Barcelona World Race 2007-2008

Barcelona World Race 2007
www.barcelonaworldrace.com - Übersicht

17.01.2007
targeting the Horn
With barely any more wind than yesterday, it’s another fairly peaceful day in store for Temenos II. Two days from the Horn, Michèle and Dominique are keen to get into the Atlantic and make northing. The duo had hoped to be able to rapidly hit the winds of a front in the process of catching them up, but will have to wait a little while yet. The monohull is still making headway before this front and though the leaden skies which accompany the drop in pressure leave no doubt as to the arrival of strong winds, for the time being Temenos II will have to make do with twenty or so knots to move forward.

By positioning themselves to the South, the two co-skippers are today benefiting from a good wind angle, which is better than that of the Mutua Madrilena, slightly North of them. By way of compensation, the Spanish boat situated 189 miles in Temenos II’s wake and the first to have been caught up by the front, is seemingly benefiting from more steady winds.

“There is low cloud with a visibility not in excess of 2, 3 miles. It’s drizzling and the air is saturated with 100% humidity. We have hit a little air but we’re still ahead of the front” said Michèle when contacted this afternoon. “We’d like to have a bit more wind. There aren't many waves to surf but we're managing a good speed nonetheless. The front is slowly approaching us, but it’s unlikely to catch up with us before the Horn. This situation should continue for the next two days and Mutua Madrilena, who is already in the front, is likely to make the most of it and make up a fair amount of ground. The latest routing forecasts a lead of just ten hours for us after rounding the Horn.”

Message from Michèle written overnight "Light wind and a low average speed aboard Temenos II today, in downwind mode in 10 to 12 knots of breeze. It’s a little boring after the wild surfs and the high speeds of recent days but it’s an ideal opportunity to check the deck fittings: dismantling of the cleats which don't close properly, total drying out of the bilges, checking of the blocks at the foot of the mast, indextenance of the lazy-bag, in short we’ve got enough to keep us busy ...

The watches at the helm are a little monotonous, in contrast to the surrounding spectacle which has changed on several occasions. During this terribly long, drawn-out day, the skies have provided a great range of colours, light grey garnished by a little drizzle, turning to dark grey lined with numerous stratus and then, unexpectedly, it turned blue at the end of the day in a limpid atmosphere we hadn't dared hope for.

We had a visit from an albatross. He circled Temenos II a couple of times and then a little disdainfully settled on the water and watched us pass by without a word. He too looked a little bored on this windless day. Shortly afterwards he launched himself into various chaotic attempts at taking off. Albatrosses are like sail boats, the wind is their motor. The poor thing clumsily ran across the water trying to lift his overly big wings, before landing back down heavily in a plume of spray. I imagined how angry he must be to show himself in such a bad light before us lowly landlubbers. The second attempt was no more conclusive but by the third attempt he finally managed to take off and regain his element and, all of a sudden, his panache too… in contrast to us. We may well have made fun of him, but it's still us that are dragging our feet making just 10 knots of boatspeed!

The grib files are rather evasive. If things go to plan we aren’t likely to have any big gales until Cape Horn, but we should be accompanied by a low situated to the South of us. Right now we’re at 57° South, lower than Cape Horn and well covered so the cold isn't affecting us too much. Is it our proximity to the exit with its promise of milder weather which is making us more resistant? In any case, the body is well accustomed to the cold now and a lot more besides!

Our hair continues to grow and personally, unlike a lot of the other skippers, I didn't opt to set out from ‘zero’ the day before the start in Barcelona. I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't have been a bad idea when I feel the knots of hair on my head! I made the most of this windless day without much to do on deck to launch into a hair revamp with some serious untangling and a trim, or at least a 'readjustment' to stop my fringe getting into my eyes. As far as the shower is concerned, we'll save that for a bit later I think. Our resistance to the cold has its limits! I’ll wait for the temperature to rise again. As for my ‘neighbour across the landing’ who likes cold water even less than me, I think he’ll be making do with wet-wipes till we get to the equator!"

Kate Jennings
Expression. P.O. Box 26, Dartmouth, DEVON. TQ6 0YG United Kingdom +44 (0)7795 116699