Gale Force Sailing

Note:  This post is also posted at our new blog at www.galeforcesailing.net.  I hope to make the switch from this site to the new one very soon.

No I’m not going to work for Domino’s, but I am taking a J122 down to Fort Lauderdale. We leave from Beaufort (that’s BOW-FORD), NC and head south (Course 207M). Before we leave, we have a bit of electronics work to deal with, but with any luck at all we’ll be leaving the Cape Lookout cut before dark on Monday.

From there it’s a fairly straight shot to Ft. Lauderdale. The forecast is favorable, due in part to a late season hurricane in the Caribbean. We don’t expect it to be a problem - and in fact if the forecast holds it will be a big help. Here is what NOAA is saying about our trip -

MON

NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING N TO NE. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
MON NIGHT

NE WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. HIGHEST WINDS

AND SEAS S.
TUE

NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS BECOMING 5 TO 7 FT…HIGHEST

SE.
WED

NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT.  SEAS 5 TO 7 FT…HIGHEST SE.
THU

SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT…HIGHEST S.

Looking a little further south - this could be what we come into Ft. Lauderale on.

TUE AND WED

WITHIN 300 NM NW QUADRANT OF REMNANT LOW WINDS

20 TO 25 KT…EXCEPT 25 TO 35 KT NEAR CENTER. SEAS 8 TO 10 FT.

ELSEWHERE WITHIN 150 NM OF LOW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS TO 9 FT.

ELSEWHERE N OF 26N W OF 72W NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT…DIMINISHING

TO E 10 TO 15 KT WED. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT IN NW SWELL. REMAINDER

OF AREA MAINLY E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT IN E SWELL.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS WITHIN 150 NM OF REMNANT LOW.
THU

N OF 26N W OF 74W SE WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT.

SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. N OF 26N E OF 74W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT.

SEAS 4 TO 5 FT. S OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT…EXCEPT

NE TO E 10 TO 15 KT E OF 70W. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT E OF BAHAMAS…

AND 2 TO 3 FT W OF BAHAMAS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED

TSTMS W PART.
FORECASTER AGUIRRE

Basically it is the best we could hope for. The boat is a great sailing boat and in these conditions should make for a very fast and fun sailing passage. It is approximately 540 miles and we are going against the Gulf Stream for at least some of the trip - but I think we should arrive by Friday. I’m taking the still camera and the video camera and when I return hope to have some super images to share.

Until then… Fair winds and following seas

kb

If you haven’t already excercised your right and your duty to vote in this election I encourage you to do so now.  I just voted, and am having a pretty good day because of it.  I also had homemade chicken and rice soup and did yoga - so it’s been a wing-dinger!

Apparently Starbucks is offering free coffee, Crispy Creme is offering free donuts, and Ben and Jerry’s is offering free ice cream.  I am sure Chicago Dem’s are offering free beer too.  So what ever your pleasure, get out and vote!

At 13:10 UTC today, Ericsson 4 skippered by Brazilian Torben GRAEL obliterated the 24-hour record run for a monohull when the team recorded a run of 593.23 nautical miles during leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The previous record (562.96 nm) was set by ABN AMRO TWO, with Sebastian JOSSE (FRA) as skipper, during leg two of the previous Volvo Ocean Race in 2006. The new mark is subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

PUMA (Ken READ/USA), in second place, has covered 561nm, just short of ABN AMRO TWO’s record. The new mark translates into an incredible average speed of 24.71 knots in conditions not best suited for a record-setting run.

Skipper Torben GRAEL (BRA) and his crew have been pushing the boat hard all night, first eclipsing the previous mark at 03:55 UTC. They have been adding to the record since then, although the current 30 knots of wind is likely to ease.

“It is a great achievement, but we were not really looking for it,” said GRAEL in a radio interview this morning. “What we were looking for was a good ride on this weather system, and to stay in it as long as possible.”

GRAEL said: “We are doing 30 knots of boat speed. The wind is around 28-32 knots but the waves (around eight metres) are not very good for us. Conditions are marginal. I think we have been pretty much on the edge. Perhaps if we had a better sea state, we might be able to go faster, but it is hard to go faster with waves like this.”

This will be the third time that Juan KOUYOUMDJIAN has produced a record-breaking design. The Argentinean was responsible for drawing the lines of the two ABN AMRO boats both of whom held the record in the previous edition of the race, as well as the current Ericsson 4.

For some days now the teams have been anticipating the possibility of a record-breaking run as they ride the current weather system, but concern over damage has led some to back off a little bit.

Simon FISHER (GBR), navigator of Telefónica Blue (Bouwe BEKKING/NED) paid tribute to GRAEL and the crew of Ericsson 4. FISHER was the navigator on ABN AMRO TWO when it set the previous record.

“We have been way too close to the edge too early and, consequently, had to throttle back whilst watching the leaders streaking off into the sunset with a new 24 hour record,” FISHER wrote this morning. “Each position report has had the same frustrating story – more lost miles to the leaders. However at the same time it has been hard not to smile a little when you see the pace that Ericsson 4 has laid down. Deeply, deeply impressive to say the least. It is a shame to see our old record from ABN AMRO TWO go, but, at the same time, these things are made to be broken and those boys are certainly doing it with style.”

Last night, Ian WALKER (GBR), skipper of third-placed Green Dragon, and a newcomer to this race, wrote: “This is insane. Thirty-five knots of wind, pitch black, 1500 miles from land and we are desperately trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like it is going to self destruct any second.” The boat is currently sailing at around 29 knots.

From Team Russia (Andreas HANAKAMP/AUT), navigator Wouter VERBRAAK (NED) says that on deck the spray-helmets are out and everybody on deck has their harness clipped on. “Below decks we are desperately trying to hang on in our bunks. The crashing, banging and squeaking of the rudders, the roaring of the water over the deck and the rushing of the water along the hull are just insane, and it is only when you put some music on your iPod that you can escape from this world of violence.” Both Team Russia and Delta Lloyd (Ger O’ROURKE/IRL) have taken a dive south to reach the favourable westerlies.

At 13:00 today, Ericsson 4 was positioned slightly north of PUMA with Green Dragon behind them. Further north still is Ericsson 3 (Anders LEWANDER/SWE) with Telefónica Blue and Telefónica Black (Fernando ECHAVARRI/ESP) behind and to windward.

Telefónica Black has ripped two sails, which according to Media Crew Member Mikel PASABANT (ESP), made last night even harder, but the team was cheered to see their first Albatross, considered to be a good omen.

“Let’s see what happens. He is a magic bird, the way he flies, without moving a single feather, effortless… amazing,” described PASABANT.

Leg One Day 19: 13:15 UTC Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to leader)

Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben GRAEL/BRA) DTF 1694
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken READ/USA) +34
Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian WALKER/GBR) +76
Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders LEWANDER/SWE) +113
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe BEKKING/NED) +145
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando ECHAVARRI/ESP) +155
Delta Lloyd IRL (Ger O’ROURKE/IRL) +315
Team Russia RUS (Andreas HANAKAMP/AUT) +337

Volvo Ocean Race Leaderboard*
(After Leg One Scoring Gate)

1. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe BEKKING/Iker MARTINEZ), 6 points
2. Telefónica Black (Fernando ECHAVARRI), 6 points
3. Puma Il Mostro (Ken READ), 6 points
4. Ericsson 4 (Torben GRAEL), 6 points
5. Green Dragon (Ian WALKER), 6 points
6. Delta Lloyd (Ger O’ROURKE), 2 point
7. Ericsson 3 (Anders LEWANDER), 1 points
8. Team Russia (Andreas HANAKAMP), 1 points

*Provisional standings

By BRITT YAP |Associated Press Writer

Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a raft made of plastic bottles to raise awareness of ocean debris finally stepped onto dry land.”We made it,” hollered Marcus Eriksen to a crowd of about two dozen gathered at Ala Wai Harbor on Wednesday. “Where’s the food?”

Friends greeted Eriksen and fellow eco-mariner Joel Paschal with lei, fresh food and beer to celebrate the end of their 2,600-mile voyage on what they call the JUNK raft.

“We got used to eating fish and peanut butter,” said Eriksen, who celebrated his 41st birthday at sea.  The pair left Long Beach, Calif., on June 1. Their 30-foot vessel had a deck of salvaged sailboat masts, six pontoons filled with 15,000 plastic bottles and a cabin made from the fuselage of a Cessna airplane.

While at sea they realized they were only traveling half a mile per hour and it would take them much longer to reach Hawaii than the previously anticipated six weeks.

“We had to go to half rations for awhile,” said Paschal, 32.

Without a backup plan, the two used a satellite phone to get in touch with Roz Savage, who was crossing the Pacific solo in a rowboat and happened to be in the same area at the time.

Savage, who was heading from San Francisco to Hawaii, was in dire need of water after both her potable water makers broke. When the three met up, Savage got onboard the raft, Paschal speared a mahimahi and the three dined together. Before parting, the men gave Savage a water maker and she gave them some of her extra food.

“We exchanged the necessities of life,” Eriksen said. “And that kept us going.”

Food wasn’t the only problem the men encountered on their trip. The raft, which can only sail down wind, had a hard time leaving the Long Beach area. The raft encountered storms that tore it apart during the first two weeks. Some of the bottles that were supposed to help the raft stay afloat started to sink. Eriksen and Paschal had to anchor the raft 100 miles off shore and rebuild it, before setting sail again.

The voyage was part of Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s project called, “JUNK.” The third person of the group, who didn’t make the 2,600 mile trip, was Anna Cummins, Eriksen’s fiancee. Cummins took care of land support, blogs and fundraising.

She said the goal of the trip was to creatively raise awareness about plastic debris and pollution in the ocean. Ironically, this was the same goal that Savage had in her trek across the Pacific.

The three want “single-use plastics” to be banned, saying they’re wasteful and usually end up in the ocean.

“Recycling is one solution, but it’s just a small part of the puzzle,” Paschal said.

Each day the men posted online videos and blogs of their trip and kept in touch with Cummins. They also spent two to three hours a day maintaining and repairing the raft.

The men said a variety of marine life gathered under the raft throughout the trip.

One day, said Paschal, they caught a fish after watching it grow for five weeks. They were going to eat it, but when they cut it open they found its stomach was full of plastic confetti.

The team hopes to visit schools around Oahu and share their experiences, and is working on a documentary film about the voyage to raise public awareness of the danger of plastics.