JV Jumble–Everybody’s Back At Sea: Geronimo hit the start last night just before midnight GMT, and Orange II followed today just after 8 am GMT, so they are off and running in their match race, with Geronimo grabbing an 8 hour head start. Both boats are sailing in good northerly winds which should get them south to the Canary Islands in good shape. After that there may be some tricky weather before they find the trade winds that will hurtle them to the Equator. No doubt, the two will have good leads on Cheyenne by the time they cross the Equator, but Cheyenne had a great passage through the South Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope, so we’ll see how they all stand after they hit that first Great Cape.

Meanwhile, Cheyenne has found the fast lane in the Indian Ocean, reaching along at 20-25 knots between 47S and 48S, and looking to notch up a series of 500 mile days. Fossett figures they’ve stretched their lead on Orange 2002 to about a day and a half (see chart), but they will need every advantage they can get, because after New Zealand, Orange had a great passage across the Pacific, riding a single depression all the way to Cape Horn, and did very well on the final leg up the Atlantic as well. The key in the Southern Ocean is to keep (or hope) breakages don’t slow you up, because this is the place where you really rack up the miles. So far in the South, Cheyenne’s crew has dealt with a broken forestay, and a broken batten car (which forced them to drop the main for 45 minutes). And there’s probably some 7-8,000 more miles of Southern Ocean sailing ahead. Here’s a report from Dave Scully, which captures some of the feeling of sailing in the world’s greatest ocean:

“How to stay warm is the latest topic of conversation. Although I awoke to bright sunshine, the temperature has dropped to 5 deg C, and the wind chill is bitter. We are reaching east along lat 48 south, and as much as you remind yourself that this is no further south than say, La Rochelle is north, it feels a lot colder.

We are looking forward to four or five days of fast sailing, as we chase a high pressure system that is passing to the north of us. The consistent winds will help us make short work of the Indian Ocean, the most hazardous part of the trip. Hauling up the solent is a very warming activity. We miss the roller furling already!

It is a great experience to be back in the Southern Ocean. The incredible power of the weather here is like a thinly veiled threat of which we are constantly aware, and yet there is peace in the slow arc of the albatross’ glide, and in the endless swell of the sea. As sailors, we are closer to the elemental force of our environment in this place, than we are anywhere else.

It is one thirty in the morning, cold as a steel bar. Gizmo (Guillermo) is in the galley, singing to the helm station over the VHF. Jacques’ watch has the con, and my watch, on standby, is huddled into the warmest corners to be found. In a few minutes, we hit the deck to hoist the solent, to enable us to direct our course more to the east. The closer angle to the wind will pay a boat speed dividend, but cost us in comfort, as icy spray will be added to the icy wind. The faster we go, the sooner we will get to turn north.”

More later, when Geronimo and Orange II check in….



A View From Cheyenne: Uh-Oh…….

(Photo: Nick Leggatt)

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