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BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE - PAUSE TO REMEMBER TOLD TO SAIL IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Southampton, Monday March 17th 1997 After the very heavy storms experienced by the fleet at the end of last week, the BT Global Challenge crews are happy to be sailing in calmer - albeit icy cold - seas, under clear blue skies. According to reports received from Pause to Remember early this morning the wind has almost died completely in her vicinity, and she is "crawling along in a Southern Ocean that is as flat as the Hyde Park lake." Having had to contend with multiple problems during the storms (she blew her trisail and damaged the mainsail), most of her crew had only three or four hours of sleep in a period of 36 hours, and Pause to Remember droppped from 5th to 13th place as she was without sails for nearly 27 hours. Her crew are now enjoying a brief respite and are trying to sail as fast as possible in order to work their way back up the fleet again. Pause to Remember's skipper and Irishman Tom O'Connor will no doubt be celebrating St. Patrick's Day today, but he will be keeping his crew on their toes and making sure they keep their yacht on course, as they have received a fax complaining about their progress. Kerry Bennett (aged 11) and Katie Richards (aged 10 ) of Bredenbury Primary School have been following the BT Global Challenge, and they are ardent supporters of Pause to Remember. However, Kerry and Katie were annoyed last week to see that their favourite yacht was "going at 3 mph in the wrong direction", and they sent a fax to yacht sponsors the British Legion urging them to "please help and tell them to go in the right direction." Thanks to the girls' intervention, Pause to Remember is now back on course and heading for Cape Town. On board 3Com, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated with hot toddies and a hot breakfast of bacom and scrambled eggs, while sailing within a couple of miles of 3Com, Ocean Rover's crew have been feasting on bacon butties, celebrating their first sighting of an iceberg and "bombing along under genoa". Morale has been boosted throughout the fleet by the improved weather conditions, and crews can now focus once more on racing one another instead of battling against the elements. Sailing in 6th place within two miles of Global Teamwork, Commercial Union has also been within eyesight of a small iceberg. Leading the fleet once more at 07.50 hrs GMT today, Group 4 had good wind reaching 24 knots, making 9.5 knots waypoint closure, and her daily report was full of renewed enthusiasm : "this is more like it. At last we feel we're making some progress towards Cape Town once again - a big morale boost." There is still a good deal of jostling for position within the fleet, with only 23 miles between the first six boats, and 179 miles from front to back. Save the Children is in second place, with an estimated 3971 miles before she reaches her next port of call, but both Toshiba Wave Warrior and Concert are right behind her with identical DTF figures of 3972 miles, so there is no room for complacency. Indeed, Concert has managed to pull her way up to fourth place having been 12th and some 80 miles behind the leaders, and her crew are in understandably high spirits. Life on board Courtaulds International continues to be a barrel of laughs. Currently lying in 11th place, Courtaulds International's ETA (estimated time of arrival) on her daily report varies according to the mood of whoever is writing the report; yesterday her ETA was "before 31/12/99", today it is "whenever...". Getting dressed to go on watch provides more scope for humour : "once you have navigated your way through one layer of silk underwear, one layer of thermal underwear, one middle layer suit, two pairs of socks, one pair of inner gloves, one pair of outer gloves, a balaclava, ski goggles and life jacket, it is time to put on your foul weather gear and boots. There ensues at least ten minutes of fun and games, depending on your choice of a two-piece suit or a one-piece drysuit. The one-piece suit is warmer but requires acrobatic and juggling skills to get into. With the drysuit, you have to find enough room form at least six couples doing the waltz." On board Heath Insured II, it's a different story. Her crew having been riding an emotional rollercoaster as they go through the frustration of being at the back of the fleet, looking for wind, finding it briefly and then losing it again. A couple of days ago, crew member and medic Sally Stewart wrote : "we are sitting here in 3.5 knots of wind, it's raining, and we're going nowhere fast." Today she writes : "I'm speechless today, we've run out of wind again, we just started to make progress up the fleet and next minute we're back where we started. It's so calm at the moment we can even see the wind of the water. I'm running out of words to describe our feelings, but one's emotions are certainly up and down." For updated information on the 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) Public enquiry bureau : 01703 212124 (+44 1703 212124 from outside UK) Ceefax page 388 (UK only) |
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Copyright British Telecommunications plc 1996.
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