Calais Round Britain Race - Day 6

The speed hunters

• The head of the fleet (PRB, VM Materiaux and Temenos) are set to round Shetland this evening
• Johnny Malbon (Artemis Ocean Racing) is back up into fourth attempting a shorter, but rather steeper approach to the summit of Shetland than their closest rivals
• After a long upwind climb to 61 degrees North the spinnakers will at last get an airing as the fleet begin the descent of the North Sea. However, a windless zone is forecast to stretch out from the mouth of the Thames, barring the way to the finish for the leaders and perhaps compressing the fleet once again!

The rounding of Shetland is going to spectacular this evening with all the Imoca fleet eager to shave Muckle Flugga as closely as possible at 61 degrees North. The usual suspects PRB, VM Materiaux and Temenos are in the key positions in the top three but back up to fourth is Jonny Malbon's Anglo-saxon crew on Artemis Ocean Racing, with nearly a ten mile lead over Delta Dore. Malbon is scaling the Western coast of Shetland in a bid for the summit, whilst Delta Dore is on a direct course hoping instead to drop down onto it - for now it looks like it could go either way. From the 'summit’ of this race it will be a downhill sprint under spinnaker along the East coast of Shetland in 15 to 20 knots of breeze, easing later. By all accounts the biggest hindrance between there and the finish is going to be a windless zone spreading out from the mouth of the Thames. For the Roxy girls and Aviva in particular who is floundering at the back of the fleet after a windless inshore option off the tip of Scotland, it's still game on with yet another compression of the fleet in view off the mouth of the Thames prior to the timed Channel hop to Calais. The only certainty tonight is that the race isn't over till it's over!

Vincent Riou (PRB) is gradually closing down on Shetland and not surprisingly is happy with their position of control at the front of the fleet around 3 hours from rounding Muckle Flugga and the top of the racecourse in this Calais Round Britain Race. "It's grey as usual but we're making a direct course towards Shetland, which we should reach this Saturday afternoon. Conditions were pretty fickle this morning when we were trying to work out when was the best time to hang a right. We were keen not to make a mistake and the ranking demonstrates that we've done ok. The final stretch of this climb North has been rather monotonous but just now we have 12 knots of wind, it’s cold and grey and there’s a slight chop. Heading up to Faroe earlier it felt like we were losing ground so we feel more comfortable now on a direct course to Shetland. For the descent into the North Sea the beginning is likely to be fairly rapid with 20 knots of wind but then we're going to hit a light patch down at the SE coast of England. The story isn't over yet because a regrouping is in view!”

Just 13.7 miles behind, Gildas Morvan on VM Materiaux is still as open as ever as regards his analysis of the weather situation and the upcoming tactics for the descent to Calais via the North Sea: “We’re in fine shape, the seas have settled down and conditions are rather pleasant. The wind is OK. We have 10-15 knots of NE’ly likely to build and back to the North. There are likely to be four boats fairly close together as we round Shetland later today. We've done pretty well after our upwind slog: the speeds are very close amongst the new prototypes. Delta Dore made a great move with its offshore option and we lost a bit of ground hugging the Hebrides. After Shetland it should be a drag race downwind but there will also be a regrouping behind us prior to Dover. Everyone will compress and the end will be very open."

Dominique Wavre (Temenos) was also slicing North Eastwards through the grey this lunch time and sounded in good spirits on this his first ever Calais Round Britain Race and just over 20 miles from the top spot “This morning we saw Jean Le Cam ahead of us when we had 2/3 miles of visibility. We're happy with the way we've managed to weave northwards but it's like a lesson in patience in these conditions. We've made a few little mistakes but all in all we’re happy with our lot. We’ve had a few slight glitches working with the speed and handling of the boat and we’ve probably tacked a few too many times. The descent into the North Sea looks fairly good apart from a zone with no wind at all off the mouth of the Thames but we’re going to go flat out for as far as we can.”

Amazingly, back up in 4th after a less offshore option than 5th placed Delta Dore, the 2002 Owen Clarke Design is still hanging on in there, just over 10 behind the 2006 version by the same design house, after a superb race from the Anglo-Saxon crew skippered by Jonny Malbon. “We are up at over 60 North right now. We put in a good tack this morning and have made some miles up on the leaders. I’m sure that they may claw those back as we approach Muckle Flugga, but it’s pretty motivating knowing that some decisions have really paid off. We have not been complacent, just enjoying it when these tactical decisions that have been discussed and carried out have gained us miles. We shall see, it’s just amazing for us to be hanging on, and actually gaining on the new boats. The old girl is sailing really well, and she seems to be enjoying being pushed – long may it last. We know that there is still a long way to go to get to Calais and we are going to continue our charge and try our best to get every mile possible stored in the bank.”

Making heading downwind and 25 miles behind PRB at lunch time today Delta Dore were hoping to close down the deficit on Temenos and VM Materiaux prior to the passage of Shetland according to crew Pascal Bidegorry. Dropping a place to Artemis Ocean Racing iand losing over 15 miles on the leader in the space of 3 or so hours clearly wasn’t part of the game plan for the Basque Figaro and multihull sailor. “PRB has played a great hand, but when he (Vincent) saw that we weren't hanging a right he must have wondered what we were up to. Staying on the left whilst you're waiting for the right is hard to accept intellectually when you're sailing. I think we’ve done well though and we'll just have to be patient. It's not easy to manage this type of very slow rotation. We'll try to find a good lay-line on port tack to round the islands. There are ways of clawing back a few miles!"

As we go to press Artemis Ocean Racing is fairly close to shore scaling the Western side of Shetland towards Muckle Flugga and the summit of the archipelago. Meantime Delta Dore is already at the right latitude to make the rounding but much further offshore. The duo is making equal speed but Delta Dore is making around a knot more speed towards the goal on a direct course. Suspense…!

Update from Aviva:

Frustration on board Aviva as light winds scupper tactics

The decision for Dee Caffari and the crew onboard Aviva to sail inshore has unfortunately not paid off. The light winds closer to the shore have meant the team slipped down the rankings in the Calais Round Britain Race. The team’s tactics to head inshore in a bid to find favourable conditions have not worked in their favour as the wind deserted Aviva while the fleet sailed away to the north. The crew are working hard to find some boat speed to head towards the Shetland Islands, the most northerly point of the Calais Round Britain Race, whilst hoping the winds will change in their favour.

Dee Caffari’s latest diary:

“I believed that stepping up to this class of sailing would be fast and furious and on the edge of control. Having spent 24 hours floating my way out of a high pressure at speeds that were slower than last year when I sailed a 46 tonne yacht around the world, I am now struggling to get excited.”

”One thing is for sure, if there is no wind it doesn't matter how hi-tech your yacht is it doesn't sail well. We made a decision on the weather files we were looking at and we came inshore. That has now left us caught up in a high pressure that we are struggling to get away from. We are now trying to keep moving and live in hope that the rest of the fleet get slowed down to allow us to rejoin the race. It is very frustrating to see our position fall behind in the polling each day after such a fantastic start, but as we keep reminding ourselves there are many miles to go and it is not over yet.”

”The best news for today is that we have finally sailed free from the fog. During the early hours of the morning, we saw the sky lighten and the dense fog curtain that had laid upon us for some time slowly lift in time for us to see an awesome sunrise."

" I have my fingers crossed that we will feel some warmth of the sun today to allow stuff to dry. We have been in fog for so long that the team has been chilled to the core from the damp conditions.”

”So everyone needs to keep their fingers crossed and join us in a weather dance in the vain attempt to magic up some wind to allow us to reach the top mark in good time.”

Dee, Chook, Frog, Pants and Hugo

Team Update from Campaign Manager Harry Spedding:

“The video interview on the front page of www.avivaoceanracing.com with, Campaign Director, Andrew Roberts sums up this race. Short and sharp with little room to correct any mistakes you might make. Early on in the race a couple of the Open 60 fleet made some tactical errors and lost ground on the fleet. They were lucky. A big 'park up' off the West Coast of Ireland meant they could catch the fleet, and get back in the competition.”

“Overnight from Thursday to Friday the crew of Aviva made a similar mistake and ended up in light airs, whilst the majority of the fleet maintained pressure and pushed North. Aviva may not be as lucky as those who made mistakes earlier in the race. Although there would appear to be more light airs forecast early next week, it will more than likely be too late for the crew to get back into contention. Though hopefully it will allow them to get close enough to push for a place or two up the leader board.”

“As the fleet leaders pass over the top of the UK tonight they will extend their lead as they accelerate down the East Coast. The same wind conditions for the rest of the fleet unfortunately mean that it will become harder to get up and around the Northern most point of the course. So the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, which is so often seen on the race course. My fingers are crossed that after the initial acceleration the leading 60s will hit some light patches whilst the trailing boats will be able to close the distance.”

“This has been one of the closest fleets of Open 60s for a long time, and what a delight to be able to watch some great offshore competitive sailing.”

With fingers and toes crossed.
Harry

Update from Artemis:

The skipper’s life onboard Artemis Ocean Racing

Message from Jonny Malbon

“Here we are again, fog bound, grey and cold, very very cold! The drizzle has set in, not raining just very damp which chills you to the bone. I have been lucky in a way to be doing the navigation as I get to spend more time down below. The boys have been awesome though and not grumbled once about the conditions. Having to get out of your warm bunk and get back on deck every 3 hours is not fun, even worse is getting woken up halfway through your sleep for a manoeuvre, but they have been bullet-proof and we have not had a bad word so far.

We are up at over 60 North right now, and last night was the first time it did not get dark at all. It went a bit dim for a while but we could still see and work on the deck. Put in a good tack this morning and have made some miles up on the leaders. I’m sure that they may claw those back as we approach Muckle Flugga, but it’s pretty motivating knowing that some decisions have really paid off. We have not been complacent, just enjoying it when these tactical decisions that have been discussed and carried out have gained us miles. We shall see, it’s just amazing for us to be hanging on, and actually gaining on the new boats. The old girl is sailing really well, and she seems to be enjoying being pushed – long may it last. We know that there is still a long way to go to get to Calais and we are going to continue our charge and try our best to get every mile possible stored in the bank.

In many ways the race is wide open still with the top 5 only separated by 28 miles, and the majority of the fleet separated by only 67 miles. Fantastic! We have to stay focused and let’s hope we continue to make some good decisions…..

On a housekeeping front, we are down to a choice of only three freeze dried meals – Thai chicken curry, roast chicken, and Thai chicken curry again. I hate Thai chicken curry as it is laced with peanuts, so my meal choice is fairly limited, although it does make choice for both lunch and dinner relatively straightforward. It must be much more difficult for those with a possible two dishes…

I think we are running low on oil and garlic too, so we have no way to mask the flavour of the food other than with Susie’s hot sauce from Antigua. I seem to be the only one using it though, so I should be ok.

I think we have all been in the same gear now for a good few days, and I guess any one who gets on board in Calais will be appalled by the aroma. We don’t notice it really, but that’s because we all smell the same. I haven’t taken any of my gear off for the last 5 days I guess. I have been sleeping fully clothed on the ballast tanks so I can be close to the computer and radar etc. not very comfy, but I am getting used to it. I have been using a sleeping bag as a cover today because its so cold, it looks a bit strange but it seems to work.

Right, better try and get some sleep before the next poll. My life revolves around the polls at the moment (position updates for the fleet) and getting the grib files (weather files we overlay on the computer charts) so I catch sleep when I can. The position reports come out at 0400, 0800, 1200,1600 and 2000 (French time) during the day, and none at night, and the gribs are available every 6 hours – so that’s what I spend my day doing, getting the info we need, and analyzing it. We then discuss it and a plan is hatched for our course and sail selection. A simple way to spend your day!!

Ok, I have to go this time,

Cheers, Jonny”

Update from Temenos:

“Just for a change" said Gildas Morvan ironically this morning, “we woke up to upwind conditions and thick fog" on this 6th day of racing.

6 days and 16 hours was the course time for the winner of the previous edition of this circumnavigation of the British Isles. This year there is still nearly a third of the course to go, which translates as 650 miles ahead of the bow of the current leader PRB at the 1600 hour ranking.

The leaders are preparing to leave the archipelago of Shetland to starboard at the end of the day. Even prior to judging the deficits at this course mark, one conclusion can already be a drawn from the 1600 hour ranking. The paying option was North of the fleet over the past 48 hours if we take the example of Jérémie Beyou’s comeback, now hot on the heels of the top three. VM Matériaux and TEMENOS in 2nd and 3rd position respectively, are making headway on a more E’ly trajectory, in search of a favourable wind shift currently forecast in the weather models. This will enable them to round Shetland without having to tack again, which would extend their course.

Questioned by the Press HQ at midday, Dominique looked back at the long stretches of upwind over the past few days. "It’s a good lesson in patience. On the whole we can't complain. We've made a few mistakes. Our tack inshore a couple of days ago wasn't great, when you look at how Delta Dore has made up ground on the outside, we wonder if we should have continued in a straight line."

No sooner than Shetland is in their wake, the frontrunners should benefit from 20 knots of downwind conditions to lengthen their stride. However a further decrease in speed is in view prior to their tackling the Channel crossing. "It will be good to ease the sheets a little", said a thrilled Dominique prior to being caught up by the less cheerful weather forecast, "another difficulty lies in wait for us on the approach to the Channel. We’re going to end up in another large zone of high pressure which is likely once again to reshuffle the cards."

Suspense all the way to the wire then for this Calais Round Britain Race with a current ETA of Tuesday 12th June at best.