Sail-World.com : Gitana 13's record attempt Yokohama - Dalian
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Gitana 13's record attempt Yokohama - Dalian |
This record between Yokohama and Dalian is just what Lionel Lemonchois and the sailors in Gitana Team came in search of when initiating the idea of this Asian Tour: discovery and adventure… And as the skipper of Gitana 13 confirmed this morning, already it's like another world.
Setting out from Japan over 48 hours ago – Thursday 8th May at 05h55’45’’ UT -, the maxi-catamaran in the colours of LCF Rothschild Group has been sailing to the west of the Cheju Island in the Yellow Sea since this morning. At 1245 UT, Lionel Lemonchois and his seven crew were 385 miles from Dalian. However, the men on Gitana 13 will have to perform a series of gybes prior to reaching their final destination, most likely over the course of Sunday night.
Offshore of South Korea, the wind began to ease, a trend which is set to continue over the coming hours since the E'ly air flow will oscillate between 7 and 10 knots. This temporary calm will enable Lionel Lemonchois and his men to perform a complete check of Gitana 13; a routine test after a very lively night: 'We had up to 57 knots in the gusts last night as we passed Cape Sata. It was fairly sporty and really wet aboard but things have calmed progressively.'
In addition to these stiff weather conditions, the men on Gitana 13 must demonstrate great vigilance on deck, given the particularly intense shipping in this part of the globe: 'Since our start from Yokohama we have had to be extremely vigilant as there are commercial vessels and fishing boats everywhere. Yesterday, we ended up with around twenty 'companions' around us... impressive!'
Situated 100km to the south of the Korean peninsula, the island of Cheju is a sought after tourist destination. The eruption of the Hallasan volcano, today extinct, is the source of the island’s formation. The Hallasan volcano is the highest in South Korea and rises to 1,960 metres.
Onboard comments:
10/05/2008 - 16:06 - Tonnes of water on deck
Sunset at the foot of the island of Cheju, between Japan and South Korea comes as a reward after 24 hours in conditions we can best describe as bracing, wet and at times harsh. 57 knots of wind, seas breaking on the beam, on deck you just have to hold on firmly even though Gitana 13 has never been lacking. Under 3 reefs alone, ORC wisely stowed away in its bag, we are nevertheless powering along at over 20/25 knots, the full weight of the waves dumping onto us.
The strongest of the wind is now behind us though and whilst we completed only our second day at sea this afternoon, there is now a third of the journey left to go. There promises to be numerous manœuvres for the end of this stage. Despite the few hours of sleep, the atmosphere aboard is more than excellent, each person knowing all to well that this type of journey isn't something they do everyday. And though the seas this afternoon could be compared to the Mediterranean in a strong mistral, the simple crossing with a fifteen metre long fishing boat, under drogue to remain end onto the wave, was sufficient to remind us that we are making headway in a universe that is totally unknown to us. For the sailors that we are at heart, this really is an absolute must.
Until tomorrow
Nicolas Raynaud
Weather flash on Saturday 10th May
'Gitana 13 has suffered fairly strong NE’ly winds throughout Friday night, but the wind has eased slightly since this morning. However, the gusts did reach 55 knots at the end of the night and have been around 40 knots since then. The contrast between these wind conditions and those which Lionel Lemonchois and his crew will be subject to will be startling. Indeed, during the course of the afternoon the wind will ease to between 7 and 12 knots for 3 to 6 hours, which will enable the crew, who have just endured 12 rather tricky hours, to rest, before the wind builds again.
Fairly fluctuating S’ly to SE'ly downwind conditions will accompany Gitana 13 as they traverse the northern section of the Yellow Sea and make the Korean bay on Sunday.
Nevertheless, there will still be a few gybes to be performed to make the port of Dalian, as the wind angle won’t allow them to follow a direct route.'
Sylvain Mondon (Météo France)
http://www.gitana-team.com
by Gitana 13 Team
11:50 PM Sat 10 May 2008 GMT
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