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Leading cats stretch their legs as Three Gilles Ollier-designed cats lead the fleet after Playstation forced into Gibralter with sail damage January 7, 2001 Just one week into The Race and already the fleet is divided, with the three Gilles Ollier-designed, Multiplast-built cats out in front, separated by a whisker. As of yesterday the three leaders passed the Canary Islands and entered the region of north-east trade winds, circulating clock-wise around an east Atlantic high pressure cell. With following winds these big cats are really stretching their legs. Club Med has reported speeds of 25 knots and by all reports their are lots of smiling faces on board. The change brought relief to all crews, who had punched into moderate headwinds since entering the Atlantic through the Straits of Gibralter. At the time, frontal systems were passing to the north, sucking winds in from the south west along their eastern flank, while the windless centre of a high lay to their southeast. The three cats split to pursue the best weather option. As of January 5, Team Adventure, skippered by US New England native Cam Lewis with a heavy dose of French expertise (including navigator Yves Bernot) had tacked off to the west - perhaps hoping for an early wind shift when the next frontal system crosses the Atlantic. Innovation Explorer, skippered by race organiser Bruno Peyron's younger brother Loick, had tacked east towards the African coast - perhaps hoping to be the first to pick up trade winds. Club Med, skippered by Grant Dalton, chose the middle road and sailed more or less on a rhum line for the Canaries. Now, as the east Atlantic high gains strength, and a storm to the north weakens, Team Adventure is paying for her earlier decision. There will be no westerly wind shift. In fact, the east Atlantic high is developing over the top of her, and the best winds are around the high's perimeter: Over Innovation Explorer and Club Med. Team Adventure is now sailing south-east to catch those better winds, and has sailed more miles than either of her sister cats, yet has little to show for her effort. How things will develop over the next couple of days will be interesting, but it is our bet that Club Med will be best placed as winds typically ease along the African Coast south of Canaries. In that situation, Innovation Explorer will lag behind and be forced to sail west. Playstation, meanwhile, entered the Atlantic at last, after an enforced 48 hour stay at Gibralter, after calling into port to repair sail headboard damage incurred en route to the Straits. The Polish entry, Warta Polpharma, is not too far behind, and it will be interesting to see how the pair compete. After all, Playstation tried without success last summer to beat the Trans-Atlantic record still held by Jet Services V - now renamed Warta Polpharma! Team Legato - formerly the Jules Verne record holder as Enza and skippered by Tony Bullimore - started late and has pulled into Gibralter for repairs ... bummer. But, The Race is long and it has only just begun!
Fleet positions Club Med, the blue line is best placed to capture the best of the trade winds, while Innovation Explorer (in green) may hit lighter airs off the African coast. Team Adventure (in orange) is sailing south to escape the ballooning windless centre of the east Atlantic high pressure cell, around which the trade winds circulate. Playstation is in purple, following Innovation Explorer's track, while Warta Polpharma is right on her heels. January 5, 0900 GMT
Two days ago the three leading cats were split, chasing the best weather option. Club Med, in blue, chose the middle road early on and has stuck to her game plan, while Team Adventure, especially, and Innovation Explorer, to a lesser extent, have lost miles chasing rainbows! Images courtesy of Virtual Spectator.
East Atlantic This infra-red image of the East Atlantic shows the dark-blue balloon of high pressure south of the Canary Islands and north of the inter-tropic convergence zone. Winds circulating clockwise around this system are producing north east trade winds off the African coast. Storms to the north, meanwhile, are generating westerly winds in their wake. The leading boats are now off the coast of Mauritania. Note the squall clouds circulating around the western edge of this high. They indicate stronger winds - perhaps 25-35 knots, but the cats in The Race prefer lighter winds to excell at their best. Image courtesy of Intellicast.
East Atlantic pressure This pressure map shows high pressure developing east of Gibralter, with north-east wind flow south of the Canary Islands East
Atlantic pressure Two days ago, south west winds were the order of the day, as a strong front approached the west coast of Spain. After the front had passed, west, north-west winds filled in, but their influence was felt north of the leading catamarans in The Race, leaving boats to battle against upwind conditions. Images courtesy of Ocean Weather
Read all about it at www.therace.org!
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