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29 May 2012
Getting ready for a mid-Atlantic Force 9-10 gale
As the Global Ocean Race (GOR) Class40s enter their tenth day at sea in the final leg of the circumnavigation, all four teams are focussed on one weather feature; a deep depression heading for the fleet carrying winds of up to 50 knots forecast to arrive within the next 24 hours.
In fourth place, the Dutch duo of Nico and Frans Budel have positioned Sec. Hayai far enough south to avoid the worst of the westerly winds spinning from the bottom of the system as it rolls east across the fleet before heading higher into the North Atlantic. In third place, the South African duo of Phillippa Hutton-Squire and Nick Leggatt have tried to take Phesheya-Racing south and out of harm’s way, but light winds and an adverse current have put a stop to the plan.
Furthest north in the chasing trio on Financial Crisis in second place, Marco Nannini and Sergio Frattaruolo have backed-off the pace, crossing the bluQube Scoring Gate on Tuesday morning and hoping that slowing their Class40 will reduce the impact of the gale as the depression passes ahead of them. Meanwhile, at the head of the fleet, Conrad Colman and Scott Cavanough continue to thunder east at pace with Cessna Citation, but there’s nowhere to hide from the gale force winds for the Kiwi-Australian duo.
Averaging over eight knots at 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, 540 miles west of the Azores, Conrad Colman describes their inevitable appointment with strong winds: “We’re being stalked by a deepening depression in the North Atlantic that will hit us tomorrow with anything up to 50 knots,” says the 28-year-old skipper. “Despite sailing through some really strong conditions in the Southern Ocean legs of the Global Ocean Race, this is the first time I’ve seen the single, triangular wind barb [Force 10 ‘Whole Gale’ 55-63mph] for 50 knots on a forecasted storm that is about to hit,” he observes. “It doesn't look that scary from an armchair, but out here it really gets your attention!”
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