9 February 2012
The GOR’s bluQube Scoring Gate is moved to preserve safety
As the Global Ocean Race (GOR) fleet leaders approach the bluQube Scoring Gate in the middle of the Pacific, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel have been pushing hard on their Akilaria RC2, Cessna Citation, sustaining averages of over 14 knots and pulling away from Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon in second on Financial Crisis.
Furthest north, in third place, the South Africans on Phesheya-Racing are timing their route to hook into the favourable breeze as Cyclone Cyril rumbles south-east into the Roaring Forties, while over 2,000 miles to the west, both Buckley Systems and Campagne de France have made landfall in New Zealand.
Despite their isolation 800 miles north-west of Cessna Citation and Financial Crisis, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire have company at 42S as the VHF on Phesheya-Racing burst into life. “I dashed out the hatch to see if I could see another vessel, but there was nothing in sight!” reported Hutton-Squire early on Thursday morning. “Nick got chatting to this boat that is fishing for tuna on long lines.” The 80ft boat, F/V Betty H, was from Hawaii spending three months fishing before returning via Tahiti to off load their fish. “Next time you have tuna, think about how far it has travelled to your plate!” she adds.
The South Africans continued chatting with the Betty H – crewed by five fishermen and three dogs: “The skipper told us in the old days he used to listen to the Whitbread boats on the VHF talking about spinnakers and losing masts,” Hutton-Squire continues. “They said they also thought that the weather is very unusual.” On Thursday afternoon GMT, Phesheya-Racing was making 7.6-knot averages keeping to their northern route and the plan of intercepting Cyclone Cyril. “If we stay north we will get into northerly wind faster and be able to sail downwind,” predicts the South African skipper. “The boat is going much better as the sea state has also improved,” she confirms.
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