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Table Mountain on Bernard Stamm’s horizon today !
Stamm’s closest three rivals, Solidaires, Pindar and Hexagon are over 200 miles away
mardi 12 novembre 2002 –
Stamm’s closest three rivals, Solidaires, Pindar and Hexagon are over 200 miles away, and just a bit further North on a trajectory towards Cape Town. He knows he just has to be a second ahead to claim his first place points for the leg, but given the tricky local conditions he will not easily give back a hard earned mile. The weather forecast is good for a fast finish, and if all goes well Stamm could be in during the early hours of Wednesday morning, which could mean he completes this leg in just under 30 days from Torbay, England. That has got to be hard to beat.
ETA’s (local time - GMT +2hrs) based on current speed and distances to go - updated throughout the day and night on www.aroundalone.com.
Bobst Group/Armor Lux : Wed 9 am
Solidaires : Thurs 4 am
Pindar : Thurs 8 am
Hexagon : Thurs 11 pm
There is one feature of an around the world race that all sailors will tell you stands foremost in their memories. It ranks up there with the best sunset and the fastest surf Surf #Surf down a Southern Ocean wave. That feature is their very first sight of Table Mountain. If the sky is clear you can see the flat top of this distinct landmark from a 100 kilometers away. It looks like small loaf of bread on the horizon and teases sailors as it refuses to get bigger unless the wind is blowing hard from the west. If the wind is light, or from the southeast, it takes a lifetime to get to Cape Town, but once there sailors can enjoy the traditional hospitality of the Tavern of the Seas, as Cape Town is known.
During today Swiss master of the seas, Bernard Stamm, on Bobst Group/Armor Lux will be treated to his first glimpse of this magic mountain. If he maintains his current speed he could possibly see the outline of the table just before the light fades and plunges him into darkness. Stamm has led this leg from the moment the fleet sailed past Berry Head off Torbay, and with a single-mindedness he has kept the pace and pressure on all the way. Stamm, along with three other Class 1 competitors weathered the massive storm in the Bay of Biscay, and when the 70 knot winds had died down he emerged with an even greater lead.
Once into the trade winds south of Portugal he pushed his Pierre Rolland design as fast as it would sail and opened up his lead just a bit more. Dodging squalls in the doldrums and fighting for every last knot of boat speed Bobst Group/Armor Lux maintained his lead, but it was once the yachts were into the South Atlantic that the afterburners really opened up and Stamm rocketed south. With Emma Richards on Pindar and Thierry Dubois on Solidaires pushing every inch of the way, the determined Swiss sailor held onto his lead, despite having to perform two mast climbs in order to rehoist his mainsail just two days from the finish. Now with victory almost in sight, the moment will be one to savour.
Positions at 0600hrs GMT 12th November 2002
Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp AvgHeading DTF (nm)
1. Bobst Group Armor-Lux 36 51.120 S, 13 35.240 E, 96.37 nm, 12.06 kt, 296.34 nm
2. Solidaires 35 27.480 S, 8 30.200 E, 106.08 nm, 13.26 kt, 498.90 nm
3. Pindar 34 52.450 S, 7 33.570 E, 100.85 nm, 12.61 kt, 541.60 nm
4. Hexagon 36 43.400 S, 3 05.360 E, 121.40 nm, 15.19 kt, 769.56 nm
5. Ocean Planet 12 19.210 S, 26 56.700 W, 76.50 nm, 9.58 kt, 2788.91 nm
6. Tiscali 38 41.700 N, 12 06.240 W, 55.80 nm, 6.97 kt, 6468.79 nm
Class 2
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp AvgHeading DTF (nm)
1. Tommy Hilfiger 17 15.140 S, 29 27.000 W, 88.63 nm, 11.07 kt, 2967.36 nm
2. Spirit of Canada 2 56.280 S, 27 46.450 W, 63.85 nm, 7.98 kt, 3810.91 nm
3 .Everest Horizontal 2 02.400 S, 27 53.190 W, 74.81 nm, 9.35 kt, 3864.98 nm
4. Spirit of yukoh 0 35.280 N, 26 30.160 W, 49.05 nm, 6.13 kt, 4084.06 nm
5. BTC Velocity 2 10.603 N, 26 43.209 W, 50.92 nm, 6.36 kt, 4139.04 nm
6. Bayer Ascensia 1 49.000 N, 26 30.160 W, 48.11 nm, 6.01 kt, 4128.79 nm
Dans la même rubrique
Around Alone : Under 500 nm to go for Bernard Stamm
Around Alone : Leader Bernard Stamm heads down to the fringes of the ’roaring forties’
Around Alone : Emma Richards spent 4 hours up her 80ft mast
Around Alone : Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm is looking over his shoulder
