3:36 AM Fri 11 Dec 2009 GMT
Skippers Blog
Southern Ocean
Well this leg so far has not delivered the conditions I was expecting, as a sailor it is one of the boxes you want to tick, how many times I have listened to stories of monstrous seas and storm force winds of the Southern Ocean. I must admit as we headed south leaving Cape Town beating into a 30 knots wind I was prepared for the worst, but after the wind of the first couple of days died we have not experienced any abnormally strong winds and the sea state has been very benign. The only thing I have noticed in this ocean is its ability to change conditions very quickly if not instantly, and the unreliability of the forecasts for this area. ??I am very aware that we are only half way across the ocean and things can change very quickly. As far as the race is concerned our original tactic of keeping south, worked well until just before the scoring gate, when we were very confident of scoring some points if not crossing first. We were aware of an area of light and variable winds to our south and plotted our course to sail across the northern edge, where we should of experienced a 15-20 knots NW breeze which would of allowed us to fly our largest spinnaker giving us great boat speed. But as the results show we ended up becalmed for twelve hours struggling to sail at all in under four knots of breeze, which cost us a lot of miles, from being in first position we dropped back to eighth and gave a 130 miles away to Australia very cheaply. It is safe to say it was not a good day onboard, after all the hard work the crew had put in to get into first place and line up for the scoring gate to have it snatched away from them at the last minute is a very hard thing to accept. I was so proud that not one member of the crew let their heads drop and the attitude from everyone onboard was come on lets get going and focus on the finish and the ten points, it was great to see.
We have done well since then and have managed to get back into fourth position and have been sailing well maintaining our boat speed, we have had moments when we have pushed really hard, but I keep reminding the crew that one broach or spinnaker wrap will cost us hours to sort out, we are better of sailing conservatively. A good friend of mine taught me 'you must always be in control of your boat' if you are just about managing to hold onto the helm as the gusts overpower you because you have far too much sail flying you are not in control.
We are currently the most southerly boat of the fleet but as the winds push our course further north it seems the whole fleet is converging which will make it an interesting race.
As far as the rest of the race is concerned there are lots of tactical decisions left to be made which could see some big gains or losses being made. The first is when to start heading north towards Geraldton, the shortest route the great circle route will see boats heading north in the next day or so, but classically according to routing pilot books, and other information the recommended route is to stay at 40 degrees south until 90 degrees east and there are some pilots which recommend holding on until 100 degrees east, the reason being to take advantage of the stronger winds and favourable ocean current at this latitude. Another interesting tactical area will be the approach to Western Australia as all the boats will have to cross a strong ocean current flowing south, do you cross the current early and sail in shore taking advantage of the well known sea breezes that develop every afternoon or do you stay offshore and head in towards Geraldton later, there still are some crucial decisions to be made in this race and with most of the fleet so close it really is wide open.
As this race progresses I am finding my role getting easier and easier, when I think back to the first leg from Hull to Rio about the sleepless nights and the endless popping up on deck to remind the helm which course they were supposed to be steering! As the crew become more experienced and competent my role onboard is continually changing, I am finding there is less and less for me to physically do and even less for me to worry about. When we arrived in Rio I was physically and mentally exhausted, whereas when I arrived in Cape Town I was feeling a little tired, well I have just got up from six hours uninterrupted sleep to be handed a hot mug of tea and a slice of toast made from our own excellent home-made bread, life is very good indeed.
Our one luxury item onboard the boat for which I have been the butt of many a joke is a small tumble dryer designed for motor home use, I think all the crew have appreciated having dry and warm gloves and hats on the colder nights of this leg. It also takes away the chill of the air down below and has been a great success. I feel on the upwind leg to Qingdao where we see very cold temperatures it will be essential.
It's going to be strange for everyone onboard the boats to be spending Christmas away from family and friends, even stranger to be spending in a hot climate, somehow it will not feel like Christmas in 40 degrees Celsius. I know I will be missing my family and my sister's Christmas dinner.
Jan
CBI.
by Jan Ridd
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