12.11.2005
DAY 8: EXHAUSTED BUT ON THE ATTACK AS JOURDAIN AND MACARTHUR CLOSE THE GAP…
IN BRIEF:
JOURDAIN AND MACARTHUR SHATTERED, CLOCKING UP MAXIMUM SPEED OF 27.14 KNOTS as they steam south, closing the gap with leaders Virbac-Paprec…
LEADERS REindex WEST ON IDEAL ROUTE SOUTH as reindexing pack sail as low as possible to get on to their westerly line…
INTENSE DRAG RACE FOR FIRST AND SECOND as design, pace and sheer stamina are put to the test…
“THE BEST DRIVING OF MY LIFE, WE WERE RIGHT UP THERE SAILING THE 22-KNOT AVERAGE!”
IN DETAIL:
Email from Ellen:
Just sitting down and feeling pretty knackered. Bilou (aka Roland Jourdain) is driving and I'm waiting for the alarm to say when I should stop the engine. All is well onboard, though last night was a tough one. We were both shattered at the end of yesterday and I’d been on deck steering for most of the day. In the night we had to keep each other laughing to stay awake and I think that I've felt better on many occasions. I slept standing up in the cockpit after we'd taken the kite down last night. The wind has been more in the east than we thought so we've been attacking a bit over night, though looking at the two of us you wouldn’t think it! The spinnaker descent went well under the circumstances, as we'd had a 38knot gust just as I took over the helm. This morning after trying to get some sleep (which was limited and indexly in the cuddy) I took over the helm and had some of the best driving of my life. We were right up there, sailing at the 22-knot average for minutes on end, max was 27.14! The waves were not immense, but I discovered if you heeled the boat over enough you could get her to 'sit' on her quarter, and just go for it... amazing, and I can say it really is the best way to wake up! I really enjoyed it, and wanted to know that we were able to draw back a few miles on Virbac, which we managed to do. Bilou slept this morning, and it’s my time to sleep now, so till tomorrow.
The race leaders Virbac-Paprec and Sill et Veolia are joined in a close drag race with only 22 miles separating the two boats. The Farr designed Virbac-Paprec has been indextaining the distance ahead of the Lombard designed Sill et Veolia, but Jourdain and MacArthur are pushing hard to close the gap. Exhausted but loving the experiencing of racing again, MacArthur is revelling in the conditions, and clocked a maximum speed of 27.14knots! Currently just over 100 miles north of Santo Antao, the most northern of the Cape Verde Islands, Sill et Veolia are positioned to the west – which should be far enough away from the wind shadow cast by the islands to avoid being slowed significantly. The route chosen by the chasing pack is becoming more clear, as Bonduelle (3rd) and Ecover (4th) cross the path taken by the leaders and are likely to end up even further west. Although Ecover, who has damaged one of her two rudders as she passed the Canary Islands, does not appear to be suffering on the speed front, keeping in touch with Bonduelle, and even taking some miles from 5th placed Skandia.
After leaving the Cape Verde Islands behind, Jourdain and MacArthur will be looking carefully at their positioning as they make their final approach to the Doldrums, an area notorious for its light and unstable winds. This section of the course has often been the making or breaking of a competitive race, having a history of influencing the podium positions in Brazil.
JARGON BUSTER: THE DOLDRUMS
A few degrees north of the Equator, there is an area known technically as the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In very basic terms its where the North East Trade winds and the South East trade winds meet each other...effectively cancelling each other out as the result is air moving more vertically than horizontally – vertical air makes for a suction effect resulting in either no wind or often violent rain squalls. In the old days sailing ships might be stuck for weeks in the Doldrums...these days, it can be race losing or winning, but the light and powerful Open 60s can accelerate so quickly that they can use each squall to get themselves across relatively quickly – albeit with large amounts of sweat and frustration on the way...
OPEN 60 RANKINGS 1500 GMT:
1. VIRBAC-PAPREC / DISTANCE TO FINISH 2050 MILES
2. SILL ET VEOLIA / +21.9 MILES
3. BONDUELLE / +130.3 MILES
4. ECOVER / +152.1 MILES
5. SKANDIA / +190.7 MILES
FOR LATEST POSITIONS CLICK HERE
PARTNER OF THE DAY: BRITTANY FERRIES
Official Cross Channel Travel Partner to Ellen and the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team
http://www.teamellen.com/brittanyferries
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION LOG ONTO: http://www.jacques-vabre.com
For further information, please contact Offshore Challenges Sailing Team:
Lou Newlands or Lucy Harwood
T: +44 (0)870 063 0210
E: lou.newland@ocgroup.com or lucy.harwood@ocgroup.com
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