16 February, 2007
VELUX 5 OCEANS - Leg 2, Day 34 Report
SIR ROBIN ROCKETS INTO THIRD PLACE
* Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) takes third place from Unai Basurko (ESP)
* Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN) frustrated and sailing nowhere fast
* Bernard Stamm (SUI) four days away from the Doldrums
Last night, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and his Open 60 SAGA INSURANCE moved into third place, overtaking Unai Basurko on PAKEA. The lead was small, only 2 miles, and with 7,500 miles to the finish line of Leg 2, but then Knox-Johnston piled east, and increased this margin to 41 miles by the morning.
Like the race leader, Bernard Stamm, a frustrated Kojiro Shiraishi in second place onboard SPIRIT OF YUKOH has been punching upwind in building sea conditions and resorted to spending considerable time on deck constantly changing sails to optimize his sailing. Further north, Stamm reported earlier that he was forced to hand steer for extended periods.
In a call to the race organisation yesterday, the Japanese skipper voiced concern over his estimated time at sea for Leg 2; an estimate extended by a series of light wind patches in the Pacific Ocean dramatically stalling progress. Shiraishi and his team carefully budgeted food and fuel supplies in Fremantle, but he fears reserves may run low before he arrives in Norfolk mid-March.
Stamm is currently 1,869 miles ahead of Shiraishi, heading north under staysail with two reefs in the index, averaging a mighty 10 knots upwind; double the speed of the Japanese Open 60, SPIRIT OF YUKOH. Having placed CHEMINÉES POUJOULAT immaculately for a swift transfer through the South Atlantic, Stamm's attention has turned to the next mid-ocean hurdle, the Doldrums, roughly four days away.
Kojiro Shiraishi matched Stamm's tack and is heading SPIRIT OF YUKOH north-west 180 miles east of the Falkland Islands, averaging 2 knots slower than his Swiss rival and losing 35 miles to Stamm overnight.
Kojiro Shiraishi, SPIRIT OF YUKOH:
"Both wind direction and strength are very variable, so I am putting in and taking out reefs all day. I feel we are doing a lot of sailing but not making much progress towards Norfolk. It is taking a long time."
Bernard Stamm, CHEMINEES POUJOULAT
"We're slamming. It's a little bit better today, but yesterday was really terrible. It's still hard going to windward, but the wind is starting to shift in the right direction."
Boat Positions as at 10:20 UTC 16 February 2007
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
23° 39.88 S
030° 24.20 W
352
11.2
4578
50.9
200.2
8.34
8.34
2
Spirit of Yukoh
Kojiro Shiraishi
51° 50.76 S
053° 43.44 W
13
12
1869
6448
23.3
133.4
5.56
5.39
3
SAGA Insurance
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
55° 59.16 S
084° 27.12 W
109
16
2922
7500
60
279.4
11.64
11.6
4
PAKEA
Unai Basurko
56° 14.48 S
085° 24.04 W
80
14.2
2951
7530
49.8
234.4
9.76
9.68
5
A Southern Man-AGD
Graham Dalton
56° 48.44 S
087° 23.64 W
97
8.2
3013
7592
54.1
241.5
10.06
10.06
- END -
For more information on VELUX 5 OCEANS please visit www.velux5oceans.com , or contact:
Tim Kelly / Justine Ozoux / Kate Fairclough
RACE PRESS OFFICE: + 44 20 7494 1616
E: tim.kelly@pitchpr.com / justine@pitchpr.com / kate@pitchpr.com
About Norfolk, Virginia (USA)
Norfolk, which is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest military station in the world, can host hundreds of vessels at one time including cruise ships, destroyers and submarines and once made history when it berthed five nuclear aircraft carriers at the same time. The port will provide the skippers and ground crews of the VELUX 5 OCEANS with world class facilities.
The City is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Hampton Roads Harbour, one of the most famous sailing areas in the USA which attracts hundreds of thousands of yachts and sailing fanatics to the area every year and has played host to some of the world's major sailing events including the Volvo Ocean Race and the Mount Gay Rum Sailing Week. The situation of the City also makes it an idea venue for the VELUX 5 OCEANS providing unique opportunities to watch the fleet arrive from vantage points on the coast and on the water.
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