Weekend Update–Cheyenne Flying North: After a day of torture, which just topped 200 miles through the water, Steve Fossett’s 125-foot cat has found the wind again and ripped off a 500-plus mile day straight down the course. The slow day had one major benefit–the 5 guys who had to spend 10 hours up the mast repairing the mast track didn’t get to flayed to bits at the tip of a whippy 143-foot pole. Cheyenne still holds a lead of more than 700 miles over Orange 2002, which on this part of the course (with its lighter, trickier winds) is still about 2 days. There is still plenty to worry about, though, with non-stop repair work. Here’s Dave Scully:

“No sooner did we have the last bolt in place [on the mast track] when our instrument system decided to respond to the balmy weather by going on holiday. Driving this monster at night with no electronic support is hard work, so we immediately set out to fix it. Nic, Adrienne, and your correspondent went at it for 24 hours, and thankfully were able to get the little numbers winking again. This instrument package is known as the Hydra system, which is very appropriate, as like the many headed monster of legend, as you solve one problem, another crops up in its place!”

Even if Cheyenne makes it home under sail power, and even if she takes the record, this baby is going to be a wreck. Fossett, particularly if he breaks the record, will be moving on to his round-the-world solo, non-stop flight and Cheyenne will probably be up for sale. Anyone in the market for a clapped-out world record holder that needs work…lots and lots of work?



Last Southern Ocean Albatross: “What’s that? You want me to go crap all over some boat with three hulls that’s following behind you?”

(Photo Nick Leggatt)