Archipelago Raid 2009 - Fierce sailing conditions stop the show

8:31 PM Wed 19 Aug 2009 GMT

'ALAND - FINLAND . 19 August 2009.
Day 3 , Start of Leg 4.' ThMartinez / Sea & Co &copy

This year's Archipelago Raid has quickly become a fierce battle against strong winds and abnormally difficult sailing conditions.

The Archipelago Sea, with its stiff northerly breezes and rough waters, has been deemed TOO rough to race in, and on Wednesday the leg from ?land to Nagu intended for tomorrow outside Turku was canceled due to strong winds from the north. The boats will remain in Mariehamn overnight and tomorrow (Thursday), the race fleet will almost certainly turn back to the Stockholm archipelago.

It was a day for Citus and Thule to share some glory. The French finished first in both legs, but the Swedish team sailed a great second leg, being first through every checkpoint and thus actually scoring more points than the leg winners. British sailors William Sunnucks and Simon Farren on board Audio Network are standing strong in second place. There is only a half point different between first and second and between second and third.

On the negative side, Both Team Wipak and Ursuit were forced to retire from leg 4 due to damage to their boats. It's still unclear as to whether they will be able to rejoin the race. It has been a day of exciting sailing that started at 5 o'clock in the morning with almost 20 knots of Northerly breeze which led to some very intense racing, with more than 5 boats capsizing and still others colliding with rocks. But what counts in the end is the emotion and joy of high-speed sailing surrounded by the breathtaking natural beauty of the ?land archipelago.

It is now likely that the race will leave the ?land Islands and go back to the Stockholm Archipelago. The strong wind is expected to continue and the forecast predicts winds of 20 knots, which is pushing the envelope for those racing in the small catamarans. The ninth Archipelago Raid ends outside the convention centre AtSea on Liding?, Stockholm on Saturday afternoon.

MARIEHAMN - FINLAND . 19 August 2009.
Day 3 , finish of Leg 4.
'CITUS' ERIC PROUST(FRA) and ROMAIN MOTTEAU (FRA). - ThMartinez _- Sea & Co &copy

Archipelago Raid 2009. Only one leg was raced on day 2.

Poor wind conditions this afternoon prompted the organisers to decide on a 1600 CET cut-off time for the start of the next leg. The last boat in the fleet hadn't finished leg 2 by 1500, the wind still wasn't good enough for the boats to head north of the ?land archipelago, so the teams were able to spend the afternoon relaxing at local headquarters.

After 2 legs the standings couldn't be closer. Audio Network ( William Sunnucks/Simon Farren) is leading after a win and a second with 56 points. H?llsten-Torlen (Martin H?llsten/Kalle Torlen) are second with 54 points thanks to their win in today's single leg. Teams Garmin and Citus are joint 3rd with 51 points apiece, with Thule only one point behind them. The Swedish team of Martin Strandberg and Johan ?rtendahl had a bad day, placing 8th after having been second in the first leg yesterday.

A happy British crew of Sunnucks and Farren on board Team Audio Network emerged victorious in leg 1. The teams had to be towed from checkpoint 5 to headquarters Arsl?jan due to there being no wind after 22.00 last night.

Rudder problems were reported from the Italian team Black or White yesterday, but it proved to be nothing they couldn't fix. Team FG Porsche suffered more severe damage, colliding with a rock in the dark. The daggerboard pierced the hull of the boat with the predictable result of the hull flooding. Disaster followed disaster as they narrowly avoided sinking while being towed, and they realised upon reaching Arsl?jan that the damage was too serious to repair without professional help. The boat has been patched up, and is on its way to the mainland for professional repair. The lack of wind proved to be a blessing in disguise for the crews, as the too-calm conditions meant a few hours of extra sleep before a delayed restart at 0845 this morning, at which time the fleet began their crossing of ?lands Sea towards Eker? from headquarters 1 at Arsl?jan on Arholma. With a westerly breeze of 4 knots the teams got a light wind start. Shifty wind conditions caused race management to send the fleet directly towards Eker? to sail the northerly route around ?land island towards Finland.

After six hours of sailing, team H?llsten-Torl?n arrived first at Eker? headquarters, ?land. The team says that their early preparations this morning gave them a good start and the crossing of ?lands Sea only consisted of two gybes and a little paddling in the light breeze. Team Audio Networks arrived second. Their efforts to read the wind to find the pressure over ?lands Sea paid off as they leapt from a starting position of sixth to second place at the finish. Team Thule went further north, ignoring the checkpoint in Ensk?r had been supressed, and they payed for their mistake, coming home in third.

Team Audi Lewander/Thorslund finished in fourth place. The first teams don't seem too tired yet, but they are very much aware that this physically grueling and mentally challenging race has only just begun, and the crews were happy not to have had to race again this afternoon.

ALAND - FINLAND . 19 August 2009.
Day 3 , Leg 4. 'MC DONALDS-HUYSMANS' (BEL-1) MICHEL PROOT (BEL) and PATRICK DEMESMAEKER (BEL). - ThMartinez _- Sea & Co &copy

Website: click here

by Event media