ABN AMRO TWO hits rock bottom

by Volvo media on 6 Apr 2006 At the 16:00 GMT position poll, movistar leads by nine miles from Pirates, Ericsson follows 11 miles astern, having gained on Pirates by a mile, but leap-frogging over ABN AMRO TWO and Brasil 1.

ABN AMRO ONE has moved from last to fourth, just three miles from Ericsson, though nine miles out to the west. Brasil 1 is in fifth another mile astern.

But, in the far east ABN AMRO TWO is suffering, going from second, 20 miles behind the leader, to last, 34 miles in arrears. That sort of loss could spoil your whole day.

We have grown accustomed to Volvo Open 70s sailing faster than the wind. 30 knots in 28, 41 in 38, 20 in 18, these are, after all, the laser honed, cutting edge of offshore racing.

These are all-carbon fibre, canting keel racers with towering carbon fibre masts, the latest in square-topped mainsails; they sport spinoas, gennakers, A-sails, wind-seekers and all the latest weapons of the sail makers art.

Down below they are festooned with electronics that the first astronauts to the moon would have given their right arms for – but without wind they are as much use as a chocolate teapot at a tea party.

In their support we should point out that they are still sailing at wind speed when there is wind – five knots in four knots of wind, eight in nine, but it’s just not the same somehow.

movistar still leads and has put a couple of miles on Pirates as they head slowly and carefully towards the scoring waypoint at Fernando de Noronha. Pirates is holding off the boats behind, but is facing a strong challenge from Ericsson who have sneaked up on the west side and have gone from fifth to third.

Brasil 1 has gone up the middle, while the two ABN AMRO ONE boats have gone all schizophrenic on us. They have spit completely, one to the west and ONE to the east. One is west and TWO is east. So far the ploy isn’t working, certainly for ABN AMRO TWO who has dropped from third to last, but ABN AMRO ONE is doing a bit better.

The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed boats are renowned as having the widest waterline beam – and certainly the fattest sterns – of the fleet; these are design features that come into their own once the wind gets up, but like the tea set that goes with that chocolate tea pot, they don’t help much in the conditions in which the fleet find itself.

So movistar makes hay while the sun shines as the boat with the narrowest waterline beam and the rest of the Farr boats, almost as narrow, follow on, gaining or losing in puff or lull.