The Cone ‘feels like a 30 footer’

by Al Constable on 17 Jul 2005 Australia’s favourite 30 footer, the Reichel/Pugh downwind flier The Cone of Silence, is struggling against the weather in the 2225 nautical mile Transpac race.

This evening, skipper James Neill reported to Sail-World USA by satellite phone: ‘We had a good start and we were a little over-confident I think. The bulk of the fleet went left, we went right. The left paid and by the time we reached Catalina Island, we had fallen from the front of our fleet, back almost four miles.

'The fleet is reaching south-west, and we are feeling like a 30 footer right now. We are losing ground hour after hour against the big guys. By the time we hoist a spinnaker, we'll be 200 miles behind our division leaders.

'If we get 18-20 knots, then we can run back through the fleet, but if it's soft, as the forecasters are suggesting, then it's really going to be a struggle.'

Can a 30 footer outrun the 50 and 60 footers? Yes - if conditions are right. The Cone was the fastest boat under 60 feet in the Australian east coast’s Pittwater to Coffs race at the beginning of 2005. However, she was surfing in 20 knots - and these are the conditions she will need to make an impact in the race to Diamond Head

In spite of their position back in the pack, The Cone crew are having a good time and are fascinated by the closeness of the fleet.

Neill commented, ‘we have quite a lot of boats with us. There are millions of way we could all go. We have plenty of boats around us, it’s a big ‘paddock’ …(Australians call Bass Strait a ‘paddock’; a rather large field or playing area), but we are all using pretty much the same weather software and the same grib files, so the fleet seems to be sailing in a narrow channel.'

With the official permission of Transpac race organisers, the little Aussie battler is transmitting its position from an Argos unit every 30 minutes and that data is being received by Sail-World USA.

At 22:30 PST Saturday (16:30 AEST) Sunday, the little red hulled racer was 168 miles west of Santa Catalina Island at the back end of the fleet.

Sailing in a light northerly of 10 knots, that later built to 12, her speed has been building all day from 6.6 knots, up to 7.1,7.5,7.8, 8.1 and now 8.3 knots.

Overnight update, The Cone continues apace, she has added another 100 miles overnight and has averaged 7.9 knots for the last 30 minutes.

The Cone’s data is displayed at http://www.sail-world.com/yachttracker.cfm?seid=71