Stormy weather for Clipper fleet

by Clipper Event Media on 22 Apr 2006 'This is most definitely the coldest, wettest, most frozen, sailing I have ever done. And that was before the hale stones!!!!! The Southern Ocean is for pussies, this is awesome.' So said New York Skipper Joff Bailey, putting into words what most of those currently on board are probably thinking.

As the fleet heads north the weather has been getting steadily colder, and with the approach of the current low pressure system winds for much of the fleet have been blowing steadily at between 40 and 50 knots from the south east for much of the last day. Although not directly on the nose, this is still not an ideal wind direction and has meant some more bumpy sailing.

Looking at he forecast this is likely to continue, and unfortunately it is likely that the direction will stay the same as the low pressure system looks set to elongate from its current centre, rather than move further east. This is a shame as it also means that there is the potential for the boats to end up sailing back into the influence of the ridge of high pressure that seems to be almost permanently lying across their path.

Most of the fleet are sticking to the great circle route towards Victoria. The shortest distance between two points on a sphere, the great circle route from the southern tip of Japan to the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait and Victoria would take the fleet right up to the Aleutian Islands were it not for a waypoint 200 miles south that the fleet have to leave to port (stay south of).

It will be interesting see how this compares to the performance of the boats that have chosen to stay south. Cardiff, Qingdao and Glasgow are following a more easterly course and are now almost 400 miles south of westernaustralia.com.