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12:24 AM Fri 26 Dec 2008 GMT
With yet another low pressure system forecast to slide under the fleet, some of the boats racing the Portim?o Global Ocean Race have decided to forego Christmas today opting instead to enjoy the special day when things are a bit less hectic.
The good news is that the wind will not be as strong as it was during the height of the last gale where hurricane force winds were experienced. Instead, this front will pack a more moderate 35 to 40 knots. The human mind is an amazing thing. A week ago 40 knots would have been viewed with deep trepidation; now, after close to 80 knots a few days ago, the thought of 40 seems perfectly benign.
Jeremy Salvesen, skipper on board the British entry Team Mowgli, summed this sentiment up in his daily log. 'We do have another cold front and low pressure system coming through overnight and tomorrow so we have decided that OUR Christmas is going to be delayed by at least 24 hours,' he wrote. 'The storm is not forecast to be anything like as severe as the last one with winds not expected to be over 35-40 knots. Amazing how last night we so positively looked forward to and hoped for the wind to drop to 40 knots. This is the only time we have ever wished for a gale force 8 wind!'
Salvesen and his co-skipper David Thomson have managed to sort out bare minimal communications after a massive wave broke over their transom wiping out all their antennas and communications equipment. They have also managed to patch the holes caused by the pushpit being forcibly ripped from the deck and have cleaned up the chaos below that resulted from a brutal knockdown. Things are not quite back to normal, but they are better than they were just 24 hours ago. Salvesen continues. 'Life is very cold and damp down here with temperature in the cabin of around 7-8 degrees and much colder outside. We have limited fuel and are reluctant to start using our heater until we have a better idea of exactly how our batteries perform in these temperatures. Having enjoyed such fine weather in Cape Town just over a week ago it is all a bit of a shock to the system.' Salvesen, who calls Scotland home, is used to the cold, wet conditions and could not help himself by adding, 'It feels a bit like home though!'
Astern of Team Mowgli another mid-ocean battle is taking place between the Chileans aboard Desafio Cabo de Hornos and the Germans on Beluga Racer. Leg 1 winners Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme once again moved into second place, but their position is just a number on the screen. Beluga Racer is less than two miles ahead of Desafio Cabo de Hornos on a distance-to-go basis. For all intents and purposes they are dead even after almost two weeks at sea. To make it interesting the leading solo sailor, Michel Kleinjans on board Roaring Forty is now slightly south of the double-handers and sailing fast. Roaring Forty is less that 80 miles astern of Desafio Cabo de Hornos so all in all it's a close race across the bottom of the world.
We wish all our skippers a safe Christmas day and send heartfelt personal greetings to their loved ones back home. Indeed it's difficult to be away at sea on a special day like Christmas, but it's equally hard for those left at home to keep the family fires burning and to worry about those at sea so far from land. We also send our sincere best wishes to all those avid fans of the Portim?o Global Ocean Race who send their collective vibes across thousands of miles of open ocean to the sailors alone at sea. Your support and enthusiasm for what these sailors are doing is the pure essence of the Portim?o Global Ocean Race.
www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com
by Brian Hancock
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Hamilton Island, QLD
