Oceanracing 2006 - VELUX 5 Oceans

Velux 5 Oceans - Alone-Round the World Yacht Race
www.velux5oceans.com - Übersicht

24.10.2006
ANOTHER BIG BLOW DUE TODAY FORECASTS CHRIS TIBBS
Professional meteorologist and weather router, Chris Tibbs is no stranger to the round the world race course. He is a past competitor in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race) and skippered the yacht Concert around the world westabout against the prevailing winds in the 1996-7 BT Global Challenge

From his base in Cowes Tibbs is currently weather routing for several boats along the west coast of Spain/Portugal (none of them in the VELUX 5 OCEANS where routing of this kind is banned) and has been monitoring the development of today's extreme depression.

The reason the VELUX 5 OCEANS have experienced survival conditions northeast of Cape Finisterre (the northwestern corner of Spain) has been due to the passage to the north of them of a low depression. This has suddenly intensified, generating near hurricane force southwesterly to westerly winds as it has passed eastwards.

"I don't think the fact that it has been so strong there is unusual given the fact that you've got that low there - it is just that it is a very awkward place," says Tibbs. "You've got such high land along that coast it tends to funnel it around Cape Finisterre, so you tend to get a coastal jet there where it accelerates the wind, downwind of the headland." Downwind, or northeast of Cape Finisterre is exactly where the VELUX 5 OCEANS boats have been located today.

Aside from the brute strength of the wind matters have been made considerably worse for the VELUX 5 OCEANS boats as their course has been directly into these terrible conditions. In the event, given the strength of the wind and the sea, course has been less of an issue than simply surviving the conditions, each skipper attempting to ensure that the boat is as comfortable as it can be in terms of where it points into the waves and the wind and everything on deck from sails to smaller items such as antenna being firmly lashed or preferably bolted to the boat.

Even if the boats were to able to make it around Cape Finisterre in the conditions there would be no respite reckons Tibbs. "The wind tends to bend as it comes around into that headland, so that you are always on a bit of header when you go into it." Therefore even if a skipper could turn the corner, they would still find themselves upwind, crashing into boat breaking mountainous seas.

While the worst of the weather was expected to pass through this evening as the centre of the low moved towards the UK, there is still no good news looking at the forecast ahead. Tibbs explains: "The last low is going away and there is another low, so they will get a little bit of a respite, but again by midday tomorrow there is a really vicious low sat about 500 miles to the west of Cape Finisterre. It is about 984mB, which isn't particularly low, but it is a long way south and that is going to cause some funnelling along the land."

Early tomorrow the wind may abate slightly but the sea is likely to reindex mountainous and even if it is possible for the boats to make some headway they will still have to contend with conditions drummed up by the new depression: big seas and strong southerly winds which Tibbs forecasts will be in the 45-50 knot range.

heading for port could be a sensible option tactically if not purely for safety reasons reckons Tibbs. "If they get in and sit out the big blow - from what I am looking at, the worst will be from tomorrow lunchtime, maybe morning through until the afternoon - until Thursday, the low should be down to the south and they would have the opportunity to get around to the west of it."

Given the conditions this is the only real option for the boats. Once they pass Cape Finisterre, instead of sailing the shortest course, ie heading south down the west coast of Spain and Portugal, they will have to head west and attempt to get into the favourable northerly winds on the west side of the depression. For here, instead of there being 40 knot southerly winds, there will be 40 knot northerlies and in these conditions Open 60s, among the fastest ocean racing boats afloat, eat up the miles.