12.03.2005
There is good news to report
David Scully and his team on Cheyenne are safely in port after a day and a half under tow by the Argentinean navy vessel SUBOFICIAL CASTILLO. They arrived in Comodora Rivadavia, a small seaside town 650 miles north of Cape Horn at 15:45 GMT on Friday afternoon. Dave and his crew, as well as all the organizers of the Oryx Quest 2005, would like to thank Commander Rubén Lopez Franco and his team for all their assistance with this matter. And from us to you Dave and your crew, we wish you the best and can’t wait to see you back out on the racecourse with that great boat, eating up the miles and thrilling sailors around the world with some spectacular sailing. Enjoy life on land; I am sure that a fantastic South American assado awaits.
Meanwhile back out on the racecourse the two D’s, Daedalus and Doha 2006 are making quick and steady progress around the world. At the 07:00 GMT poll on Saturday morning Daedalus was 955 miles from Cape Horn sailing at 17 knots. The winds are steady from the west and all is well on board. Almost 3,000 miles away, as the crow flies, Doha 2006 is shredding the Atlantic riding the edge of cold front that is feeding the crew near perfect conditions. Navigator Will Oxley reports; “At the moment we are sitting on the front of a trough line and making excellent easterly progress in 35 knots of west-northwest wind. The latest routing solutions show us staying on the front of this system through to at least the 15th March, by which time we could be 500 nautical miles due south of Cape Town. However, if we fall off the back then things don't look quite so rosy. So, indextaining our polar speeds is the focus at present. It is fantastic sailing along north of 40 degree south as we have clear skies and great weather in comparison to the overcast gloomy conditions further south. We just have to make sure we get enough southing over the next few days to get underneath the South Atlantic high to the west of Cape Town, otherwise we will stop in a big hurry.”
Again Doha 2006 seems blessed with great weather cards. The crew are making the most of the good conditions and are really enjoying life on board as they head into their six week at sea. Paul Larsen, as usual, has astute observations about the pitfalls that may trip them up on their way to the finish in Qatar in light of the dismasting of Cheyenne. “With the news about Cheyenne our game plan has been altered dramatically,” he wrote. “As Brian (Thompson) put it, ‘Now if it's quicker to go through a storm, we will choose to go around it.’ We will nurse Doha 2006 to the finish, as fast as possible. Once again, maybe more than ever, we have everything to lose here. We can't be complacent or become too cruisey. We’ve still got a long way to go navigating oceans, dozens of squalls, floating debris and marine life just to name a few obstacles. It's a real shame that another one of our index rivals has dropped out in this manner as we are here for the racing. It's what it is all about and what makes it fun. I can imagine that Tony and the boys share the same pressure on Daedalus as they now face the very real possibility of coming second... at least. They have put a lot of effort into this event and now it may be time for some payback.” Larsen also credits the crew of daedalus with their determination. He was in charge of the refit of Daedalus last Autumn in England and knows that there is nothing but pure dedication among the team on board. His log continues.
“Many of the guys were part of the refit done in Avonmouth Docks in Bristol through freezing winter days, followed by the 6,000 mile delivery down to Doha in the Arabian Gulf. They knew all along that they were up against much newer and bigger boats, but worked hard towards the goal of finishing the course as a priority. Tony has done a heck of a lot of racing. He has more than paid his taxes with gear failures and hardship, but knows that the game of yacht racing will one day swing back in his favour. The old cliché 'you have to be in it to win it' fits his attitude well. They must feel vindicated in their earlier decision to steer clear of Hurricane Percy.”
At the 07:00 GMT poll Doha 2006 was almost a third of the way across the South Atlantic. They were still making good speed with the instant speed reading a steady 18.2 knots. Looks like a great weekend for sailing on both oceans.
To read the rest of Paul’s log and all the crew logs from Doha 2006 go to www.maxicatdoha.com]. For the latest crew logs and images from Daedalus got to [http://www.teambullimore.com www.teambullimore.com.
--- Brian Hancock brian.hancock@qisel.com
www.oryxquest.com
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