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A WESTCOUNTRY sailor caught up in an international security storm feared he wouldn’t see his family “for a very long time” after being captured by the Iranian navy.
Olly Young, from Saltash, Cornwall, was part of the five-strong crew onboard the Kingdom of Bahrain yacht, which was seized after it allegedly entered Iranian waters illegally in November.
In an exclusive interview with the Western Morning News, Olly told of the spine- chilling moment his yacht was boarded by armed guards, when he was blindfolded and forced to spend several days “in limbo” on Sirri Island.
The crew had been heading for the start of the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, but their journey was plunged into uncertainty when the vessel was boarded.
Olly, 21, spent eight terrifying days imprisoned in army barracks while the Iranian government decided if the crew had “evil intentions”.
He said: “We wanted to avoid the oil rigs in Sirri, so we took a slightly different route – it was then that we saw the navy.
“We thought we might be in trouble because, on board these two boats, we could see men carrying large guns.
“They came on board, seized our phones and blindfolded us.
“We couldn’t speak their language and their English was very poor, so we had no idea what was going on.
“We just tried to stay calm – but it was difficult.”
The drama sparked increased media focus on Iran, whose nuclear enrichment plans had been condemned by members of the international community.
Olly and fellow crew members Oliver Smith, a former University of Plymouth student, Luke Porter, from Weston-super- Mare, Bahrain-based radio presenter David Bloomer, and Sam Usher, from North Yorkshire, were twice told by guards they were free to go before the authorities changed their minds.
They eventually spent eight days in a small room with only two beds and blacked-out windows.
“We had no idea what was going on – it’s a cliche, but it really was an emotional rollercoaster,” Olly said. “There was so much uncertainty that at times I think we all worried about when we would see our family and friends again.
”At one stage we thought it wouldn’t be for a very long time.
”We all did a lot of thinking during that time, but we didn’t speak to each other about it because we wanted to stay positive.”
Olly, a professional sailor and qualified boat-builder, said the prison guards were friendly and treated the crew very well throughout.
News of the crew’s release, he added, was greeted with “leaps of joy”.
He said: “The guards came in and told us we could go – we couldn’t believe it. We were just so delighted.”
On returning to the UK, the laid-back sailor told his family: “We’ve had a bit of a shocker, really.”
Despite the experience, Olly has not been put off sailing and is planning his entry into the prestigious Round Britain and Ireland Race, which begins in Plymouth in June.
He and close friend Sam Goodchild will spend the next few months training off the south coast of England ahead of the two-week race.
Olly said: “Once you are bitten by the sailing bug, you live for it.
”Plymouth is one of the finest places to sail in the UK, so I am really hoping we can do the Westcountry proud.
”I am a local lad and I would love to fly the flag for the South West.”
The duo are searching for local corporate sponsorship to help fund the costs. For more details, visit www.yogoracing. com.
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) confirmed the receipt of the Regatta Report Forms from the ISAF Race Officials appointed to the 33rd America’s Cup Match. The Regatta Report Forms were received from the ISAF
appointed Principal Race Officer Harold Bennett and the Chairman of the International Jury David Tillett. They will be sent to the ISAF Race Officials Committee who will review the contents and make recommendations if
deemed necessary. The purpose of the report system is to provide an assessment of the ISAF appointed officials and to learn from incidents or exceptional situations that happened during an event. — Full story:
http://www.sailing.org/news/32042.php
BOAT HANDLING BLUNDER SINKS BRITS
Auckland, NZL (March 11, 2010; Day 3) – Racing at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta moved closer to the city front today as the southwester funneled down the harbour, with puffs into the low 20-knot range as the day
wore on. The weather mark was between the container wharves and the Devonport Dockyard. Tipped as the highlight match of the day, the opening race between Emirates and Britain’s TEAMORIGIN came to a sudden end at the
first leeward gate as a late tactical call on the British boat escalated into a firedrill that left spinnaker and jib draped over the foredeck and a broken spinnaker pole over the side.
Ben Ainslie at TEAMORIGIN’s wheel held a 14 second lead at the end of the first beat after a fierce nine-tack duel up the short 1.2-mile weather leg in a puffy and shifty 13-16 knot southwesterly breeze. But at the leeward mark with the Kiwis bow to stern with TEAMORIGIN, the British hopes evaporated as Ainslie issued new last-minute orders. “It was a bit of mess,”
Ainslie said. “Things change very quickly at the bottom, but a big shift made us change the call and there wasn’t enough time for the guys to react.”
Day 3 Match Results
Emirates Team New Zealand def. TEAMORIGIN, Ret.
All4One def. Azzurra, 00:46
Mascalzone Latino Audi def. ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:55
Artemis def. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:41
Live streaming web coverage of the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Auckland is
available on the event website. Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yf5j84v
Provisional leaderboard after Flight Three:
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), skipper Dean Barker (NZL), 3-0
2. All4One (FRA/GER), skipper Jochen Schumann (GER), 2-1
2. Artemis (SWE), skipper Paul Cayard (USA), 2-1
2. Azzurra (ITA), skipper Francesco Bruni (ITA), 2-1
5. ALEPH Sailing Team (FRA), skipper Bertrand Pace (FRA), 1-2
5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), skipper Gavin Brady (NZL), 1-2
5. TEAMORIGIN (GBR), skipper Ben Ainslie (GBR), 1-2
8. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, skipper Karol Jablonski (POL), 0-3
FOR THE RECORD
(Day 40 – March 11, 2010; 17:21 UTC) – Franck Cammas and his nine crew are navigating through a difficult zone between a stormy low and the E’ly tradewinds of the Saint Helena High.
“Groupama 3 has been sailing into the wind since Cape Horn and they’re going to have to wait till Friday night or early on Saturday before they track down more favourable winds,” explained team meteorologist Sylvain Mondon.
“As such the next 36 hours will continue to be difficult, as they’ll have to traverse a ridge of high pressure. After the Doldrums, the NE’ly tradewinds are well installed in the North Atlantic and, following on from that, a depression will need to be created over the North American continent so as to propel the giant trimaran towards Ushant at high speed. There’s a strong likelihood of this happening too!”
“We had some difficulties last night and since then we’ve had to deal with squalls every ten minutes, but we’re now beginning to escape this unstable zone!” noted skipper Franck Cammas. “We’ve pretty much had it with upwind
sailing as the time goes slowly in these kinds of conditions. However, we’re going to have to be patient before we find ourselves in a steadier and more favourable system. The passage of the equator is set for Sunday morning and
in the meantime we’re going to flirt with the light airs. We’re going to have to make as rapid headway as we can to hold onto our chances of beating the Jules Verne Trophy record.” — Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ylccu7x
Current position as of March 11, 2010 (22:00:00 UTC):
Ahead/behind record: -356.0 nm
Speed (avg) over past 24 hours: 11.3 knots
Distance over past 24 hours: 272.4 nm
Distance to go: 4,473 nm
Data: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne/positions.asp?lg=en
Map: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne/index.asp?lg=en
* After their start on January 31, 2010, Franck Cammas and his nine crew on
Groupama 3 must cross finish line off Ushant, France before March 23rd
(06:14:57 UTC) to establish a new time for the Jules Verne Trophy (21,760
nm) for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with
no restrictions. Current record holder is Bruno Peyron and crew, who in 2005
sailed Orange 2 to a time of 50 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes at an average
of 17.89 knots.
After sustaining a fracture to his right leg on the tenth day of Race 7, Piers Dudin, Skipper of Hull & Humber has been safely medevaced by the Japanese Coastguard. The 50 metre rescue vessel is now motoring towards Japan where it will rendezvous with a larger vessel which has a helicopter that will airlift the skipper to the city of Sendai, approximately two hours north of Tokyo.
Reports from the boat suggest that a large wave hit the boat, causing the skipper to be swept down the deck which resulted in the injury. Hull & Humber crew member Tom Salt was on deck at the time. He says, “Two of the crew were on the high side and got swept across the deck – one stopping by the helm station and the other at the starboard quarter.
Piers was on the low side of the helm station and was swept into the guard rail and then aft on top of the other crew member who was uninjured. We believe that Piers caught the side of his right leg around the forward starboard stanchion of the pushpit and the force of the water broke his shin. Kevin (Austen) was on the helm, but managed to keep control and did not lose contact with the wheel. Piers calmly informed the crew he had broken his leg and was assisted down below, giving calm instructions on what needed to be done.”
In a message to the crew, Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, praised the way the team had handled the situation. “You have all been through a difficult ordeal over the last 36 hours, one that very few people have to cope with. Thank you for the calm manner in which you have dealt with the situation, this is a testament to you all and also to the way Piers has instructed and managed the team. It is also a sign of a very good team that can really pull together in times of need.”
Following the incident and as one of the nearest vessels, Spirit of Australia was called upon to shadow Hull & Humber as they headed west to rendezvous with the Japanese Coastguard. With conditions safe enough for a boat to boat transfer, skipper Brendan Hall moved on to Hull & Humber to assist with the evacuation and has now taken charge of the English entry for the remainder of Race 7.
In the meantime, round the world crew member Bob Bell has been appointed acting skipper of Spirit of Australia on account of his experience and qualifications.
Sir Robin says, “Bob is an exceptionally qualified crew member and has completed approximately 10,000 miles of RYA courses, including RYA Yachtmaster with ocean theory, and bareboat chartering. He also has more than 35,000 miles experience from the Challenge Business, completing their training course and taking part in the BT Global Challenge 2000-2001 race as a round the world crew member on the winning boat. Added to that, Bob has 20,000 miles of offshore experience with Clipper, including our comprehensive training course and more than 18,000 miles of the 09-10 Race.
“He also has the support of another well qualified Yachtswoman, Liz Simmons who is a qualified RYA Yachtmaster and the crew is now highly experienced. With nine round the world crew members who have each completed the Clipper training programme and 18,000 miles of the race, they are a strong team and I have every faith in their ability.”
Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber have now turned east again and been instructed by the Race Office to keep in close company for the remainder of the 5,680 mile race to San Francisco.
“We have made the decision for both boats to continue to San Francisco due to the weather forecast,” says Sir Robin. “Between their current location and Tokyo is the remnants of the last low pressure system which is currently centered over the Japan sea delivering steady winds between 25 to 35 knots. To head to Japan would mean sailing against the Japan current and a nasty wind over tide effect. These conditions are forecasted to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours and will make for a very difficult ride for any boat that is heading west. The safest course for the boats is downwind and they have been instructed to head east and take it easy whilst everyone settles in to the new arrangements.”
Amongst the rest of the fleet, conditions have calmed and the mood is a somber one as Piers’s accident serves a sharp reminder to all of the dangers of ocean racing. Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Pete Stirling, sums it up in his report to the race office today.
“First of all I must extend my heartfelt sympathy to Piers. Over the course of the last year, since we have known each other, Piers has become a good friend on land and a fine adversary on the water. It’s a very cruel twist of fate that has caused him to be taken out of this race in such a dramatic way. These things can happen in a blink of an eye and it just demonstrates once again the immense power of the sea and the amount of damage it can do. As one of my crew pointed out one cubic metre of water weighs one tonne. On occasion we have a lot more water than that coming across our decks and then it is also travelling at speed.”
With two medics on board, Cape Breton Island, along with Spirit of Australia, was initially called upon to rendezvous with Hull & Humber to provide assistance if needed. They were stood down but the slight detour has clearly not affected their performance and the team is now 75 nautical miles ahead of the chasing pack. However, following yesterday’s incident skipper Jan Ridd’s team isn’t going to push their luck as the Weymouth-based skipper explains.
“Last night we were carrying on the hunt for Hull & Humber and Spirit of Australia when the satellite phone rang. I answered with a little trepidation as we really only use this system for emergencies only. It was Joff (Bailey, Race Director) who quickly explained that Piers had been in a nasty accident and had possibly broken his leg and could we standby to see if we could help as I have two qualified medics on board. After a short while we were stood down which has allowed us to carry on racing but under a very conservative sail plan. All of us have been made very aware of the dangers of ocean racing.”
The Canadian team’s move to the front of the fleet means that their North American rivals, California, will be fully focused on catching them as they continue to chase the elusive home port win.
With the repairs to their mainsail now complete, skipper Pete Rollason, says, “California is back on the race track at full speed. At about 0400 local time after battling for two hours the crew finally managed to get the mainsail hoisted. The wind has eased this morning and so it’s just as well the repair had been finished.
“We have used the respite offered by the light winds and sunshine to conduct various equipment checks, undertake some preventative maintenance and servicing, dry out our kit and recharge everyone’s batteries.”
Likewise, Uniquely Singapore’s crew have used the break in the weather to get their boat ship shape and ready for the next low pressure system.
“Singas has been a hive of activity today,” says skipper Jim Dobie. “We have managed to fix our instruments which had been intermittently shutting down due to some corrosion on wiring and connectors. Craig (Davey) went up the mast and carried out a rig check and the team on deck worked their way through halyards and sheets, checking wear and chafe and repairing when necessary. As the next low starts to affect us and the winds come in again, we are in good shape and itching for some fast downwind weather. The race is still changing and we are now eyeing up the gate and those extra points as we march onwards to San Francisco.”
Meanwhile the crew onboard Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are busy investigating a problem with one of their spreaders and are sailing conservatively until the problem is resolved. This will come as a blow to the team that is presently in second place and they will be hoping that it can be sorted if they are to achieve their first podium of the race.
Good news for Team Finland today as their replacement mast has now cleared customs in Shanghai and is making its way by truck to Qingdao. Expected to arrive at 1400 local time tomorrow, the crew will be chomping at the bit to get to work and get back on the race track as quickly as possible.
GEAR FAILURE FOILS KIWI – ITALIAN ENCOUNTER
Auckland, NZL (March 10, 2010; Day 2) – Gear failure puts finish to a close Kiwi vs Italian encounter American-based Kiwi Gavin Brady and his largely international team of Latin Rascals on Mascalzone Latino Audi took the fight
to host Emirates Team New Zealand in their Louis Vuitton Trophy race today, only to lose after a gear failure.
Brady, with American tactician Morgan Larson calling the shots, pulled off a risky pre-start strategy against skipper Dean Barker on the New Zealand boat, pushing ETNZ deep into the start box after a dialup but breaking clear
with immaculate timing to grab the start he wanted – a port tack cross at speed, right at the committee boat.
Minutes later as they came back together, Brady had a two boat-length advantage that he parlayed into a 22 second lead at the first weather mark. Brady’s lead had evaporated by the second beat, it was with Mascalzone’s bow barely in front when their jib came crashing down.
Day 2 Match Results
TEAMORIGIN def. All4One, 01:33
Emirates Team New Zealand def. Mascalzone Latino Audi, 4:43
Azzurra def. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:41
Artemis def. ALEPH Sailing Team 01:21
Live streaming web coverage of the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Auckland is
available on the event website. Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/ybkpqxg
Provisional leaderboard after Flight Two:
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), skipper Dean Barker (NZL), 2-0
Azzurra (ITA), skipper Francesco Bruni (ITA), 2-0
TEAMORIGIN (GBR), skipper Ben Ainslie (GBR), 1-1
Artemis (SWE), skipper Paul Cayard (USA), 1-1
All4One (FRA/GER), skipper Jochen Schumann (GER), 1-1
ALEPH Sailing Team (FRA), skipper Bertrand Pace (FRA), 1-1
Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), skipper Gavin Brady (NZL), 0-2
Synergy Russian Sailing Team, skipperKarol Jablonski (POL), 0-2
Team lists: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/teams/EN/
BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy series is designed to be a cost-effective format for match racing competition in Version 5 America’s Cup Class boats. Teams will take turns on the two Emirates Team New Zealand
yachts NZL 84 and NZL 92 that have been fitted out, optimized and rigged after a year in storage. They will race four matches a day to complete a round robin seeding series before a ladder elimination culminating in the
finals on March 21st. The 2010 series continues on to Sardinia (May 22-June
6) and Dubai (Nov. 13-28).
The last 24 hours have brought another reminder that the ocean gives no quarter to the crews taking part in the Clipper Race – this is serious racing, through towering seas and gales, extremes of heat and cold and, as is forecast in the next 24 to 36 hours, periods of little or no wind at all.
Describing the conditions he and his crew have just come through, Spirit of Australia’s skipper, Brendan Hall, says, “Last night was black as the ace of spades and windy enough to blow the hair off a wet dog. The waves were large and very powerful and their white, foaming crests loomed up ominously over our stern. Several of them broke over the transom, filling the cockpit up with white water. Our bowman, Andy (Rose, a journalist) found smug pleasure in observing that the back of the boat was, for once, wetter than the front.
“We’ve had very testing sailing conditions and the critical decision for me was saying when to back off and slow down, so as not to over-stress the sails, rig and deck gear. After one particularly vicious 45-knot gust, we dropped all sails except one and slipped along cautiously until the wind had eased.
“As always, we are thinking long term victory, not short term glory and, after sustaining bad sail damage in similar conditions on Leg 2, we have learned this lesson the hard way. I am proud to say that Spirit of Australia and her crew survived the first of many testing gales the North Pacific undamaged, undaunted and now back to racing 100 percent.”
“Last night we experienced the strongest winds and biggest seas we have seen since leaving Hull on September 13 last year,” says Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Pete Stirling. “After dropping the mainsail to make some essential repairs we ran with just the staysail through the night until first light this morning. Before hoisting the staysail we were making 7 knots with no sails at all then after it was hoisted were averaging over 10 knots. In the middle of the night the on watch recorded a speed of 19.6 knots whilst surfing down the face of a big wave. Given how far offshore we are it is surprising how confused the sea state is as by now we should be seeing more regular ocean rollers. Because of this confused sea state we had a few big waves side sweep us in the middle of the night knocking the boat on her side and filling the cockpit with water. Undeterred the boat picked herself up every time, as did the crew, and carried on with the chase to catch the leading boats. Despite a sizeable gap between us and the leading three boats there is still every chance of getting a point or two at the scoring gate.”
With every intention of denying Jamaica Lightning Bolt those points, Hull & Humber has been bearing down on Spirit of Australia and is currently lying in second place.
“Our best session of sailing to date, we’ve been making strong progress towards the front,” says skipper, Piers Dudin.
“Last night we settled into three reefs and a poled out Yankee 3 which we held nicely in the continuous 30 to 40-knot breeze. To their credit, everyone on board took a trick on the helm during the night with the watch leaders, Brett and Charlie, calling the course changes to compensate for the wind shifts and assiduously guarding the course boundaries less the helmsman wandered too far off-course. This morning the wind eased to Force 6 but has since picked up again. We’re hoping to hold onto as much breeze as we can to help set ourselves up for the next low pressure system booked for the weekend.
“We’ve had our fair share of chafe issues and so far we’ve been lucky to avoid anything too dramatic although I’m sure our time will come!
“Constant vigilance is required on deck as huge waves can dump on us at any time from any direction it seems, with no warning, knocking down anyone in their way, filling the cockpit with water, and requiring the watch leader to do a quick headcount! Time it right and Hull & Humber easily picks up to surf at 20 knots, time it wrong and the dinner is literally up the wall! Both of which we have achieved!”
California, aiming to be the first team on this edition of the Clipper Race to win a stage to their home port, is on the offensive once again, according to skipper, Pete Rollason.
He says, “The marathon continues and in this case I am not referring to the expanse of Pacific Ocean ahead of us – although that is pretty large too. This time I am talking about the amazing work my crew have put in to get California back up to racing speed. The mainsail has now been down for nearly 36 hours, which is why we have lost miles against the fleet, but the crew have been working hard in extreme conditions to make the necessary repairs, stitching sails, replacing lines and generally just controlling the big expanse of cloth that is our mainsail. The task is very nearly complete and we expect to be hoisting again within the next hour or so and then it will be pushing hard to regain the ground we have lost. All I can say is, I am extremely proud of each and every one of the crew and watch out the guys in front – we will be on the chase very shortly!”
Uniquely Singapore is making good progress up the leader board after a difficult first week in which most of the crew succumbed to a bug on board. By this morning they had climbed to sixth place, closing the gap on the leaders and their closest rival, Jamaica Lightning Bolt.
“The past two days have been filled with excitement, frustration and some great boat speeds. We have come out of this low unscathed with our only damage being our third reefing line losing its outer layer through chafe. This isn’t to say we haven’t had our dramas with particular vicious squalls coming through and choosing the right sail plan for the conditions made for interesting times. The one that stands out in the memory (there were a few)is after experiencing a lull in the wind we poled out our Yankee 3 and went up to a two reef main, then about twenty minutes later we had a 50 knot squall. I have a distinct memory of standing behind the helm and looking down as the bow dipped further and further towards the bottom of a trough before we hurtled down this wave at incredible speeds. Only then could I send the crew up on the foredeck to battle to get the Yankee down and once lashed put the third reef back in the main.
“I am glad we have protected Uniquely Singapore and, with the crew catching up on peaceful sleep, we now look to the next few days where we face the other extreme of a big high and potentially little winds. As we know from the past this is where big gains can be made and leads slashed down again. It will also give us a chance to give Singas a good check up and look at the running and standing rigging and make sure she’s 100 percent.
“What’s more on this sunny day we wished Laura a happy twentieth birthday with of course a cake and a slightly less than pretty chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’.”
Qingdao’s crew are having their fair share of ups and downs on this race but they are resilient bunch, says their skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major.
“Yesterday afternoon, for no perceptible reason, a two-foot rip suddenly opened in the foot of our main sail necessitating quick action by the crew to drop the main in 35 knots whilst surfing in large seas. We carefully manoeuvred it off the boom, taking care to keep it under control at all times lest the wind filled it and carried it over the side. With it safely below repairs have begun and we hope to hit the main rip and a number of other niggling issues today and re-hoist tomorrow. Obviously this comes as major blow but this latest issue has only spurred the crew to new levels of effort and last night we recorded our fastest ever boat speed: 26.7 knots SOG (speed over ground) – a second or two of pure exhilarating pleasure after a long hard day. If we can hit speeds like that perhaps mainsails are more optional than I had realised…”
Team Origin post first victory at Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta
A mediocre start for Team Origin at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Auckland was turned around this morning when they notched up their first victory of the regatta.
Winning ways: Skipper Ben Ainslie was once again rattled by the Italians on day one, losing the all important curtain raiser to Azzurra, who are fast establishing Team Origin as their whipping boys after knocking them out in the semi-finals of the first LV Trophy regatta in Nice last November, having beaten them in this regatta last year.
He fought back strongly today by winning the start against the French/German team All4One and used the tricky windshifts to post a 1 minute and 33 second victory.
RYA chief Rod Carr retires Regatta favourites Emirates Team New Zealand beat Mascalzone Latino Audi, who suffered gear failure.
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The Pacific is throwing her full weight at the Clipper 09-10 fleet and the last 24 hours have been tough. Now the winds have moved behind the fleet they are making fast progress towards their goal of San Francisco and they should continue to do so for the next few days.
The huge forces exerted on the 68-foot ocean racing yachts are powerful and the massive seas and high winds mean the helms and on-watch crews cannot lose focus for a second – but ask any of the crew and they’ll tell you the thrill of riding the great ocean rollers is second to none.
Race Director, Jonathan Bailey, said, “It is clear from the forecasts and subsequent reports that the fleet has endured some of the toughest conditions so far. Lines that have breaking strain of many tonnes have been exposed to huge forces and in those conditions it is inevitable that things will break as the yachts battle against some of the most extreme seas in the world. Kit preservation and good seamanship when dealing with breakages is all part of the challenge and it is clear that the teams are coping magnificently.”
Revelling in the conditions is the southern hemisphere entry, Spirit of Australia.
“Surf’s up on the green and gold missile!” says Brisbane-based skipper, Brendan Hall. “The last 12 hours have been some of the most exhilarating sailing of the race so far. The large waves and 40 knot winds are now behind us, pushing us along at terrific speeds. Helming in these conditions is a knife edge proposition. Steer too far one way and the headsail backs on itself, which can pop the hanks off; steer too far the other way and a crash-gybe awaits. Concentration and assertive wheel action is the key to keeping the boat on track. Still, the grin on the face of the helmsman after a 20-knot surf is worth the pain and struggle of getting here through the headwinds.”
Cape Breton Island’s eagle has soared up through the fleet to slip into second place this morning and, says skipper, Jan Ridd, “We are sailing very comfortably in a Force 9 gusting to Force 10 with some truly magnificent seas, the Pacific showing its awesome power.”
However the Canadian team has negotiated some tricky conditions over a wet and windy 24 hours. “We were sailing comfortably yesterday afternoon with an economic sail plan when, in the early evening, the wind picked up,” explains Jan. “We set about reducing sail area with the on watch and once again my instincts were spot on. No sooner had we lashed the headsails securely, a gust hit us which topped 56 knots. We went about securing everything on deck and ensuring we were set for the night. I must admit it was very unpleasant on deck with the true wind steady at over 40 knots and a very confused sea as the wind backed.
“This morning, after a few hours sleep in my wet weather gear on the floor beside the nav station, Luke (Dampier, 19, a student), one of the watch leaders, woke me to tell me the wind had backed even more and wanted to know if we could pole out the storm jib. After a quick assessment we decided to change up to the bigger Yankee 3 headsail and shake out a reef which meant a busy last hour to their watch. We held those sails till just before lunch when again I started to feel edgy so we hastily dropped the Number 3 and hoisted the storm jib again.”
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital has had a cracking run over the last 24 hours, lifting them from eighth to fifth place but they’ve had a sharp reminder of the need to conserve their kit during this marathon race across the largest ocean on the planet.
Skipper, Matt Pike, says, “This is more like a 68-foot windsurfer than a yacht! There’s no place for a lapse in concentration. We plane at a steady 15 knots until a big wave comes and hit 20 for a minute at a time. A particularly vicious set came too close together and somehow we made the top of the second crest, flying over it like a steeple chaser, but this coincided with a 50 knot gust and we’re still clearing up four hours later. The pole snapped like a match stick and a section of track came off the mast. With nothing holding it, the sharp edges started damaging the main and the cost of pushing hard suddenly became apparent.
“We now have the third reef in the main and the staysail and we’re still topping 16 knots off the waves. The wind is a steady 35 knots with the occasional gust of 40 and once the repairs are complete we’ll be back to full speed.”
Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Pete Stirling, explains the issue isn’t the strong winds – it’s their inconsistency. “It’s been a couple of days of vicious weather conditions which has slowed down progress quite considerably,” he says. “Though it is quite possible to sail fast in heavy weather conditions the problem is the weather is very changeable which makes it very difficult to choose the right sail plan. Last night we ran with a third-reefed mainsail and storm jib only but this morning were forced to drop the mainsail when the reefing pennant snapped and the block it passes round at the base of the mast was also damaged. Repairs are currently underway to replace the broken line and block. We are now running with the staysail only making a steady eight knots boat speed in the right direction. We have seen 50 knots of wind recorded on the wind instruments and expect it to get stronger tonight so things could get really interesting! Still we have a very conservative sail plan so should be able to handle anything the weather can throw at us. The crew have been kept incredibly busy over the last couple of days with multiple sail changes in very rough conditions.”
And while the Scottish and Jamaican entries have made gains, California and Qingdao have seen their placings slip – in Qingdao’s case, from third to eighth.
Chris Stanmore-Major says, “We found ourselves last night suddenly caught in the middle of a 50-knot squall with apparent winds bouncing higher than that initially. Luckily we were already pretty snugged down but the initial blast was so strong it snapped the staysail halyard sending the sail to the deck and half overboard and blew out the clew of the storm jib, changing our mild mannered little friend into a crazed animal shackled to the forestay. I was asleep at the time, taking an hour as we had found our line, had good speed, a wind that was freeing up and open water ahead. In a Wallace and Gromit manoeuvre I leapt clear of my bunk and seemingly straight into my drysuit and was on deck before I had both eyes open. Luckily the issue was not complex to deal with but with the boat heading directly before the wind we still had too much wind to re-hoist the staysail and we had to run the rest of the night on trysail alone meaning we were slow and could not hold a course. The outcome? Third to second last in the blink of an eye. This morning we started to piece things back together and we started to rebuild the storm jib.”
California has lost two places but is still very much in touch with Cape Breton Island and Hull & Humber, their distances to the finish separated by just three miles – astonishing after 1,300 miles of hard racing. Last night was perhaps one of the hardest so far.
Skipper Pete Rollason reports, “The crew are absolutely exhausted after enduring 50+ knot winds last night and making great speeds when all of a sudden the second reef line snapped under the load, swiftly followed by five sliders detaching themselves from the mast. The joys of ocean racing; sometimes you cry out in exhilaration and sometimes you just want to cry!
“The main has now been down and off for 12 hours with ongoing repairs being completed as and when conditions allow, bearing in mind we still have over 30 knots of wind. Hopefully we will be fully up and running before dark and pushing hard to regain our second place and then resume the kangaroo hunt.”
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