OSTAR 2009 - Headwinds and ice. Which way would you go?

by OSTAR Race Office/Pip Hildesley on 3 Jun 2009
OSTAR 2009 - The sleigh ride is almost over. Those at the front of the fleet have only a few more hours of reaching winds, before the wind veers to the West and then the tactical decisions start.

Fortunately the wind speeds for the next few days will average around 15 knots but from the West. The wave direction will move round until it is coming from the North with a height of 2 to 3 metres. Only on Sunday will the wind again strengthen as it back into the South East.

And then there is the ice. The great circle route takes all the fleet through iceberg territory. Larger icebergs show up well on radar. However the real danger is from the growlers. Growlers are chunks of ice that have broken off. Often bigger than cars a yacht travelling at any speed hitting one will suffer damage. The problem is spotting them as the majority of the ice is under the water.

The ice chart from the US Coast Guard shows how extensive the ice is. Each square with a number represents the number of icebergs within that area. The decision is to play safe and go South of the limit of all known ice or take a risk to gain miles by cutting through the less dense areas of known Icebergs. The further South they choose to go the more they will be affected by the Gulf Stream trying to push them East and the less benefit they will get from The Labrador Current later. Which way would you go?

James Bremridge – Race Office

OSTAR 2009 Day 9

Looking at the chart on day nine all the ducks are in a row with Wind of Lorne at 23 W and still benefiting from the low west of Spain whilst 800 miles ahead 43W La Promesse leads the fleet and seeks a path between the low north of NewFoundland and the high which has formed to the south. Jemima Nicholas is seeking the shortest route and colder weather at 51N whilst BluQube is farthest south at 43N. The head winds between the low to the north and the high to the south are waiting for the fleet as it progresses west but for now nothing stormy.

Although tracker reports are not being received for Oscar Mead’s King of Shaves email reports put his position between Fanfan! and Tamarind.

The reports of the past week have been a joy to read. Three reports remain in my mind.

First it was Bart Booseman having difficulty in admitting that the inside of his boat De Franschman was wetter than the outside after loosing the fore hatch cover. I know how upset he must have been for he lived in his boat for much of the year & it is, or was, very cosy.

Then it was Hannah’s heart rending report following the failure of PURE SOLO’s hydraulic ram forcing her to relinquish her third position. She conveyed the anguish and later the elation having overcoming her problems so vividly..

But it was Pip’s heartfelt description of night sailing that will remain with me and, I suspect, many others for a long time; she highlighted the joy and satisfaction of single handed sailing and reminded us of the thrill of being at sea. To have done so, having just set out again after returning to Baltimore to repair the rig and being in last position with a broken rib, was very inspiring. A short extract is worth repeating.

'….The night was fantastic with a watery moon casting a watery path in front of me and the kind of sailing that seeps into your very pores and rushes around your blood stream making me, the sea and the boat seem seamless.
I would feel the quarter lift a little, know there was a wave to be ridden and watch as the bow fell and started to hunt around for the best path down the wave. A little tug on the wheel and the bow starts to throw up a frothy waves, which charge down the side of the boat and all of a sudden we are surfing on air. The steering wheel is light, I have open hands, not clutching, just resting the balls of my palms on the wheel to keep us on the wave for as long as possible. There is no effort in this movement and we accelerate with ease, showering sparks of phosphorous in the sea…..'

Roger Metherell - Race Office

From Pip Hildesley 3rd June

The full 'off the wind' arsenal has now been put to use. We are having some wonderful sailing and I am being put through my foredeck paces regularly changing between sails.

For most of last night the big A4 was up again. This is the huge one with the branding on it and it has been up for most of the last few days. If some time in the next year ornithologists report an unexpected change in the migratory habits of sea birds, and they are all heading for Moorgate in London, we will know that my extensive Cazenove Capital Management, north Atlantic brand awareness campaign has worked a treat.

There was poor visibility during the night and I had a horrible encounter with a ship. My RTE started alerting me there was something around, but as if often the case I could see nothing. As the ship got closer the RTE started going mad and still I could see nothing.

Finally I could smell a ship, that sickly horrible smell of exhaust that is so out of place in all this pure air, and there it was less than half a mile away.

The proximity of the ship was not a problem itself but I could not tell through the haze which way it was going. I had the spinnaker up and could not easily manoeuvre out of the way and we definitely seemed to be converging.

An emergency drop seemed the only option, I had no time to set up for a proper one so just gybed the boat with the kite up, so it was lying against the rig on the windward side, then banged the halyard off and ran forward hoping that the rig would stop most of the spinnaker going in the water and I would catch the rest.

The kite came down and the ship slid off back into the mist. Panic over, kite back up and time for a cup of tea.

This morning the wind came further forward and I was struggling to hold the big one so I changed to the A5 and reached with that for a bit.

Again the breeze increased and I started to struggle with the little kite. I still have much to learn about sailing, that is one of the reasons I love it so much as a sport, you will never stop learning or know it all, however, even I know that when the boat is on its side and I am waiting around for the rudder to get some grip back on the water, that is not fast.

I really did not want to change down to a number 3 at this stage. If I am going to catch up I need BIG sails although it is useful to be in control as well.

So out came the code zero 'my precious' (and yes, it must be said with the voice of Gollum). I love my code zero. This is the sail that blasted me away from the start line, it is my secret weapon. This seems to be a great bridge across the gap between headsail and spinnaker. It has a great full shape and large area that gives me good power, but does not overpower me with every gust.

Wind of Lorne II fell to me today. First boat passed. I drew it on the inside of my cuddy and wrote the schedule at which I passed it along side. Next picture I drew was Rubicon. She is in my class and 201 miles in front. Target set, Peter, I am coming after you!

Thinking of my class we are missing Paul who has had retire Ninjod due to structural damage. I really feel for him. Paul like all of us has put so much into getting to this race. The commitment to taking part is huge, both financially, time wise and emotionally. When I first met Paul he was just completing his paperwork and I was grinding out my toe rail, having just got in from South America. He has been ready to go for such a long time, his boat well prepared and he looking forward and always just wanting to start. He arrived early in Plymouth and ended up helping most of the fleet with installing there Iridium phones.

I was lucky in that the damage I sustained was repairable and I could carry on. I am gutted not to be racing out here with Ninjod. Anyone who made it to the start line of the OSTAR deserves respect it required commitment and a lot of blood