EDS Atlantic Challenge - Leg 5 Update

THE FINAL FEW DAYS

The three leading yachts in the EDS Atlantic Challenge are getting closer to the finish, but tricky sailing lies ahead

With the end of the EDS Atlantic Challenge in sight, thoughts are turning to life on land and life after "the EDS." The lead boats have just over 500 miles to go and with speeds still averaging close to 15 knots, the end is getting closer with each watch change. That doesn’t mean that the racing is over as Mike Golding, skipper of Ecover testified. “We are pushing as hard as we can and will keep at it until we cross the finish line,” he said. “Anything can still happen. There is a very complicated weather pattern ahead.” The forecast issued by Commanders Weather read as follows: “The leading boats will see the southwesterly winds diminish and back into the east and southeast tonight and into Thursday. Wind speeds will only be around 10 knots.” The weather pattern is promising to make the final stages of this event tactically challenging.

Sailing 50 miles to the north of Ecover, and just four miles behind them on a distance to go basis, the crew on Fila are still having their fair share of problems. “We had to drop the mainsail again yesterday to add more lines down to the second batten,” said Stefano Pelizza, crew on Fila. “It looks like a spiders web. Then later in the day we exploded our big spinnaker. We are hoping that the wind comes forward so that we have to use our genoa, or that it keeps blowing hard so that we can use our smaller spinnaker without losing speed.” Despite their problems, Fila managed to maintain a near 15 knot average for the last 24 hours.

Further back Kingfisher have been experiencing their own problems. “We noticed that the top of the mast was out of column and unstable,” said Nick Moloney, skipper of Kingfisher, “so we immediately reduced sail to make the rig safe. It has effected our performance, but we are not out of contention yet and certainly have not given up hope of attacking the leaders if the winds go lighter near the finish.”

All the crews are taking time to savour their final few days at sea, and to a person they have enjoyed the challenge and exhilaration of this dynamic new event. “It has just been awesome,” said Nick Moloney. “One of the most intense experiences of my sailing career. I am sure that I will look back on this period and be amazed at how close the racing was, and how hard it was at times.” If the wind gods are kind and Kingfisher sails safely to the finish in France, they will be the overall winner of the EDS Atlantic Challenge. Further back in the fleet, the crew on AlphaGraphics are also having a fantastic summer. “This has been a wonderful experience for all of us,” said Helena Darvelid, skipper of AlphaGraphics. “The sailing has been brilliant. The wildlife incredible and the companionship of my crew has been just great. We have had a great time and plan to enjoy these last few days out here.” At the last poll the leading yacht Ecover had 503 miles to go the finish in St Malo and is expected to reach France sometime early Friday.

Boat Positions:

At 10:40 GMT, on a distance to finish (DTF) reading, the positions were as follows:

Radio Interview Extracts:

Nick Moloney, Kingfisher. “This has been an extreme experience. The racing has been so close, especially on this leg. I have been amazed at the number of times we have seen other boats out here. It has been so competitive.”

Stefano Pelizza, Fila. “The mainsail is holding okay. We are holding okay. We see that we can still match Ecover’s boat speed and that keeps us focused. We can still win.”

Helena Darvelid, AlphaGraphics. “The worst part of this event is obvious. Seeing Asia in the water was the biggest adrenaline rush for me. It was fear and adrenaline together.”

Javier Sanso, Gartmore. “The EDS has been a great learning experience for me. I now know so much more about what kind of boat I want to build for myself and how I will sail it. I will definitely do some fully crewed racing as part of my tune-up program for the next Vendee.”

Gael Le Cleac’h, Sill Plein Fruit. “We wish that we could have been more competitive on this leg, but no matter, we have enjoyed the sailing. After all that upwind sailing, it’s nice to sail with a spinnaker. Nothing to complain about.”

Mike Golding, Ecover. “The biggest adrenaline rush of the race for me was when Nigel got swept aft down the foredeck in big seas. We were moving so fast that if he had gone in the water, it would have been very difficult to find him again.”

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com EDS Atlantic Challenge Page