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View the race from your computer Weather router Jean-Yves Bernot talks tactics Which way to go in the TRANSAT? Ellen MacArthur and Kingfisher learn the ropes |
Rough seas and foaming wakes Solo skippers take the first decent breeze on the nose June 6, day 3. Monohull and multihull skippers in class one of the Europe 1 New Man Single Handed Trans-Atlantic race are separated by just over 100 nautical miles, but with increased wind on the nose, thanks to a quick-moving frontal system, this gap could widen in the near future. Here are the UK met service's shipping forecasts for seas south-west of Ireland, where the fleet leaders are located: SHANNON: WEST BACKING SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST 4 OR 5 (11-21 knts), OCCASIONALLY 6 (22-27knts), INCREASING 7 (28-33knts) OR PERHAPS GALE 8 (34-40knts) LATER. RAIN THEN SHOWERS. MODERATE OR GOOD. SOLE: NORTHWEST BACKING SOUTH 4 OR 5, INCREASING 6 OR 7 IN WEST LATER. OCCASIONAL DRIZZLE. MODERATE OR GOOD Note reference to gale, force 8 (34-40 knots) predicted for seas in the Shannon area. This is exactly where Marc Thiercelin aboard Active Wear went in search of heavier winds and he got it! This is what race headquarters had to say: "Marc ... remarked that he has gone further north to look for winds gusting from SW to Westerly. 'I have been in search of the front and got 35 – 40 knots on the nose. Now I am making a route more to the west at 12-13 knots in a NW breeze. I haven’t seen a soul since leaving Land’s End, and the boat has taken a bit of a battering in these rough seas, and what with the swinging keel, there is an awful lot of noise inside the boat'."
"Ellen MacArthur called in from ‘Kingfisher’ to request an update on her position in the fleet. Seemingly calm in response to the news of her superb performance and current second place in the fleet, she explained to us her strategy over the last day. 'Before the start I made very detailed study of the weather, but in practice, the high pressure has changed a little and the low has come along quicker than expected. I had planned to stay North but now in light of this change I am moving a little further South to avoid the center of the low. Last night was okay, wet of course, but the wind shifted clearly and so after tacking I could settle the boat down and get her going again. We had 30 knots last night but it has dropped this morning by 10 knots. But it’s great here – Kingfisher is creaming along, flat and fast!'" Meanwhile, the UK met office predicts a swift moving low to develop, marginally, to the south-west of the fleet tomorrow before moving to the north east over Ireland. Skippers can expect the gusty winds associated with yesterday's front to ease further as the low develops over the top of them, with winds veering to the north west as the new low strengthens over Ireland and further east. Sounds like strong winds close to the low for a short time. with the potential to boost skippers' positions further back in the pack. Then again, this is the Atlantic ... THE GENERAL SYNOPSIS AT 0700 GMT: ATLANTIC LOW MOVING QUICKLY
EAST EXPECTED 350 MILES WEST OF SOLE 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. |