|
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 Roger
Badham of team Sail downwind in the Southern Ocean
|
A world of difference between first and last place Calms and tactical thinking amongst the multihull fleet keeps tired brains motivated, while at the back of the pack, yet another dose of cold squalls from the north west. Who said the TRANSAT had to be fun? June 13, day 9. Well, for starters, the monohull front-runners really did get a kick up the pants as that Labrador low moved east towards northern Europe on Sunday night (GMT). Dominique Wavre, the furthest north, reported 60 knots and Ellen MacArthur saild it was the roughest, toughest moment of her life. "Very sudden, very intense," she told her team. However, they are now in the calmer conditions under that high pressure bubble surrounding Newfoundland, and it appears to be growing and travelling south slowly. Only that cloud band we have talked so much about in the last 48 hours, separates the Newfoundland High from the much larger and stronger Bermuda High. Meanwhile, the multihulls are screaming along in moderate southerlies fast approaching US waters and gearing up to break the race record by as much as a day! The multis have managed to avoid the worst weather from day one, and do best in lighter airs. Also doing well in the lighter conditions is Catherine Chabaud aboard Whirlpool, who made a frantic dive to the south during that wicked storm west of Ireland last week. As a result of her 'misfortune' to have too much sail up when 50 knot squalls hit, she ran with the breeze well below the rest of the fleet. However, the winds closer to the Azores High have been more consistent and far less damaging than the north westerlies the rest of the fleet has experienced and she is gaining ground quickly. If she manages to keep south and avoid the lightest airs under the Newfoundland High, she could finish in the top three. The Atlantic cloud band, or long wave trough, continues to be a source of storms for the rear guard, with many in classes two through five experiencing their third depression this race. Some boats have only managed to claw their way 500 miles to the west, compared to 2000 miles covered by the leading trimarans! To get a better idea of what is going on, click on this infra-red image, and see the last 48 frames, taken every hour, run together as a movie (mpg format). You will be amazed at the speed of the jet stream above this cloud band and you will see the expanding area of high pressure and light winds over the Grand Banks and the Gulf of Maine. Trimarans are now south of Nova Scotia while the leading monohulls are off south-east Newfoundland There's that low pressure system, (image - thanks to Intellicast - taken at 00 gmt June 13), which left the coast of Labrador on Saturday night, clobbered the monohull fleet with its north-west change (particularly the northern-most sailors) and is now giving the rear guard a dose of cold squally conditions. Can you see those white dots in the 'throat' of the low pressure cell - just west of Scotland? Them there's wicked winds. And they look like they extend quiet a ways south! In the meantime, keep an eye on that kink in the cloud band half-way across the Atlantic. Looks like another low could form there. This composite cloud/pressure map courtesy of Intellicast, shows that cloud band, slowly working its way south while the bubble of high pressure over the Grand Banks increases. Note the number of low pressure 'nodes' forming along this cloud band. Pity the poor folks at the back of the fleet! For the front runners it looks like a case of playing the light to moderate easterlies along the southern half of the Grand Banks High while at the same time keeping a clear vision for tactical thinking. Marine forecast for the Grand Banks: (To be updated at 0300 Eastern Canadian Time) NORTHERN GRAND BANKS. WINDS NORTHERLY 10 TO 15 KNOTS TONIGHT AND LIGHT ON TUESDAY. FOG PATCHES. VISIBILITY POOR IN FOG. LITTLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE. OUTLOOK FOR WEDNESDAY... MODERATE NORTHWESTERLIES. SOUTHEASTERN GRAND BANKS SOUTHWESTERN GRAND BANKS. WINDS NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 KNOTS BACKING TO NORTHERLY 15 TO 20 TUESDAY EVENING. FOG PATCHES. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS DEVELOPING ON TUESDAY. VISIBILITY POOR IN FOG AND FAIR IN SHOWERS. LITTLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE. OUTLOOK FOR WEDNESDAY...MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHWESTERLIES DIMINISHING TO LIGHT WINDS. Team Kingfisher and Ellen MacArthur report: 1344 GMT
, Monday, June 11 Race Headquarters reports ... The third depression for Classes 2 – 5, and the many smaller monohulls have only covered 500 miles since the start compared to the 2000 miles accumulated by the trimarans at the front ! The Europe 1 New Man Star will be a long one this year for many skippers because of the interminable upwind conditions ahead.However, the Transat is no picnic cruise, as the string of depressions cross
the North Atlantic. The smallest boats are right in the heart of the 3rd
depression, which is more severe for them than the leading 60 footers. They
advance bravely in 25 – 30 knot SW winds and will have only a short respite on
Tuesday in the calm before the next depression brings a cold front with SW gale
force winds and a big swell… 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. |