Portimao Global Ocean Race - And then there were two

6:44 PM Mon 18 May 2009 GMT

'Race tracker at 1320 GMT on Monday 18 May' Portimao Global Ocean Race

While the victorious German team of Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme with Beluga Racer and the second place Chilean duo of Felipe Cubillos and Jos? Mu?oz with Desafio Cabo de Hornos recuperate from Leg 4 in Charleston, two boats in the Portim?o Global Ocean Race are still heading for the finish line.

Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on double-handed Class 40 Team Mowgli have 194 miles to the finish line in the 1320 GMT position poll today (18/05). Solo sailor Michel Kleinjans is currently due east of Charleston with 97 miles of Leg 4 remaining and is delivering impressive speeds of over ten knots as he heads into high winds. Further south, Team Mowgli have avoided this stronger band of breeze and are currently averaging just over five knots.

At approximately 0900 GMT this morning, Michel Kleinjans tacked Roaring Forty onto starboard and committed to crossing the Gulf Stream and heading for the finish line in Charleston as a viscious cold front began to deliver strong blasts of north-easterly breeze. This combination of strong wind against the northerly flowing current of the Gulf Stream is an unpleasant environment for any yachtsman, but for Kleinjans the circumstances are made more intense following the collision between Roaring Forty and a container ship early on Saturday morning.

Damage to the yacht included a broken bowsprit and bent stanchions as Roaring Forty took the impact on her port side, but there is structural damage to the hull-deck joint and the internal, forward bulkhead. As contact was made just at - or possibly slightly aft - of the commercial ship's raised forecastle, Kleinjans suspects that his mast will also have made contact with the towering walls of steel as the two craft met. As yet, any detailed checking of the mast is impossible and the Belgian yachtsman is focussed on preserving the boat.

'The boat is holding together, but now I'm back on staboard tack having been on port and it has started cracking,' reported Kleinjans via satellite phone at 0930 GMT this morning. With the damaged, port side to leeward, any excess heeling will submerge breaches in the hull. 'The chainplates are carbon straps on the hull and I think it has delaminated as there's a crack in the hull around the chainplate,' explains Kleinjans. 'So, there's a hole you can put your hand through there.' On the plus side, the location of the split is fortunate: 'A lot of water goes into the ballast tank, which is not such a problem as I opened it and it drains itself through the bottom of the hull.' Further water entering the boat in this area collects near to the yacht's washbasin and can be hand-pumped out.

So far, conditions are manageable. 'I'm not heeling too much and I can always keep pumping it out,' reassures the solo sailor with immense calm. 'You have to keep an eye on it, that's all.' However, the predicted forecast for late Monday is far from ideal. 'The wind should increase to 25-30 knots from the north-east and then at around 1600 GMT, I think the wind should increase even more to 35 knots with the gusts 40-45 knots maybe,' confirms Kleinjans. 'If I only put up the jib, then it's OK,' he added before quickly ending the call. 'I have to go on deck now as the wind is getting stronger.'

www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com

by Oliver Dewar

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Sailing #Starboard #North

Portimao Global Ocean Race - And then there were two

Sports/News

Weather Forecasts & Live Reports

Buy & Sell/Classifieds