BT Challenge news from LG Flatron & Team VERITAS

Sydney to the Kergulen Islands by Kester Keighley

We are well on our way to the Kergulen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean - a few days ago we had 1000 nautical miles to go and were charging along at 9-10knots in a strong wind of 35-40knots. (At sea we use nautical miles = 1852 metres for distances and knots for wind and boat speed = nautical miles per hour). There is a way-point to the north of the Kergulen Islands that we have to go round. The idea is to stop us going too far south towards Antarctica because of the risk of hitting icebergs or large chunks of floating ice called growlers which can be anything from the size of cars to the size of houses or bigger. With each of these only 10% is visible the other 90% is underwater so, apart from icebergs, they are difficult to see. So far we have seen two icebergs in the distance on the horizon.

Sydney was another great stopover if somewhat brief. Apart from getting the boat ready for this leg, which is the toughest leg in the race, we found time to go to various functions. Our sponsor LG gave us a welcome party hosted by the President of LG from Korea - this was a barbeque in the evening at the Taronga Zoo - an unusual experience walking through the zoo at night when some of the animals were still awake. For our Team Event day we did the Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk one evening so got a tremendous view of Sydney by night, as the sunset. This is a very special experience where you walk up on one of the arches of the bridge, along a walkway, clipped on by a harness and a line, crossing to the other arch at the top centre then down the other arch and back to the start point. For me it was an extra special experience as I discovered from an Australian aunt that my Great Grandfather was the Manager of the British Company that supplied the materials to build the bridge - it was like a giant Mechano set sent out from Britain. At the time the Australians did not have the engineering experience to build such a structure.

We left Sydney on March 11th with the start quite near the Sydney Opera House - between Fort Denison and Garden Island. Before the start we had light rain which fortunately cleared up however the winds remained light - we were 6th out the Heads (the harbour entrance). After that we headed down the eastern coast of Australia and Tasmania. Just before the Bass Strait (the stretch of water between Australia and Tasmania) we had our first storm with winds greater than 50knots. Normally with winds greater than 45knots we take our mainsail down and sail on the two sails in front of the mast. These are, in front, the No.3 Yankee (smallest Yankee cut headsail) and behind the No.3 is the staysail, however in strong winds we use the smaller of two, the storm staysail (orange in colour). During this bad weather, on two occasions, a big wave swept across the side deck pushing the people sitting there into the cockpit. This was uniquely recorded on video by the camera above the helmsman. One of the other boats, Veritas, was not so lucky and a freak wave hit them injuring two people and knocking off their satellite dome at the back. They had to head back to land, which fortunately was not too far away, to Eden, to drop off their injured crewmates. After that they continued with the race loosing about 24hours in the process; since then they have caught up with the back of the fleet.

We sailed well to the east of Tasmania to avoid being caught out by the lighter winds inshore, caused by the mountains creating a wind shadow to the east of Tasmania. As soon as we could we headed south and followed our great circle route that resulted in us gaining a good lead on the other boats. The great circle route is the shortest distance between two places on earth, because of the earth being round or spherical. On a normal chart or map the earth appears as though it is flat whereas the great circle route appears as a curve. This is why our route to Cape Town curves down to Antarctica, as a result the race organisers have put in a way-point to the north of the Kergulen Islands that we have to pass north of in order to avoid getting too close to icebergs..

This has been the coldest leg so far, especially when we get winds from the south-west, straight out of Antarctica. We are all suffering with cold hands and feet, which barely warm up when we go to bed between watches, particularly our feet. On deck the wind makes the air temperature even colder then every so often we get dowsed with cold spray and sometimes waves breaking over the boat, which add to the chill factor - we are all looking forward to the warmth of Cape Town. However we are all very thankful of our dry suits which keep us relatively dry and keep the chilly winds out.

Life down below is very difficult in these Southern Ocean conditions - not only are we heeled over at an angle but the constant battering by waves throws the boat and us around in all directions imaginable. We get thrown from left to right, up and down and also the angle of heel is forever changing. Moving around the boat is quite difficult and getting in and out of bed can be quite a challenge along with getting into our gear for going on deck. To help us go to the toilet the toilets have been modified so that they can be tilted such that at least one is nearly horizontal.

In this leg the Southern Ocean has lived up to its name some of the time with its bad weather and big seas. One night at 4am we were hit by a large wave that came over the bow. This wave swept the three of us that were on deck in the cockpit across it taking us to the end of our lifelines. As well it knocked the helmsman back against our satellite dome - the combined weight of the helmsman and the wave put some cracks in the dome, partially lifted it off its base so it is at a slight angle tilt and shook it so much that it stopped working. This has been a bit inconvenient, as we have been unable to use it to access the Internet for weather and to send and receive emails from family and friends, hence the delay in sending out this story. We are able to send and receive emails via a mini satellite telephone system called Mobiq but its capacity is limited, for example we cannot send photos because their file size is too large. Also its coverage is limited - we are now in range, which is why we can send out this email.

On a lighter note we have been very privileged to see the Southern Lights in the sky at night - they are amazing bands and shafts of white light across the sky - very spectacular. In the Northern Hemisphere their equivalent is the Northern Lights which can be seen off Scotland in the summer, and in other northern latitudes. They are, I think, caused by magnetic particles in the ionosphere which somehow generate light.

Team VERITAS news and highlights

Robert Brooke, from Dormansland in Surrey, who was airlifted from the yacht VERITAS in the BT Global Challenge off the coast of Sydney almost four weeks ago has been told he cannot rejoin his crew in Cape Town for the penultimate leg to La Rochelle. Robert, who lost the little finger on his left hand when a freak wave slammed into the yacht, returned to the UK to convalesce. Since his return, surgeons have discovered that two of his fingers were broken and another dislocated, meaning that he will be unable to grip anything on the yacht and cannot rejoin his crew for risk of hurting his hand further. In addition to the injuries to his left hand, Robert has a badly twisted knee and lower back, and has a massive bruise on his leg caused by the strap of his life line digging in when the wave hit. His fingers have been put in splints to help them repair, he is receiving physiotherapy for his knee and back, and the bruising, which has been described as a 'fat fracture' is being drained of fluid every two days. His fellow crew member Charlie Smith is still in hospital in Canberra with serious breaks to both legs from the same incident.

Robert had hoped that his hand would be recovered enough for him to rejoin the crew of VERITAS for the leg from Cape Town to La Rochelle which starts on the 13 May 2001. The breaks and the dislocation, which were not diagnosed in Canberra, mean that he will not be able to do so. He commented:

"I am completely gutted that I won't be able to re-join Team VERITAS for the leg to La Rochelle. I am annoyed that the breaks to my fingers were not identified in Canberra, as otherwise I might have been able to join them. I have been doing everything possible to speed up my recovery and hoped I would be able to make it.

"I am still going to Cape Town to welcome the crew when they arrive, which should be towards the end of next week. I have missed them terribly, even more so because the same wave that did for Charlie and me swept the satellite communication dome over the side, so e-mails have been limited to urgent ones only. We have heard, though, that they have lost their electronic navigational aids and are using a traditional compass. The heating, despite heroic attempts by Will (Carnegie) and others has also packed in and the odour, reportedly similar to very ripe Cammembert, has been intensified by damp people sleeping in their damp thermals in damp sleeping bags.

"I am still aiming to re-join Team VERITAS, although now it seems that I will have to wait until La Rochelle. I feel even sorrier for Charlie, who is still in hospital in Canberra as the injuries to his legs are so serious, and I just hope that he too can make it to La Rochelle if not to Cape Town, as is his plan."

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com BT Global Challenge Page
• BT Challenge Website
• Team Veritas Website