Oceanracing 2006 - VELUX 5 Oceans

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

VELUX 5 OCEANS - Day 52 Report
Tuesday 12 December, 2006
NO LAZY DAYS ON THE BEACH FOR STAMM AND SHIRAISHI

* Bernard Stamm (SUI) and Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN) remove their masts
* CHEMINEES POUJOULAT lifted out of the water for hull inspection
* Shiraishi goes diving to inspect the hull of SPIRIT OF YUKOH
* Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) loses wind instruments as Unai Basurko (ESP) closes to within 4,000 miles of Fremantle

Foto: www.w-w-i.com/velux_5_oceans

A hot and sunny day in Fremantle, Western Australia, saw a hive of activity at the Fremantle Sailing Club as CHEMINEES POUJOULAT and SPIRIT OF YUKOH both lost their masts and rigging in quick succession. The two Open 60 yachts, which finished first and second respectively in leg one of the VELUX 5 OCEANS last week, will now go through a complete check up in order to fully prepare their racing machines for the tough leg that lies in wait.

There was no room for lazy days on the beach for the skippers or their shore teams. The first few days on land had seen a general inspection and total cleaning of the yachts. Following the immediate aftermath of the arrivals, the list of work is starting to get longer and longer. In order to properly inspect the mast without climbing 28 metres up, the simplest option is to take them out. And so it was for the two formula one yachts.

It was a smooth, quick and successful operation for the two solo skippers and their shore teams. Once the masts were on the ground, horizontal next to each other, the inspections could begin. And even if at first glance there appears to be little damage, the work has only just begun. Bernard Stamm also chose to life the boat out of the water and inspect the hull in the dry. Kojiro's team, however, chose not to lift out his boat. Yesterday, Koji went diving under the boat to inspect the hull and found some signs of shock. For the moment, the team has decided to work on the hull with the boat in the water. Lifting a boat costs a lot of money, and with limited budgets, the team are looking at more simple solutions at first.

Meanwhile, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) has been dealt another blow, losing the wind instrument from the top of his mast. He is now sailing without current wind information, leaving him to rely on his core sailing abilities. But the sailing legend is in a reflective mood, accepting it all as part of the Ultimate Solo Challenge.

Bernard Stamm, CHEMINEES POUJOULAT:
"We take out the mast in order to control all the rigging. The lift out of the water often brings more surprises than taking out the mast. You are always in a rush to see how it looks underneath, and it is always a relief to see that everything is OK."

Kojiro Shiraishi, SPIRIT OF YUKOH:
"Today we are only taking out the mast. We will see afterwards if we need to take SPIRIT OF YUKOH out of the water to work on the hull."

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, SAGA INSURANCE
"In any other sport, which is dependant on sophisticated instrumentation, I ought really to drive off the track and retire. Yesterday afternoon the masthead sender for wind information became unbolted and is now hanging down bashing itself to pieces. I am now without any wind information. This did not matter so much in the Suhaili days where speeds were much slower, but with a rocket ship like Saga Insurance they pull the wind forward so quickly when they accelerate the only way to control them is via the instruments."

"Some might suggest that I climb the mast to rebolt the vane but you can forget it! In the first instance it is already too damaged, and the second is that this mast has now thrown off two windex's and now the vane and if you think I am going to risk being the next thing it throws off you can think again!"

"You might consider a withdrawal in any other race but not in the Velux 5 Oceans as you can never tell what is going to happen next. This is such a trial of the stamina of both boat and sailor through the most inhospitable oceans of the world. It pays to stay in this game if at all possible, regardless of how uncompetitive you might become for a while, because the next stop gives the chance to patch things up and re-start on a more even basis."

"It isn't always easy, who would expect the ultimate solo challenge to be easy, in fact it is very frustrating knowing you could be sailing faster but for whatever the problem is, but then if this event was easy where would be its attraction? Who would be interested?"

"And look on the bright side. Suppose you had told the Wright Brothers that they could fly Concorde in their later years? Well I am getting the chance to sail a rocket ship around the world in my Saga days, the period of so-called retirement, repeating an earlier exploit with the latest technology (when it works!), now that really is something."

Boat Positions as at 10:20 UTC 12 December 2006
Yacht Skipper Latitude Longitude Course (°) Speed (knot) DTL (nautical miles) DTF (nautical miles) Dist - last Pos (nautical miles) Dist - 24h (nautical miles) Average speed - 24h (knots) VMG - 24h (knots)
1 Cheminées Poujoulat Bernard Stamm FINISHED - 42 days 23 hours and 18 minutes
2 Spirit of Yukoh Kojiro Shiraishi FINISHED - 46 days 2 hours and 00 minutes
3 A Southern Man-AGD Graham Dalton 50° 45.00 S 051° 00.00 E 68 7.3 3019 3019 73.4 191.8 7.99 7.62
4 SAGA Insurance Sir Robin Knox-Johnston 46° 55.68 S 051° 16.08 E 92 13.3 3031 3031 49.5 227.3 9.47 8.89
5 PAKEA Unai Basurko 39° 27.65 S 032° 02.65 E 77 7 3958 3958 41.7 227.7 9.49 9.44 6
- END -

About Fremantle (Western Australia)
At the mouth of the Swan River, the vibrant port town of Fremantle is located 20 minutes' drive southwest of Perth, Western Australia. Rich in heritage buildings and attractions, maritime history and culture, visitors are guaranteed to enjoy the relaxed outdoor lifestyle, some of the country's best beaches, bustling markets, nightlife, unrivalled sporting facilities and amazing marine adventures. The VELUX 5 Oceans Race Village will be at the picturesque Fremantle Sailing Club, where the race crews will be able to make use of the world class facilities used during the recent Clipper 05-06 round the world yacht race, and Whitbreads of the past.
www.westernaustralia.com