Barcelona World Race 2007 www.barcelonaworldrace.com - Übersicht 12.11.2007 DAY ONE: ESTRELLA DAMM PUSHING FOR A LEAD Just 24 hours in to the Barcelona World Race and Estrella Damm skippers Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee are pushing for pole position. In very light winds the duo are still in sight of several other boats and sailing a very tactical race. During their first night at sea the pair were forced to make their first major tactical decision of the non-stop round the world race, deciding to leave the island of Ibiza to starboard. Little wind has forced the two sailors to be focused on their boat-speed and any small shift in the winds direction or strength. The two skippers have been hand steering the boat since the start of the race and continuously adjusting the sails to ensure they can squeeze every knot of speed out of the IMOCA Open 60. Their determined focus at this early stage of the race has had good results for the Spanish/American team and at 14:00 GMT Estrella Damm had moved up to second just behind race leaders PRB. This stage of the race is crucial for Estrella Damm as currently she is sitting in a pack of five boats (PRB, Paprec Vibrac, Hugo Boss and Tenemos), all within a very close 12 miles of each other, so her position is far from secure. Guillermo Altadill got in touch in the early morning of 12 November via email. "After the first night onboard all seems to be good, light and shifty winds make us work hard, Jonathan and myself, during the night. We can see PRB, Hugo Boss and Paprec Virbac in only a couple of miles separation. We leave Ibiza on starboard. That was not included in our plans but, as well, the weather prediction was not according to the plans. So we are where we are and that seems the right place for now. For the next hours we expect to have more work in the nav station then on deck, anyway. We have been hand steering since the start in Barcelona to get the 100% of our boat. I found scissors in the sail repair kit and I go to cut my hair to be more comfortable in the next few months." Estrella Damm skippers Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee on their way to the start of the Barcelona World Race. © Carlos Pich http://www.theirwebsite.com/ Estrella Damm skippers Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee moments before the start of the Barcelona World Race © Carlos Pich http://www.theirwebsite.com/ This afternoon Guillermo called into the race centre via their video conferencing phone and commented on the conditions. "We have comfortable winds of more than 8 knots. The wind ranges around 40 degrees in direction, which can be more critical than speed. We have changed our sails a lot." Jonathan McKee, also reported in to say that at 15:00 GMT, he and Guillermo were sailing upwind in about six knots of wind, making just over six knots of boat speed. Regarding the decision to sail to the East of Ibiza overnight, McKee said: "It was a hard decision and it wasn't one made with a lot of confidence...I think all of the other boats would tell you the same thing. For some reason, the weather models are having a difficult time dealing with the conditions right now." McKee says he expects more of the same overnight and into tomorrow, with light winds making for a minefield of gains and losses on the road to Gibraltar. The latest official rankings put Estrella in second overall, just two miles behind Paprec Vibrac in first, and only one-mile head of PRB. For more information about Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee please visit www.estrelladammsailingteam.com http://www.estrelladammsailingteam.com To view the latest videos, images and to hear the skippers in their own words visit www.estrelladammsailingteam.com http://www.estrelladammsailingteam.com For the official event website and to view the current boat standings visit www.barcelonaworldrace.com http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com/ On 14 September Open 60 Estrella Damm, leaves Barcelona as she starts off on the final leg of her qualifying passage for the Barcelona World Race. © Jorge Andreu http://www.theirwebsite.com/ http://www.damm.es http://www.mail2web.com/cgi-bin/redir.asp?lid=0&newsite=http://www.damm.es Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE