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BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE OCEAN ROVER'S SEAMANSHIP TAKES HER INTO 3RD POSITION Southampton (UK) Wednesday 9 October 1996 At 07.56 hrs GMT Ocean Rover had not only accomplished the highest mileage of 239 nautical miles in the last 24 hours, but had also managed to climb to 3rd position putting Concert under pressure as she lies just five miles ahead of Ocean Rover and 13 miles behind the present leader - Group 4. As the fleet heads south, now divided in two groups - those hugging the coast of Africa, and those taking the great circle route - each yacht is hoping that she has made the right tactical decision in her attempt to take the lead. The great circle route is the shortest distance between the point of Cape Finisterre and Rio, but as the yachts make their way closer towards the Doldrums they do however risk finding themselves at the beck and call of the elements. Those yachts such as Ocean Rover and Concert who have opted to hug the African coast are assured of a sea breeze but require stronger winds to cover the additional distance. Distance and speed are not the only concerns at present; with the yachts running with wind speeds of 15 knots behind them, there is a great deal of skill involved for the skipper as he tries to avoid blowing the flying spinnaker, for whilst the yacht surfs off a wave and plunges into the following wave, the yacht slows down whilst the sail keeps going at the same speed, hence it is important to balance the wave with the wind conditions to preserve the sails. Seamanship is therefore vital alongside the racing aspect and tactics involved in the race, as changing a ripped sail can result in as much 5 miles being lost. While the crew dry out their clothing in the warm sunshine, the art of peeling spinnakers (a change of spinnaker while the sailing spinnaker is still flying) is being perfected: Report received from Motorola at 08.38 GMT on 9 October 1996 " We decided to rehearse our peeling strategies. We have peeled 6 times in the past 24 hours, and I think we can set a peeling record with a couple more days like this.We may even do some peels a couple of minutes before the start in Rio just to amuse the crowds". Report received from Global Teamwork at 08.53 GMT on 9 October 1996 "Usually in the middle of a watch a spinnaker peel is greeted in a workmanlike manner by those we shake out of their pits to give a hand. Last night however there was a great deal of pleasure since it involved putting up the 1.5 that everyone had spent so much time working on. Of course it also meant that the wind was above 15 true for the first time since leaving Madeira; although that doesn't immediately alter our position in the fleet, it might mean that we can again start to hold our own rather than falling back against the eastern fleet". BT Global Challenge internet site: http://www.btchallenge.com, fax database 0990 321123 (+44 990 321123 from outside UK), recorded telephone information line 0891 505550 (UK only), Ceefax page 359 (UK only). |
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