Oceanracing 2006 - VELUX 5 Oceans

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

VELUX 5 OCEANS - Day 54 Report
Thursday 14 December, 2006
knox-johnston LOOKS Ahead TO a solo CHRISTMAS AT SEA

* Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) ready to spend Christmas and Boxing Day sailing solo
* Unai Basurko (ESP) happy up north and hoping to see in the New Year in Fremantle
* Graham Dalton (NZL) preparing to pull into the remote Kerguelen Islands

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has reported another frustrating day sailing on SAGA INSURANCE as he makes best speed towards the finish of leg one in Fremantle. The experienced yachtsman is starting to accept that he may have to spend Christmas and Boxing Day at sea, an obvious disappointment to the sociable knight.

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

Knox-Johnston is starting to pine for the normality of life on shore and some company; after six weeks at sea alone, it is hardly surprising. However, Sir Robin has been enjoying the company of the beautiful albatrosses that keep his boat company and taken comfort in the fact that the modern technology allows him to stay in touch with the world, and the world to stay in touch with him. A noticeable difference from his pioneering circumnavigation on Suhaili, when The Sunday Times prepared his obituary, believing he must have been lost at sea after being gone and out of touch for such an extended period of time.

Meanwhile, further to the north, Unai Basurko onboard PAKEA has started to increase his average speeds and eat up more miles towards Western Australia. The Basque skipper appears in good spirits and happy with the boat's performance, and very pleased with the conditions he has found on his northerly route, un-typical for such a race. Racing along at around 10-12 knots, he is hoping he will make landfall in time to sing Auld Lan Syne with his shore team who await him in Fremantle.

The third skipper still out racing, Graham Dalton on the Open 50 A SOUTHERN MAN AGD, is closing in on the remote French colony islands that form the last mandatory waypoint in leg one. Dalton will need to make a pit stop to sort out the torn headsail and re-fuel. Although Dalton's French is not so strong, he will be hoping to find some friendly helpers to make sure he can get back out on the race track as soon as possible and start the chase for Sir Robin, who will most likely overtake the kiwi skipper as he makes landfall.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, SAGA INSURANCE:
"Yesterday was a useless and frustrating day as far as making much progress to Fremantle was concerned, and I think we can now say that I shall definitely be spending Christmas at sea and Boxing Day as well."
"We are back to those awkward squalls, so I will have to reduce sail for the high winds soon and in any case there is more wind forecast. Mentally I have gone into neutral. There is no point in raising ones hopes for a certain arrival time when events keep putting it back, it just depresses. So it is better not to think too much about it, just take each day as it comes, keep the routines going, as they pass the time and not get excited as the Longitude grows."
"I am in my little capsule and could be in space. I have not seen another human for more than 6 weeks and miss the human inter-reactions, like discussion and argument that provide stimulation in our normal lives. I am lined up to pass north of the Kerguelen Islands. It is a big contrast with 38 years ago when, before the era of satellites, there was no means of anyone knowing where you were and no means of telling people you were in trouble if that happened. Then we really were on our own."

Unai Basurko, PAKEA:
"Everything is fine with the boat. Since I went north, I am sailing in more comfortable latitudes, without pushing the boat. The truth is I never thought about stopping as I have plenty of fuel and the wind generator has been working for a number of days."
"At the moment I am sailing in 20-25 knots of wind, with an average speed of 10-12 knots. In terms of arriving, I am hoping to arrive before the 31 although I am very happy to be at sea and at the moment the most important thing is just to finish. In Fremantle I will have my shore team, the boat designer, builders, but I hope we won't find anything negative on the boat."

Boat Positions as at 10:20 UTC 14 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 49° 10.44 S 060° 32.20 E 91 9.3 2652 2652 44.1 201 8.38 8.18
4 SAGA Insurance Sir Robin Knox-Johnston 46° 17.52 S 060° 04.88 E 91 9.4 2671 2671 50.2 181.9 7.58 7.04
5 PAKEA Unai Basurko 38° 34.96 S 041° 56.96 E 103 12.2 3542 3542 53.2 243 10.13 8.46
6 ECOVER Mike Golding RETIRED
7 HUGO BOSS Alex Thomson ABANDONED
- 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