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14 February 2003

Jules Verne Challenge Update: Day 16

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Ellen and Crew in Kingfisher 2

www.ellenmacarthur.com
www.teamkingfisher.com

Day 16 from start

NO CHOCOLATES OR FLOWERS ON VALENTINES DAY BUT PLENTY of boat speed, as KINGFISHER 2 SCORES BEST 24 HOUR RUN - a blistering 567 miles in the past 24 hours. “At last, we’re off...thermals, 30 knots of wind and we’re hooning!” Check out the wind speed graphs and boat speed graphs in POSITIONS at www.teamkingfisher.com.

• MACARTHUR AND CREW MAKE UP 17 HOURS ON RECORD DEFICIT thanks to the high mileage clocked up in the last 24 hours and their position south. Orange on day 14 last year ran 226 miles positioned at 32 south - a gradual gaining back of some miles but still a long way to go... Although, the record deficit on GERONIMO shows no improvement as Geronimo also sailed 500+ miles on day 14...
• KINGFISHER2 IS BLASTING DOWNWIND UNDER full main and storm spinnaker in 30 knots of wind from the north west, now under a 100 miles from the 40 degree south line, and the official entry in to the Southern Ocean.
• FIRST ALBATROSS SIGHTING - SURE SIGN THAT THE ATLANTIC is left behind them - after a very difficult descent of the Atlantic, the beautiful gliding bird signifies the start of the next phase - around Antartica leaving the Cape of Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn to port...

Ellen’s Phone-in says:

"Sailing along at 23 knots - averaging 26-27 knots though. Incredible how things have changed in the last few hours, never mind days, really. Gone from hot, hot sunshine to sailing downwind in 30 knots of breeze and quite heavy seas. Now we are down to almost south of the 40th parallel so we’re heading pretty quickly down into the Southern Ocean and quickly east as well - we had a good day yesterday averaging over 25 knots.

"Yesterday I was sitting down below in the nav station in shorts and t-shirt and now sitting here in thermals, mid layer and blanket over my legs! The water temperature is getting lower and lower - pretty chilly. Amazing how things can change in 24 hours...and today we saw first albatross - in fact, there were two of them - absolutely stunning, massive...

"Should be able to keep this pace for a while longer - sailing along with spinnaker and full main in 28-30 knots breeze. We’ve got a depression passing underneath us and we need to gybe over the top of that and ride with it as long as we can. Most important thing is to set ourselves up for next depression which is much bigger and more powerful, and we have to pick the right point on the front side of that depression. Seaway not too bad - relatively flat as we’re sailing into the back of an old high pressure system but last night it was horrendous, really violent sea, bouncing around."