15.03.2005
Dreaming of Jamaica
Doha 2006 has further extended their lead over Daedalus opening up the gap to an impressive 3,640 nautical miles at the 08:00 GMT poll on Tuesday morning. The Qatari catamaran is shredding the planet, sailing the South Atlantic in 500 mile-a-day chunks. At this morning’s poll Doha 2006 was sailing at 24.95 knots on a course that will take them directly over Schwabenland Seamount. The deep ocean suddenly rises from a depth of 4,300 metres, to just 1,575 metres as a pinnacle rises from the ocean floor in a prehistoric geological formation. As Brian Thompson and his crew pass over the three mile wide top of the seamount it’s unlikely that they will notice anything other than a sudden sounding registering on their fathometer. They are in an area littered with seamounts, and if they carry on with their present course they will sailing into waters unmistakably African despite being 1,000 miles southwest of the continent. Ahead lies Shaka Ridge, named after the famous Zulu chief, and Shona Ridge, as well as a number of seamounts named after African tribes. Doha 2006 is being forced to sail well below South Africa to avoid slowing in an area of high pressure that extends into the Roaring Forties. At a time when they should be turning north heading for Madagascar, Doha 2006 is still sailing on a heading of 114 degrees. It’s a pity, I was hoping to see them sail by as I look out over the ocean from my window here at the foot of Africa.
While Doha 2006 is enjoying a fast ride south, Tony Bullimore and his crew on Daedalus are enjoying a fast ride north. At the 10:00 GMT poll they were 45 miles due west of the Falkland Islands sailing at 15 knots. The warmer weather and a cup of coffee had Tony thinking about life after the Oryx Quest 2005. “At the mention of coffee l thought of Jamaica, the wondrous Blue Mountains and of course, Blue Mountain Coffee, the best in the world,” he wrote. “One minute l could eat off a couple of Jamaica patties and the next l could eat some curried goat, and rice and peas. I could go on and on, but all that will have to wait till later down the year. Lalel my wife will cook some wonderful dishes as soon as l am back in the UK and once l am back in Jamaica a little later down the year, the world is my oyster. l shall not want. Whatever, it would be terrific to be on a sandy beach in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios or Negril, swimming and lazing around, just enjoying a lovely day. Ye man, me soon come.” Tony’s lovely wife of 37 years hails from that fair island where the people live close to the earth and life moves with the seasons. When Tony’s seaboots are completely worn out he promises to take her back there to find a simple cabin, a deserted beach and view of the ocean. He has a lifetime of stories to tell anyone who is willing to listen.
During Monday night Daedalus sailed past Isla de Los Estados leaving the rugged island to the west. Unlike Doha 2006 and Cheyenne, who both caught a fair tide through the Strait of Le Maire, the fierce current was not in their favour and Tony and his navigator Nick Leggatt opted instead to sail to the east of the island. They passed just nine miles east of the tip of Tierra del Fuego. They now face a hard slog north through waters that crippled Cheyenne and dished up Doha 2006 some of the worst weather of the trip.
To read the rest of Tony’s log go to www.teambullimore.com. To read all the crew logs from Doha 2006 go to www.maxicatdoha.com.
--- Brian Hancock brian.hancock@qisel.com
www.oryxquest.com
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