Yachting News 21st November 2012
Greetings yachties,
I will be racing in the Auckland to White Island Race this weekend on the Stewart 34, Promise. You can follow the fleet here. And ( if the tracker arrives in time) follow Brett and I on Promise here.
Stewart 34 Promise.
We finished 5th on PHRF corrected time, knot too bad for the slowest boat in the fleet.
Sailonline are also having a race for armchair sailors here
Day 19, 19 226 miles from the finish
The Fleet Comes Together Right Now
The fleet passes island of Tristan da Cunha
It’s going to get light at the back
As expected the front of the fleet has compressed and the distances between the competitors has shrunk. Just 70 miles separates Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire), François Gabart (MACIF) and Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) François Gabart (MACIF) has closed the gap to a very tight 20 miles. The chase continues between the eight leading boats but for the pack at the back, they are up against and speed is the on the menu to ensure they don’t get caught in the forecast high pressure over the next few days.
At around 7am GMT the fleet will pass by the island of Tristan da Cunha, a small piece of land, in the middle of the South Atlantic. The goldenboy, François Gabart (MACIF), who is loving his Vendée Globe, sent this message: “Dear inhabitants of the island of Tristan da Cunha, I hope to come on a cruise stop one day so we can become better acquainted. I believe that if you live on an island like this you will have lots of stories to tell!”
On a port tack, with a steady wind, between 17-20 knots the IMOCA fleet are sailing with good speed towards the Gate of Aiguilles, around 1200 miles away, and are expected to arrive in less than four days
With these changes taking place, Terry Hutchinson has been released from the team. “Terry has made a huge contribution to the team since we started our quest for the America’s Cup. Terry’s leadership and match racing expertise led Artemis Racing to win the 2012 ACWS Match Racing Championships and has brought the team to where we are today. We appreciate all of his efforts and dedication. We wish him the very best for the future,” said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing.
