Monday, March 21, 2011

CORONADO 27

Boat: CORONADO 27

Builder: Coronado Yachts

Designer: William H. Tripp Jr.

More: CORONADO 27 Specifications

News:

Team Adventure to finally pitstop in Wellington today


Author: Pierrick Garenne

After a laborious approach to New Zealand, Team Adventure will at last be able to tie up alongside Lambton Quay in Wellington where the American composite specialists have been waiting since Tuesday morning. Cam Lewis's maxi-catamaran, after having struggled against the anticyclone centred over the Tasman Sea, is enjoying a good 20 knot North-westerly pushing her speedily towards her second pit-stop. Her arrival is scheduled for 1000 GMT which is 2300 local time. Still well in the lead, Club Med is currently 450 miles to the east of Porto Alegre (Brazil) whilst Innovation Explorer is 300 miles North-east of the Falklands (off Argentina). Both of them must face fairly disturbed systems mixing the setting in of the SE trade winds for the first and an anticyclone in formation off Buenos Aires for the second...

Club Med is continuing her unperturbed haul up the Atlantic. She is slaloming between the difficulties with remarkable ease and even if today she has hiccuped a little with an average speed of only 6.4 knots for the last hour at the 0700 position report, she is progressing in the Northerly flow that should then veer to the NE. It's a case of "right helm down a bit, then "left helm down a bit"... Just like a climber, she is climbing the miles in function with the "footholds" that the wind offers. In about two days she should be picking up the SE trades that should then take her as far as the Equator before the traditional crossing of the Doldrums. Further behind Innovation Explorer is gripped in a most bizarre system but one which points towards the imminent formation of an anticyclone which will be centred off Buenos Aires, or in other words dead ahead of them. "Roger is not very calm because he isn't sure of anything..." wrote Skip Novak in his morning e-mail, "you have to admit that the barometer is immobile and is showing no trend like the wind... Several forecasts tell us to head East but with no wind it is difficult to decide. So we are waiting!" While this message was received at 0137 GMT this morning, at the 0700 position report, Innovation Explorer had found some air again at last and was speeding along at 18.7 knots average heading North-east. So it would seem that the Easterly option has been chosen!

It is a question of taking advantage of every mile possible... This is what Warta-Polpharma is doing right now hungrily gobbling back lost ground to Team Adventure. The Polish boat was 400 miles from Cape Farewell (the northernmost tip of South Island) this morning and is sailing 200 miles off the New Zealand coast. Logically they should be picking up the first pangs of the high centred over the Tasman Sea within the next few hours, but the feast has been copious because they are only 400 miles astern of the Franco-American giant Team Adventure. Team Legato is at last in the Pacific Ocean since this morning. She is tramping on and holds the award for the fastest boat in the fleet at the moment with an average speed of 17.5 knots over the last 24 hours or 420.2 miles swallowed up. They are 400 miles South-east of the southernmost tip of New Zealand and 700 miles behind Warta-Poplpharma and 1100 miles from Team Adventure. The race for the podium is going to be exciting!

Latest Positions:



Mйtйo Consult's weather forecast:

For Club Med : wind from the N 15/20 knots (Force 4 to 5) turning progressively NE for tomorrow.
For Innovation Explorer : wind from the NW 10/15 knots (Force 3 to 4).
For Team Adventure : wind from the NW 20/25 knots (Force 5 to 6) in the Cook Straits.
For Warta-Polpharma : wind from the SW 15 knots (Force 4) decreasing on the approach to the anticyclone centred over the Tasman Sea.
For Team Legato : wind from the SW 25 knots (Force 6).

More Information:

  • YachtsandYachting.com The Race Information Page

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