Gusto takes lead – 250 miles to sail!

by Di Pearson on 25 Apr 2007 Having led the Melbourne Osaka double handed yacht race since the afternoon of April 2, Japanese entry COCORIN interland lost her lead to both Gusto and Alex yesterday afternoon – but it is still any of the three’s race and will make for an exciting finish which mostly likely will occur late tomorrow.

Sailing his yacht alone, Brian Pattinson (Gusto), the new leader of the race took the lead yesterday afternoon prior to the 4.00pm AEST sked. Gusto has 250 nautical miles to reach the finish line off Osaka and at 8.00am AEST this morning, was abeam of Kushima at the southern tip of Japan.

Jock and Hamish MacAdie sailed Alex into second place later on, and have become a real threat to Gusto, just over 3nm astern after putting in more miles than her adversaries. The MacAdies will be praying that their rudder holds for the remaining 262 miles.

The Japanese 16m schooner is the most western, 19nm behind Gusto, with Alex in the middle and Gusto to the east – all three now at the mercy of the weather, an adverse current and Osaka’s busy shipping lanes.

Roger Badham’s has forecast a small area of near gales conditions for the day; sou-westerlies of 30-35 knots in the vicinity of the top three yachts.

COCORIN’s skipper, Itaru Matsunaga, reported late yesterday that his sister Kaori (a former Melbourne Osaka competitor) had a headache hearing that Gusto overtook the Japanese, Matsunaga telling her: 'It's only a little bit, don’t worry so much!'

At the time the Japanese were 320nm to the entrance of the Kii Suido Channel. 'We are sailing with full genoa, full mail and full mizzen. Boat speed, 4.8 - 5.3 knots. Wind unstable; SW 3-5 knots at this moment.

'It is calm again, making it a total of seven days calm during this race. It's a long race. Today we had a pretty guest - a swallow-like bird whose head is green. He or she flew into the cabin and decided to rest beneath John's berth. We named the bird ‘Chiko’.

As predicted, RYU-JIN – fgi (Qld), sailing 158nm in 24 hours, has passed Phil Coombs/Peter Walsh on Dekadence (110nm), and Tamagomalu (Makoto Hisamatsu/Jimmi Doherty, 99nm) is next – only 2nm ahead of Queensland’s Murray Bucknall/Jon Sayers.

Sailing on courses similar to the top three, they are sailing west of the Honshu Ridge, with Taiwan well to their west, having crossed into the Tropic of Cancer this morning.

RYU-JIN, and Dekadence 12nm astern, are on a course west of north, whilst the Japanese have opted to go east of north, tactical move to obviously try and keep the Queenslanders at bay for as long as they can.

Tamagomalu’s Queensland based co-skipper Jimmi Doherty reported yesterday: 'The wind is weak, but both I and Makoto are fine!'

However, the group is not safe. Behind them, Hullabaloo (NSW), Asadori (JPN) and Southern Light (SA) made up better miles over the last 24 hours, Jim and Joe O’Keeffe, the father and son from Yamba, are 187nm behind Dekadence after a 198nm run.

Asadori’s Shinsuke Nishi/Kyojun Fujita sailed 170nm to retain seventh on line, but the real threat of the three are the South Australians, Tom Crabb/Trent Justice, who clocked up 212nm; the most miles of the fleet and look set to steal a march on Asadori.

Nishi reported yesterday: 'The wind dropped today. We will release the reef into full sail after breakfast. May 1 is Fujita's birthday and we wish to finish by then.' That gives them six days.

The tailenders are led by David James/Rosie Colahan (Ingenue) who left Guam to their east overnight, sailing in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Wild Boar (Shozi Yoneda/Jun Kanda), are not too far away from leaving the Island behind them, but have chosen a more easterly course, with Campbell Reynolds/David Best Esoterica 111nm behind, also on a more easterly course. Moderate breezes are predicted for Saipan, where the three are nearing.

Jun Kanda reported: 'The wind rose again yesterday and we sailed with two reefs in the main and No.3 genoa, covering 175 miles for 24 hours since yesterday.

Weather from Roger Badham:
070424 0520Z
Winds are average winds at 10m – no gust.

COMMENT
For the previous two weeks there were many gale-force strength fronts crossing the waters (from west to east) immediately south of Japan. This week has seen things less active and the next seven days do not look too bad.

GALES
An area of near gale wind is likely on the S side of a trough line laying East-West near 10S.

TUES 24-WED 25
A small area of near gales today (SW/30-35) ahead of a front in area defined by 27N to 30N and 132E to 136E. The area moving NE and located east of 30N 136E by later Wednesday 25.

SUN 29-TUE 01
A region of gale force SE-S winds likely to develop ahead of a front crossing (from west to east)

AREAS AND WIND
SUN 29 30N to 33N and 132E to 134E SE/30-40
MON 30 30N to 34N and 130E to 138E SSE/30-40
TUE 01 east of the rhumb line; that is east of 138E and north of 31N SSW/30-40

Weather: Saipan, Northern Mariana’s – Wind: ENE at 12 knots

Argos tracker positions at UTC 22.00.00 (8am AEST & 7am JPN Wednesday April 25):

Gusto (Brian Pattinson), Alex (Jock and son Hamish MacAdie), COCORIN interland (Itaru Matsunaga/John Bankart), Tamagomalu (Makoto Hisamatsu/Jimmi Doherty), RYU-JIN (Murray Bucknall/Jon Sayer), Dekadence (Phil Coombs/Peter Walsh), Hullabaloo (Jim and son Joe O’Keeffe), Southern Light (Tom Crabb/Trent Justice), Asadori (Shinsuke Nishi/Kyojun Fujita), Ingenue (David James and wife Rosie Colahan), Wild Boar (Shozi Yuneda/Jun Kanda), Esoterica (Campbell Reynolds/David Best), Cadi (John and son David Netherton, retired), Wasabi (Ken Down/Shane Gaddes – retired), Runaway (James Ryssenbeek/Andrew McCole – retired), Pippin (Roger Sayers/Anthony Bown – retired).