
2005 FIGARO PROGRAMME
3 April: Trophée BPE 2005 (St.Nazaire – Cienfuegos, Cuba)
6-25 June: La Generali Solo 2005
1-28 August: La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2005
PARTNER OF THE DAY : UKSA
Official Watersports Training Facility for Sam and the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
http://www.samdavies.com/uksa
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For more information visit http://www.samdavies.com/skandia or contact :
Josie Robinson (English)
josie@offshorechallenges.com
T: +44(0) 870 063 0210
Caroline Muller (Francais)
bienvenue@welcomeonboard.fr
T: +33 (0)6 80 40 00 24
Other information sources online:
Finistère Course au Large
Classe Figaro Bénéteau
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