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17 January 2003
Jules Verne Challenge Update: Day 18
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Ellen and Crew in Kingfisher 2
www.ellenmacarthur.com
www.teamkingfisher.com
DAY 18: 1700GMT HEADING FOR COVER...
Sunday, 16 February 2003
Position: 40
38'S 00 22'W
Boat speed:
28.2 knots
Distance to WP5 42
00'S / 18 28'W 490nm south of Cape of Good Hope: 855 nm
(theorectical shortest distance) KINGFISHER2 is hurtling down waves
- big waves - and trying to avoid "stuffing" the bows
into the wave in front - this is the Southern Ocean... Ellen and
the crew have kept a rocketing pace again today since this morning
clocking up another 180 miles but they are having to make ground
north - and fast. The new low forming behind them is packed with
strong winds and waves. KINGFISHER2 needs to get north to avoid
the worst of this new low: Meeno Schrader, the router, this afternoon
said:
"The tactic is to try to make it safe. They should get to
39 south minimum to avoid the strong winds from the NW and the
big swell from the WSW which will make the sea state pretty rough
and confused."
The art of riding the lows pressure systems is
to ride them to the north, close enough to get good breeze, but
not so close that storm conditions put you in to survival mode rather
than speed mode...as the low passes over the wind will switch from
north west, to west, then south west as the low departs...these
giant cats are capable of sustaining speeds that mean they can stay
with the same low for a thousand miles or more...
KINGFISHER2 will cross longitude 0 degrees today
taking her into the east in terms of longitude (next time they cross
back into the west, KINGFISHER2 will have completed just over half
the voyage). To better Orange's time from Ushant to Cape of Good
Hope KINGFISHER2 will have to cross longitude 018 28'E before 01:28
GMT on Tuesday (18.2.03) and with approximately 855 miles to go,
it is within their potential.
Three consecutive days are shown in the figures
below to illustrate the changes in the weather systems that necessitate
changes in direction.
LATEST FROM ELLEN IN
BRIEF CALL TO MISSION CONTROL:
"Been an exhausting 36 hours...I didn't sleep between 5
yesterday morning and this afternoon... I don't remember even
talking on the phone this morning when we spoke. Right now things
are pretty full on, we're doing 31 knots as I'm speaking, 32,
33...35.6...! Our speed over the ground is consistently in the
high 20s. My big worry is whether we gybed too late this morning
or not, we're now sailing heated up at 135 degrees true wind angle,
which is why we are so fast, trying to get north to position ourselves
to avoid the worst of the big storm coming up behind. Unfortunately,
it means we have to sail high to be safer to the north, and then
dive back south again in 48 hours time..."
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