First two days of the solo transatlantic race of 2000

Record fleet heads out of Plymouth Sound in light airs

The Kingfisher team reported the start like this:

June 4, day 1 out of Plymouth, England.

"The skies cleared, the sun came out, and Ellen took ‘Kingfisher’ over her first start line in as good a way as we could have ever hoped for. As the impressive fleet of 25 grand prix Open class boats weaved their way out of Plymouth Sound, ‘Kingfisher’ stretched her legs for the first time - a nervous moment for everyone. Hard to take hard facts from the first few miles, but certainly she didn’t look slow in the light upwind conditions. By the half way point on the first short leg out to the Eddystone lighthouse, Ellen had taken the lead with two of the top French skippers close at hand - Roland Jourdain sailing slighly higher just to leeward on ‘Sill’, and Michel Desjoyeaux on PRB sailng very high and flat up to weather.

"The fleet are faced with a difficult strategic choice as they head west out of the English Channel and in to the Atlantic. Sailing north to avoid a ridge of high pressure may be the risky choice of some, the direct route the more conservative option of others. What is for sure is that the positions in this race are going to be changing hourly, with the boats racing neck and neck for the duration of this 2,800 mile race. "

The forecast for the remainder of the day is for the south west wind to slowly swing to the West and to remain light. The chances are that most of the fleet will head along the English Coast, looking to exploit the stronger winds near the shore and working the strong tides in their favour before heading out into
the Irish Sea.

For more weather information click here

For more information visit Ellen MacArthur's site, Offshore Challenges, or tune into race headquarters.

Here comes the wind!

June 5, day 2.

After a light-airs start, solo skippers are about to receive their first decent breath of wind with the arrival of a weak cold front from the west, as can be seen in this animated satellite image.

Here are the latest shipping forecasts from the UK's met office that pertain the to trans-Atlantic fleet::

SOLE: SOUTHWESTERLY VEERING NORTHWESTERLY 4 OR 5 (15knts). RAIN OR DRIZZLE. MODERATE OR GOOD

IRISH SEA: VARIABLE BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY 3 (7-10knts), INCREASING 4 OR 5 (15knts). RAIN LATER. MODERATE OR GOOD

SHANNON: SOUTHERLY VEERING WESTERLY 4 (11-16knts), INCREASING 5 OR 6 (17-27knts). RAIN THEN SHOWERS. MODERATE OR GOOD

Take a close look at this three-day animated forecast and you will see the cold front bearing down on the British Isles, originating from a 975hPa low centred to the south-west of Iceland. The front is predicted to be replaced by a ridge of high pressure (1034hPa, which is a whopper) followed by the beginnings of a low south-west of Ireland. Whether such a strong ridge of high pressure will be replaced by the formation of a low pressure disturbance so quickly remains to be seen.

It will be interesting to see whether the solo skippers take advantage of westerly winds tomorrow, generated by the combination of the counter-clockwise-spinning Icelandic low and the Azores high, to sail a more southerly route into the Atlantic, or whether the formation of another low off Ireland on Wednesday will tempt some sailors to head north in the hope of being able to ease their sheets with following winds.

From race headquarters

Fleet leaves Isles of Scilly in their wake in 12-15knt westerlies.

Who will win?

Race history:

We have a full archive of daily weather notes for the Europe 1 New Man single-handed trans-Atlantic race, beginning June 4, 2000, from Plymouth, England.


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