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Velux 5 Oceans -- Leg 2, Day 39 Report |
VELUX 5 OCEANS – Leg 2, Day 39 Report
• Exhausted Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) has the most stressful day’s sailing in his career
• Graham Dalton (NZL) heads into Port Stanley to fix mainsail
• Bernard Stamm (SUI) works up a sweat in Doldrums drought
• Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN) serene and calm in light airs prison
SAGA INSURANCE is now back in 5th position in the VELUX 5 OCEANS race having completed his stop in Ushuaia to make repairs. Graham Dalton, onboard A SOUTHERN MAN – AGD, is also making a pit stop in the Falklands with a problem with its headboard car, which will give a better window for Sir Robin to re-gain 4th place. 3rd place will be harder to catch this time, as the Basque sailor Unai Basurko, onboard PAKEA has put 500 miles between him and SAGA INSURANCE.
The last time Sir Robin pit stopped in Fremantle, the Basque sailor had only gained 250 nautical miles. However with just under 7,000 nautical miles to go to the States, anything could still happen and in Open 60 yacht racing, it usually does. VELUX 5 OCEANS race leader, Bernard Stamm, has rounded the eastern point of Brazil 100 miles offshore, squeezing between the mainland coast and the islands of Fernando da Noronha. The Swiss skipper is fighting wildly fluctuating wind conditions as he climbs towards the Equator, 200 miles north of CHEMINÉES POUJOULAT.
These conditions are highly demanding, allowing Stamm little time to rest. At this point on the globe, the sun remains directly overhead for most of the day, throwing no shadows from the mainsail, providing minimal shade. Roasting below deck out of the blazing heat on the airless Open 60, Stamm trusts that the Doldrums will diminish.
Sailing off the coast of Uruguay, 1,914 miles to the south, second place Kojiro Shiraishi has unglued SPIRIT OF YUKOH from a period of dead calm yesterday and is heading due north averaging 8.5 knots. The Japanese skipper has been dogged by windless periods throughout Leg 2, but he is now taking a more relaxed approach which he attributes to his spiritual discipline.
Having left the Falkland Islands to starboard, third place Unai Basurko has capitalised on Koji's stalled progress, taking 60 miles from SPIRIT OF YUKOH overnight. The Spanish Open 60 now
trails the Japanese yacht by 1,016 miles as Basurko takes PAKEA along the edge of South American continental shelf, 150 miles due north of the Falklands.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, SAGA INSURANCE:
“If stress is meant to be good for you then the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia must be very good for one, but I could have done without it. Sunday evening was a beat into an increasing narrow channel with winds gusting 35 and steady for long periods on 33 knots and steep, nasty seas. I was not sure we were going to make it, but a slight freeing of the wind for 30 minutes gave us a safe angle in the end. The towboat was waiting for me off Picton Island but rightly said they could not put a line aboard SAGA INSURANCE until we had calmer waters. Then we lost contact and it was only halfway along the island that they found me and escorted us to a small area where there was a lee.”
“After a harrowing 8 hours I suddenly felt very tired now the situation was under control. Mooring up in Ushuaia was another nightmare, it seems to blow a gale or go very calm and we had the former but eventually got tied up with minimal loss of skin. Then it was time to leave … Solo sailing the Beagle Channel is not to be recommended, but the scenery is spectacular. It narrows to less than a mile in places and the wind gusts through, although there are calmer patches. I would not willingly do the passage again except in a boat with a powerful motor and good crew. It took longer than intended and I have lost some extra hours as I did not get to the point where I started to motor until 0524 GMT but it will be a huge relief to get SAGA INSURANCE into open water.”
Bernard Stamm, CHEMINEES POUJOULAT
“I have a big problem with my water maker but in the afternoon, I went trough a very big squall and I could catch more or less 80 litres of fresh water in the reefed mainsail. I took the reef in just before the gust has arrived, five minutes before there was a big tornado under the squall, but it disappeared before arriving on the boat. It is like this, now, since two days ago and between the squalls there is very slow and shifty wind and burning sun. I hope soon I'll get out of this place.”
Boat Positions as at 10:20 UTC 21 February 2007
Yacht
Skipper
Latitude
Longitude
Course (°)
Speed (knot)
DTL (nautical miles)
DTF (nautical miles)
Dist - last Pos (nautical miles)
Dist - 24h (nautical miles)
Average speed - 24h (knots)
VMG - 24h (knots)
1
Cheminees Poujoulat
Bernard Stamm
03° 36.56 S
034° 48.04 W
8
10.3
3359
39.4
155
6.46
6.22
2
Spirit of Yukoh
Kojiro Shiraishi
33° 46.04 S
043° 55.08 W
20
12
1921
5281
47.5
162.7
6.78
6.77
3
PAKEA
Unai Basurko
47° 50.46 S
057° 17.59 W
11
8.9
2945
6305
39.6
239.2
9.96
9.87
4
A Southern Man-AGD
Graham Dalton
51° 40.32 S
057° 50.04 W
310
0.2
3150
6510
23
152.2
6.34
5.77
5
SAGA Insurance
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
55° 09.12 S
065° 31.88 W
40
7.1
3481
6841
31.2
97.8
4.07
2.04
- END -
For more information on VELUX 5 OCEANS please visit www.velux5oceans.com, or contact:
Tim Kelly / Justine Ozoux / Kate Fairclough
RACE PRESS OFFICE: + 44 20 7494 1616
E: tim.kelly@pitchpr.com / justine@pitchpr.com / kate@pitchpr.com
Notes to Editors
About the VELUX 5 OCEANS – The Ultimate Solo Challenge
The VELUX 5 OCEANS is the oldest and most established, single-handed round the world yacht race. With a rich sporting heritage, the race has been contested every four years since 1982, previously under the titles of ‘BOC Challenge’ and more recently ‘Around Alone.’ The ultimate in human endeavour, more people have climbed Mount Everest and travelled to the moon, than have completed a solo circumnavigation.
In 2006, the race celebrates its 25th Jubilee year and, with new title sponsors, VELUX, is set to be greater than ever before. The 30,000 mile three-leg race is scheduled to begin in Bilbao on 22nd October and will stop in Australia and the USA before returning to Bilbao approximately 6 months later. The introduction of fewer stopovers and shorter preparation times between legs has been specifically introduced to provide a more cost effective global marketing opportunity for entrants and their sponsors.
Over the years, the race has consistently attracted a wide spread of entries from around the globe, making heroes of many celebrated yachtsmen and women, including Mike Golding, Philippe Jeantot, Giovanni Soldini, Jean-Luc van den Heede, Isabelle Autissier, Bernard Stamm and Emma Richards.
www.velux5oceans.com
About The VELUX Group
VELUX creates better homes by letting daylight and fresh air through the roof. The duct range contains a wide range of roof windows and skylights in many sizes, types and variants as well as a whole family of decoration and sunscreening products, roller shutters, installation products, remote control units and solar panels for installation in the sloping roof. VELUX Technology also supplies original VELUX components to their partners working in the field of roof window sunscreening.
VELUX is one the strongest brands in the global building materials sector and is sold around the world. The VELUX Group has production companies in 10 countries and sales companies in nearly 40 countries. The Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S and, for competitive reasons, the financial results are incorporated into the VKR Group's consolidated accounts. In 2004, the VKR Group's total turnover was almost DKK 12.7 billion and the result before tax was DKK 2,097 million.
The core objective of the VELUX Group is described in the Model Company Objective: “It is the Group’s purpose to establish a number of Model Companies, which cooperate in an exemplary manner. By Model Company we mean a company working with products useful to society, which treats its customers, suppliers, employees of all categories and shareholders better than most other companies. A Model Company makes a profit, which can also finance growth and maintain financial independence.”
In the VELUX Group, results are achieved through united effort. Our core values are commitment, mutual respect, improvements, local initiatives and thoroughness. At the beginning of 2005, some 8,500 people were employed in the VELUX Group.
www.VELUX.com
About Clipper Ventures Plc
This year marks the 37th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's historic solo and non-stop circumnavigation in 1970. Now, as Chairman of Clipper Ventures PLC, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing. Clipper Ventures, the marine sports company founded in 1995 and listed on AIM stock market in London in 1999, is focussed on developing and promoting major events capable of attracting significant participation, income, media coverage and associated sponsorship revenue. The company owns the rights to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the VELUX 5 OCEANS, and Zapcat Racing, the world's largest one-design powerboat series.
www.clipper-ventures.com
About Bilbao (Basque Country)
Set in the province of Bizkaia, the City of Bilbao, in a joint initiative with the Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia and the Basque Government, has committed to be the official host port for both the start and finish of the 2006/7 VELUX 5 OCEANS. Bilbao is the economic capital of the Basque country in the north of the Iberian Peninsula and has historically strong ties to the oceans. Renowned for its spectacular Guggenheim Museum and having recently undergone significant urban regeneration and development, the city will provide an outstanding backdrop for the race. The race will be based in a new marina and waterfront development at the Port of Getxo, which is linked directly to the city by a new metro system designed by Norman Foster.
www.bilbao.net / www.bizkaia.net
About Fremantle (Western Australia)
At the mouth of the Swan River, the vibrant port town of Fremantle is located 20 minutes' drive southwest of Perth, Western Australia. Rich in heritage buildings and attractions, maritime history and culture, visitors are guaranteed to enjoy the relaxed outdoor lifestyle, some of the country’s best beaches, bustling markets, nightlife, unrivalled sporting facilities and amazing marine adventures. The VELUX 5 Oceans Race Village will be at the picturesque Fremantle Sailing Club, where the race crews will be able to make use of the world class facilities used during the recent Clipper 05-06 round the world yacht race, and Whitbreads of the past.
www.westernaustralia.com
About Norfolk, Virginia (USA)
Norfolk, which is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest military station in the world, can host hundreds of vessels at one time including cruise ships, destroyers and submarines and once made history when it berthed five nuclear aircraft carriers at the same time. The port will provide the skippers and ground crews of the VELUX 5 OCEANS with world class facilities.
The City is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Hampton Roads Harbour, one of the most famous sailing areas in the USA which attracts hundreds of thousands of yachts and sailing fanatics to the area every year and has played host to some of the world’s major sailing events including the Volvo Ocean Race and the Mount Gay Rum Sailing Week. The situation of the City also makes it an idea venue for the VELUX 5 OCEANS providing unique opportunities to watch the fleet arrive from vantage points on the coast and on the water. |
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