Light winds tricky - Round Britain & Ireland race

by Event media on 18 Aug 2006 Just the small matter of 65 miles is left for the crew of Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy’s Swan 56, Noonmark VI to complete the 1800 mile Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race but the light southerly winds are proving tricky to navigate and predict in the English Channel. It’s much the same story for the rest of the fleet all filing down the eastern seaboard with many of the boats making only very slow progress at speeds between 3-7 knots. For the most northerly boats the wind has almost completely shut off with the Predator of Wight’s Sam Connelly telephoning race control this afternoon saying:

'We are sitting in a hole with absolutely no wind at all and all eyes are out of the boat trying to desperately seek the next wind band. Onboard we’ve got enough provisions for another five days where after it’s going to have to be mackerel caught off the back with my fishing rod and feathers!'

Onboard the Ker 11.3 Minnie the Moocher the crew have been amazed at the amount of oil rigs they’ve seen as they head down the cost with one member reporting that, 'Last night the oilfields off Aberdeen were a remarkable sight, the oil rigs are spaced so regularly they could be mistaken for a marine highway lighting system!' Meanwhile there have been numerous whale, porpoise, turtle and dolphin sightings from across the fleet with many first-timers astounded at the natural beauty that is literally on their doorstep in the British Isles.

The predicted finishing time for Noonmark VI is around 2300 hrs this evening (Thursday) whilst the next boat, Unlimited Sailing/John Merricks, should be back in Cowes sometime late on Friday with the German entry Norddeutsche Vermogen back in shortly behind. For the rest of the crews it’s time to try and dry their boats out, catch up on some sleep and prepare for the possibility of another five days at sea.

As the race comes to its conclusion the RORC will continue to bring daily updates and position reports from the boats highlighting the highs and lows of this premier coastal yacht race. All yachts competing in the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race have been fitted with a tracking device developed by the RORC in conjunction with OC Technology. Yacht positions will be updated hourly and can be followed on the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s dedicated micro site accessed via www.rorc.org



Quotes from the boats:

Unlimited Sailing / John Merricks: Thames today, Cowes tomorrow
With less than 200 miles to the finish of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, Farr 45 Unlimited Sailing / John Merricks is fighting hard against the tide in the Thames Estuary and hoping for a Friday finish in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme Sailor Johnny Marshall has been one of three designated helmsmen on the trip and revealed what the team have been up to over the last 24 hours. 'We had a challenging day yesterday with hardly any wind. After covering so much ground on Tuesday crew morale dropped when we suddenly came to a standstill. After feeling like home was getting close we suddenly added a day to our race and there was little we could do about it.' The Lymington based 21 year-old continued, 'Last night was actually quite exciting, not only did the wind begin to build but we also sailed past loads of oil rigs. They were just massive and quite an amazing sight in the dark. Finally we are back on course, tight reaching with about ten knots of breeze and flat water. We’re just inside the Thames Estuary battling the tide. We’re working our way along the shore, trying to avoid hitting the bottom as we stay out of the tide, which should change in the next couple of hours and help us get down to Dover and around the corner. Tonight will be our last night on the boat which, after spending ten days on her, is a strange sensation. It will be brilliant to get home and finally take stock of what we, as a young team, have accomplished.'

Unlimited Sailing / John Merricks is expected to cross the finish line in Cowes, Isle of Wight sometime tomorrow, Friday 18 August.


Talisman - Shetland Shenanigans - Alistair Heggie
It would have been disappointing not to have had the opportunity to fully test the waterproofing fixes to the mast boot and the rail. Suffice to say the conditions have not let us down. With the Flannan Isles retreating over the horizon, the wind continued to blow predictably from the north. As night fell we gathered our selves for a night of heavy seas, beating into the forecast force 5-7 and the tricky task of spotting fishing boats in the swell. The night distinguished it's self from the long beat from the Scilly's to the Flannan Isles by the addition of low cloud blanketing all ambient light and driving rain stinging our eyes and faces, stopping us from looking into the waves we couldn't see. Talisman stood up to the test magnificently. Bristling along at 7 knots with the storm jib and 2 reefs in the main, she pitched and rolled as we climbed up the towering waves fronts and dramatically fell down the backs. The on-watch were treated to regular dousings in the cockpit while the off-watch were troubled by the relentless slamming on the hull and reverberation in the rig. By dawn the worst was behind us as we cruised along in a force 5 and set about repairing the crew with bacon butties, caffeine and some well deserved sleep. We were surprised by the amount of shipping in the area, especially fishing boats until a second glance at the chart confirmed we were sailing over Turbot Bank - not the best kept secret fishing location. The weather is not without a sense of humour. We are now sitting tantalisingly 50 miles short of Muckle Flugga (Northern most point of the Shetlands) in very light winds. By the time you read this we will be heading south at long last having quaffed our celebratory glass of bubbly and a welcome change of underwear for the crew. Once again The Dream Machine was given the opportunity to demonstrate it's prowess. Just a reminder of the website for all of you that ever intend on sleeping aboard a yacht again: www.oceansleepwear.co.uk.

Talisman - Upbeat
A fantastic day aboard jolly Talisman. Lighter winds have allowed us to focus on boat repairs after an exhilarating night punching into breaking heavy swell generated by a Northerly (what else!) force 5-6. We have pumped the bilges, dried the boat and set about making this sieve waterproof and we spent a happy time with a tube of silicon working around the rail and the mast boot. Down below Captain Curly (skipper) worked wonders breathing life back into the instruments, Navtex and saloon lighting. Chris applied his creative genius to repairing Andrew’s glasses allowing him to see beyond the cockpit. Jeremy has generously allowed a couple of to use his fancy waterproof sleeping bag now renamed 'The Dream Machine'. Feedback has been extremely positive. One crew member reported 'it's the best sleeping experience I've ever had on a yacht ever!' This report may have something to do with dreams featuring Kylie. Demand for The Dream Machine has never been higher. We are on our way to the Hebrides. The wind continues to blow from the North. Thoughts of downwind wind sailing are a distant memory. More dolphins came to play today. The sun's report card is looking poor but it made a welcome 30 minute appearance this afternoon. The crew are in a chipper mood now that the boat is sorted and we appear to be making some headway. We are looking forward to a nice bottle of claret, roast beef with all the trimmings but we'll have to settle for tinned Irish stew tonight.

Jaguar Logic - Skipper Pete Summers (aka Pedro)
We have finally got back into the land of the living as far as the computer is concerned. We managed to get all the software up and running a couple of days ago but then had continual problems of not being able to send messages or would lose them after the crew had spent hours typing then out. You would have th