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News:
Team Legato struggles as Club Med extends again
Author: The Race Media
In the lee of the islands:
After having chosen to sail to the North of the Prince Edward Islands, this morning Club Med was in the lee of the Crozet Islands (F). Innovation Explorer has had a few technical problems in the last 24 hours. As for Team Adventure, her stopover is getting organised and some decisions need to be
taken.
Very good wind conditions are still pushing along the two leading boats in The Race: a 25/30 knot West-north-west flow that allowed Club Med to notch up one of her best days of the race (557 miles in 24 hours). This morning, the leader was just in the lee of the Crozet Islands (46°50'S/51°00'E). This chain of volcanic islands, culminating on Est Island at 1090 metres altitude, was discovered by Captain Marion-Du Fresne precisely on January 23rd 1772 and named after his second in command, Jules Crozet. It rains on average 300 days per year, the wind blows at more than 100 kph for a third
of the year and the temperature never exceeds 18°C in summer: a real paradise. The island is populated by seals, whose much sought after skins gave rise to some sordid battles in the 19th century. Rumour has it even, that once the seal hunt was over, certain unscrupulous captains didn't
hesitate to abandon men on the island, in order to lighten the boat and not have to take on so much in the way of stores, so that they could go and sell their precious cargo of furs as quickly as possible.
Far from these preoccupations, and on the contrary, Cam Lewis would like to set off again with his full complement of crew as constituted at the start. Unhappily Team Adventure's two injured members of the crew must remain behind on shore and the rules of The Race do not allow them to be replaced.
So Cam is going to have to reorganise his crew around 12 people only. The boat has suffered less than feared but all the same must be correctly repaired in preparation to confront the Southern Ocean.
"It would seem that everyday something breaks on Innovation Explorer, just to keep the crew, at a bit of a loose end with not enough sail changes to do, occupied." noted Elena in her report. Yesterday: two sail battens broken in addition to the hinges of the life raft hatch under the main beam. Nothing unusual apparently, we can remember that Bruno Peyron in 1993, during the first circumnavigation ever achieved on a multihull, spoke of one and a half breakages per day of racing.
Warta-Polpharma is still struggling in light East-south-east winds. They are going to have to struggle for another 250 miles yet to extract themselves from the high centred over Tristan da Cunha and descend down as far as 42° S to find the nicely established Westerlies.
Tony Bullimore on Team Legato, also becalmed (217 miles sailed in 24 hours) could really soon be crossing paths with Michel Desjoyeaux, who is on the way back to Europe.
Latest Positions:
Mйtйo Consult's weather forecast:
For Club Med: wind from the WNW, 25 to 30 knots.
For Innovation Explorer: wind from the West 20 to 25 knots.
Warta-Polpharma is in the middle of a cell of high pressure, wind turning West 10 to 15 knots.
Team Legato: wind variable light becoming West 5 knots.
More Information:
- YachtsandYachting.com The Race Information Page
See also: CONTROVERSY 36 for sale
