Monday, March 21, 2011

CORINTHIAN 19

Boat: CORINTHIAN 19

Builder: Bristol Yachts

Designer: Carl Alberg

More: CORINTHIAN 19 Specifications

News:

Taking stock after a month at sea in The Race


Author: Pierrick Garenne

A month already: time to take stock at the halfway mark!

It was exactly one month ago today that The Race started in Barcelona for a no limits dash round the world. On January 31st 2001 at 1900 GMT, yesterday evening to be exact, Club Med had exactly 12,579.6 miles left to go to the finish in Marseilles. By yesterday evening the leading boat had covered 13,796.15 miles at an average speed of 19.00 knots. That is an exceptionally high speed and exceeds the speed expected on paper which stood at 17.00 knots yesterday... So it's time to take stock on performance, technical aspects, medical aspects, weather and general day to day matters whilst Club Med continues on her way towards New Zealand and had at 1100 GMT today, a 726.6 mile lead over Innovation Explorer. Both boats have been sailing at the same average speeds over the last 24 hours, or 24.4 knots for the first
and 24.9 knots for the second.

Performance wise...

The two leading catamarans have shown their extraordinary potential by lining up several days in the Southern Ocean of more than 500 miles. The speedos have been nudging instantaneous speeds in excess of 30 knots and Team Adventure has recorded several peaks of over 40 knots in steady 36 knot winds.

The best days were recorded in the Southern Ocean for Club Med (600 miles on 25/01 at 25.02 knots), Innovation Explorer (604.47 miles on 30/01 at 25.19 knots) and Warta-Polpharma (506.80 miles on 26/01 at 21.12 knots). For Team Adventure it was along the Brazilian coast in the South-easterly Trade Winds (617.44 miles on 17/01 at 25.73 knots). For Team Legato, it was in the Northern Hemisphere, or in the North-easterly Trade Winds (429 miles on 13/01 at 17.87 knots). So it is Team Adventure that currently holds the "record" for the greatest distance covered in 24 hours in The Race: or 617.44 miles at an average speed of 25.73 knots. That is very close to the mythical outright record for the distance sailed in 24 hours, just 8 miles or 14.8 km short of it... But the race is far from over yet!

Cape to Cape "reference time" beaten twice...

This reference time has been beaten twice in two days during The Race. The theoretical distance between the Cape of Good Hope (18°30' East) and Cape Leeuwin (115°10' East) is 4,546 miles (distance calculated between their respective longitudes along a great circle route, or the arc of a circle that wraps round the Earth's surface). This distance is shortest at 40° latitude. If we were to provide a concrete example, the distance between these two capes is equivalent to a Route du Rhum, or an Atlantic crossing between St Malo (France) and Pointe-а-Pitre (Guadeloupe). It was Club Med that was the first to beat the reference time held by Olivier de Kersauson on Sport-Elec, which he set on his successful bid for the Jules Verne Trophy (8 days and 23 hours). Club Med cut the longitude of Cape Leeuwin on January 28th at 0400 GMT taking just 7 days and 18 hours to join the two capes. Two days later, on January 30th, Innovation Explorer beat this new reference
time. She sailed further South meaning that the distance sailed between the two longitudes was shorter (4,000 miles to 3,997 miles). She took exactly four hours less than Club Med or 7 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes. Her average speed was 21.97 miles.

Breakages?

"No structural problems but rather peripheral problems," analysed Denis Horeau, The Race director. "The breakage situation is satisfactory after one month into the race and more than 12,000 sea miles, even more so when you consider that some of the boats were launched just a month before the start". What can we note in practical terms? A problem with delamination of the central beam fairing repaired during a forced pit-stop in Cape Town for Team Adventure, problems with the hinges of life raft compartments breaking (Club Med and Innovation Explorer), breakage of the Plexiglas windows of the cockpit companionway cuddy (Club Med and Innovation Explorer) and numerous padeyes (rings used for attaching sheet return blocks or fixing other gear). Also to be noted, more or less significant sail wear (PlayStation and
Innovation Explorer). PlayStation pulled out of the race because of damage to a daggerboard and the mainsail, on the morning of Sunday January 14th.

How are they doing physically?

After a month of racing there have been a number of medical incidents on each boat. These have been essentially injuries following falls or knocks. Bruising to the face, cuts and traumas of the joints, to the hands and skin infections ... All of them problems well known to ocean racers. But the most serious incident concerned Team Adventure. In a very violent impact with a wave, Michael Lundh who was working on deck fell over backwards. Very shaken, he complained of an acute pain in the neck which necessitated immobilising it immediately with a neck brace. Jeffrey Wargo, who at the same time was standing up in the cabin, was brutally thrown forwards against a bulkhead. He lost consciousness and suffered severe pain in the small of his back, his condition was also considered to be preoccupying. The two medical referents on board, Jacques Vincent and Frйdйric Carrиre, did a magnificent medical assistance job as far as their stopover in Cape Town.
And last but not least, an ailment that the organism has had to cope with: Fatigue. Damp, brutal motion, dreadful noise, stress and the de-phasing of biorhythms, all these elements combine to alter the quality of sleep. "But for the time being it seems to be going quite well," analysed Dr Jean-Yves Chauve. "But they must however remain very attentive. On these extreme machines the slightest slackening of attention can be very quickly sanctioned. So take care!"

Weather analysis: "No strategic errors to be noted!"

"None of the maxi-catamarans have made any strategic errors" noted Gilles Chiorri of Mйtйo Consult. If we were to qualify the routes of the three catamarans, one could say that Club Med has been showing her mastery of sailing in a fleet (like the Whitbread) with straight courses seeking to keep the adversary covered. Innovation Explorer, conscious of her speed handicap due to her lack of foresails, has been forced to play the strategy game differently. And finally Team Adventure, the gambler, made the most of the Atlantic to try out some daring options. Navigation in the Southern Ocean is very different requiring the boats to follow and anticipate weather patterns, which is quite possible with the speed potential of these boats. Only the passage through the Cook Straits might shuffle the pack "meteorologically" speaking!

Where were they today at 1100 GMT?

Club Med was 775 miles from the entrance to the Cook Straits. Two short days sailing unless Club Med falls into the expected anticyclone that could block the approaches to the New Zealand coast. Innovation Explorer was following 726.6 miles behind. Team Adventure is in tricky headwinds forcing them to struggle along at 13 knots average while Warta-Polpharma was heading North-east at 20 knots. Team Legato was "flashed" at 26 knots instantaneous speed (Situation and analysis every four hours on therace.org).

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More Information:

  • YachtsandYachting.com The Race Information Page

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