MENUAnimal
Health/ Economic/ Political
|
 |
7 February 2003Round the World Ocean Sailing - the Jules Verne Trophy Something to take your mind off the
heavy politics of matters to do with the Land. (Filed 7/2/03)The Jules Verne Trophy is awarded for the fastest time around the world non-stop under sail. It starts and finishes at Ushant in Northern Brittany. You go when you like, and with what kind of craft you like as long as it sails. You go with whoever you like and with as many as you like. It is the fiercest challenge in yachting that there is. It is not for the faint hearted. To try for the trophy stimulates a huge amount of research and development into boat design and the materials used. The aim is to get maximum speed, without the boat succumbing to the immense stresses and strains put upon it, as she sails the different oceans under widely different weather conditions. To challenge for the Jules Verne Trophy also involves applying the most up-to-date meteorological and communication skills. It is essential to keep the crew at maximum efficiency both physically and mentally when accommodation is cramped, amenities minimal and conditions at times awesome. It is a study in teamwork, both off and on shore. Nutrition, sleep patterns, hygiene, coping with stress, maintaining concentration, as well as applying navigation and sailing skills are all important. For landlubbers hooked on websites, there are some fine examples of Internet communication coming from the challenging yachts and their supporting teams. Promotion techniques to help raise the vast finance involved in such challenges are clear to see. If you follow the progress of the yachts, which is reported at least daily on their websites, you could well brush up your knowledge of world geography as seen from the sea. The challenge is to beat the record currently held by Bruno Peyron who circled the globe in 64 days 8 hours 37 minutes in a yacht called Orange last year. Presently there are two challengers: British Ellen MacArthur - the diminutive lass from land-locked middle England who has achieved so much in ocean racing in such a short time. Her book “Taking on the World” is reviewed in Land-Care and is a highly recommended read (1). She is skipper of a crew of 14 in a catamaran (two hulls) built in New Zealand for the challenge. She started on 30th January 2003 after waiting for an appropriate weather window. Her website is www.ellenmacarthur.com.
She has been experiencing very mixed weather conditions, but the boat and crew have performed well. Presently they are approaching the equator. Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson - an immensely experienced sailor who is skipper of a 10 man crew in a huge trimaran (three hulls) that is the last word in modern boat technology. His boat is called Geronimo. The development of the boat and its progress in the race against time can be followed on www.grandsrecords.com. Geronimo left Ushant on 11th January 2003. It has already broken records for different stages of the challenge. They have recently been experiencing extremely rough seas, and will shortly be approaching Australia.
Progress ReportOn day 8 KINGFISHER 2 FINALLY CROSSED THE EQUATOR AT 0121 and 51 seconds, after a painful and slow final 50 miles in virtually no wind at all. Still suffering in windless zone and challenge of South Atlantic high pressure system lies ahead.
Her time of 7 days, 18 hours, 33 minutes, 2 seconds from the start to the Equator was just ahead of Orange’s time set last year by 3 hours, 26 minutes, 58 seconds, but 1 day, 7 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds behind Geronimo.
References1. Ellen MacArthur. Taking on
the World. Michael Joseph, 2002. |
