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Day 35: Cheyenne 1490 miles to Cape Horn

2100 miles ahead of Orange 2002 RTW track

Geronimo 2004 right on our trail back towards Cape of Good Hope

Jacques Vincent - Vendredi Soir:

"Bonjour - Finalement la mer s'est un peu calmee pour le passage d'une dorsale et les activites de bricolages ont pu reprendre pour la grande joie des passagers: le rea de drisse de GV qui ne tourne plus, une vielle latte deja reparee (pas les lattes "C-Tech" - celle de Fraser !!) de cassee dans la GV ...mais rien n'arrete le camion! Le Cap Horn est a moins de 2000 miles.

Le vent rentre du NW a 30 noeuds, nous sommes babord amure et en route directe vers le Horn a vive allure. Une grosse depression aux fesses nous motive a rester devant...

La nouvelle du desastre de Madrid a secoue notre nationaliste Catalan Guillermo et je realise que nous sommes surement dans un des endroits les moins dangereux de la terre et que le bateau a voile est plus sur que le train. Notre blesse Nick (t'as vu la photo ?) va mieux , il quitte l'hopital et Dave (medecin man Cheyenne) va pouvoir retrouver sa banette apres un bref sejour a l'hotel (la Banette de Captain Steve). All good

Jac - Cheyenne 12 mars 21h par 53 S et 117 W"

Brian Thompson on 4 days to the Cape:

"As we push on towards the Horn we have 1750 left to run, and the outline of Tierra del Fuego is starting to appear on the nav software on our laptops. We finally have a waypoint to go around now after 21 days in the Southern Ocean, where up till now making easting was the basic goal; and the only features have been the ever-changing isobars, fronts and ridges showing on our weather downloads.

We are looking at 4 days to go and a rounding sometime on Tuesday. The weather is very changeable, with a big low chasing hard on our heels, but we appear to be in the best possible position to out run it and avoid slow conditions all around us. As Steve says, the weather forecasts always change, so it may not turn out to be such a smooth run after all. But now things are good and we are charging eastward at 25 to 30 knots.

Last night turned into a trial as a ridge of high pressure caught us up and shifted the wind from the SW through the W and then NW. That is all good except that with a big swell from the south, the transition to the new course was very rough as we were lifted on our old starboard gybe. Just as we were about to gybe over on to the present port gybe, one of our old bottom battens broke. So we had to put in 3 reefs, gybe with the solent and then begin work on extracting the 15 m long broken batten and repairing it on deck.

This operation took about 6 hours and involved most of the team. Once the batten was repaired we changed to the staysail, turned the boat upwind and parked the boat head to wind and commenced the long grind up of the mainsail. This took everybody and at least 15 minutes before we could finally get sailing again on course.

So we estimate that we lost 40 miles with that fateful flick of the mainsail that broke the batten.

Brian"

David Scully describes a frustrating, but ultimately successful Day 35:

"For those of you who missed my last communication, we were battling with high winds and crew injury. I am happy to be able to tell you that Nic is standing his regular watch again, wearing a helmet with a full face mask to protect his stiches from the flying spray. Guillermo's damaged ribs are to the point where it only hurts when he laughs. However, the fast sailing did not leave all our problems in our wake.

Last night we were overtaken by a ridge of high pressure, and it's associated light and lifted winds. The leftover waves gave us an impressively awful sea state, with the bows pounding, and the sail slatting uncontrollably. While waiting for the wind shift to jibe north, Whirly noticed a broken batten in the main. Groan!!!

We dropped it, jibed, and began the weary proccess of replacing it. Batten breakage is always a problem on these boats. Our new C-tech battens have been behaving extremely well, and I was beginning to hope that we would make it at least to the Horn without a breakage. It was not a C-tech, but an older batten lower in the main that broke, and four hours later we had it repaired and replaced in the sail, ready for the weary work of hoisting the full main.

This sort of delay is brutal. We figured that we had lost at least 40 miles dealing with the repair, and perhaps another 40 negotiating the light air in the ridge. Meanwhile, the big low that we must stay in front of to successfully negotiate the Horn, was starting to reel us in.

Fortunately, our delay had given the north westerly time to arrive. We were able to sheet home the solent, and take off at a blistering pace. At the moment, Cheyenne is bounding along at 30 knots, clawing her way back into the strong NW winds that will take us to the Horn."

Day 34-1/2

Cheyenne back above 53S

1900 nm ahead of Orange 2002 record pace

194 nm over past 12 hours

End Day 34

508 miles; 21.17 kts avg past 24 hrs

2000 miles ahead of Orange 2002

1000 miles ahead of Geronimo 2003

Geronimo 2004 hits 609 miles for best day yet in S Atlantic

Friday 12 March 2004 - 0510 GMT - 1922 miles W/NW of Cape Horn: Cheyenne continued excellent eastward progress yesterday, logging 508 nm over the past 24 hours as she closed on Cape Horn and the big turn to come.

Steve Fossett and crew maintained their 2000 mile lead over the 2002 RTW record track of Orange as well as a 1000 mile advantage over the even faster 2003 RTW position of Geronimo.

Driving towards Cape of Good Hope, the 2004 attempt by the 110' trimaran Geronimo logged its best day yet yesterday at 609 miles as Olivier de Kersauson and team blasted through the 'roaring forties' on Day 15 of their record attempt.

Today I have picture of Jacques going to bed at the end of a long watch. The picture is taken looking forward from near the nav centre in the starboard hull. Each hull has four berths so that means with 13 crew some of the crew have to "hot bunk", sharing their bunk with somebody from another watch. Jacques, Damian and Whirley share the forward upper berth on the starboard side. Dave uses the one below theirs and normally shares with Brian, though I have recently swapped with Brian. The two aft bunks on the starboard side are reserved for Ado (on top) and Steve (below, with the blue sleeping bag). Ado gets her own berth because as the navigator she has a very irregular sleep pattern that doesn't correspond with the watch schedule. Steve is on Brian's watch but works closely with Ado on the navigation so he also sleeps irregular hours and has his own berth. The carbon / kevlar structure in the lefthand side of the picture is the leading edge of the daggerboard case. Forward of the white curtain is the head (toilet) and stowage area.

© Nick Leggatt 2004

Day 33-1/2 - Eastward

Cheyenne makes good progress due East

Fossett and crew cover 263 miles past 12 hours

Still 2000+ miles ahead of Orange 2002 route

Brian Thompson closes the book on Day 33:

"As I wrote yesterday, Guillermo was hit by a wave whilst driving and was winded badly as he hit the deck; fortunately he is better now after taking some ibuprofen tablets and just has some slight pain in the ribs.

However Nick did not fare so well... Just after writing that I was on watch with Nick and Damian, Damian was driving and Nick holding the mainsheet just ahead of the steering pedestal. I was sitting under the cuddy looking back at them. A wave came over the side of the cockpit wall and covered them both. The boat speed was 20 knots at the time so the water pressure was high as Nick was pushed back on to the pedestal. Damian managed to duck behind the wheel. Nick was down on the side deck holding his head and as I went back there I could see in the moonlight the blood on the deck. I thought he had broken his nose.

I got him into the cuddy and with the headlamp had a quick look at his face - there was a gash under his left eye about 2 inches long, it was not a pretty sight. I left him for a second and went below to wake up Dave, our medic, and to clear some space on the bench below. At this point Nick said he was feeling fine and did not realize he had been cut at all. Once down below into the warmth Dave and Justin and Jacques looked after him and I went back on deck for the rest of the watch. After Dave had cleaned and taped up the cut as much as possible, Nick went to sleep and is going to rest up for a couple of days to keep the cut dry. It is a real shame that he was hurt and I hope that it heals up well, the only benefit is that it is good chance for him to catch up on his reading and emailing. We have transferred Fraser from Jacques' watch to cover for Nick.

Otherwise we have been making steady progress eastwards towards the Horn. The low we were promised has turned out to be weaker than predicted, especially as we have gone southwards and closer to the low, where in this case the winds are less. We have spent most of the day sailing downwind with one reef, blast reacher and staysail. Just at sunset the cold front from the low has passed through, swinging the wind into the south. We are now carrying 2 reefs and the storm jib, and reaching eastwards. The forecasts are showing good amounts of moderate reaching winds for much of the passage to the Horn so that is good news. Yesterday we were looking at 2 gales to navigate so that has brought an improvement of a day in our projected ETA and reduced the risk of breakages.

Got to go on watch now,

Brian"

Day 33 ends (finally)

Battling the Southern Ocean

Broken gear, battered crew, 485 miles run on course... and 2000 miles ahead of record pace

Skipper Steve Fossett describes the butcher's bill:

"Despite 10 feet of freeboard, waves break over the side of Cheyenne. Last night Nick Leggatt was hit by surprise and his face was stopped by the compass. A nasty 2 inch gash on his left cheekbone and a smaller cut on the bridge of the nose was the result (see photo). Dave Scully, our medic in addition to Watch Captain, got on the satellite telephone to our medical doctors at World Clinic. (ed. - World Clinic is a 24/7 medical service which is reachable worldwide by telephone or internet - see under the crew bio section a short bio on Dr Dan Carlin and World Clinic www.worldclinic.com). The advice was to close the wounds with SteriStrip tapes, a course of antibiotics - and prompt attention in a medical facility (can't do everything!) Nick will be off the watch schedule for few days to allow proper initial healing but a serious scar is inevitable.

I'm happy to report that Guillermo Altadill is fine after his knockdown earlier in the evening. His bruised ribcage in his back seems to have been caused by his harness which protects the helmsman from being blown out of the boat. He's fully able to continue all sailing activities.

To reduce risk of more injuries, a temporary speed limit of 25 knots was implemented until the sea state reduced. We have escaped the severe conditions for the time being.
- Steve"

Nick | © Jacques Vincent 2004

Jacques Vincent - son reportage sur Jour 33:

"Bonjour -

Le southern ocean a montre ses dents. ca a commence par un empanage. L'etat de la mer desordonnee nous a force a etre prudent et Brian a prudemment orchestre la manoeuvre...apres 2h d'activite nous etions sur l'autre bord au bon cap et avec une bonne vitesse. Il a fallu prendre un ris, derouler la trinquette, affaler le spi, envoyer le solent , rouler la trinquette, empanner, derouler la trinquette et enfin renvoyer le spi apres avoir fait une petite revision des 35h . 2 ris dans la gv, spi et trinquette, surf sur la houle, le bonheur a la barre et....boum spi dans l'eau ! On l'a recupere, difficilement mais en entier et on a continue sous solent.

La nuit aura marquee certain. Le relax catalan Guillermo, dit Gizmo, a ete ejecte du poste de barre par une vague et son harnais l'a retenu a bord en froissant un peu ses cotes. Peu apres un changement de quart c'est au tour de Nick d'etre frappe par la mer et d'aller embrasser le compas de barre sur son pedestal. Inutile de decrire les degats, allez voir la photo (que j'ai prise) sur le site. Mais rien n'arrete le camion ! et nos gaillards son deja sur pied. Dave a prodigue les soins, Justin a joue les infirmiers, et moi ..la presse (bof). Nick a passe la nuit a l'hopital (coque tribord) mais sera renvoyer chez lui ( coque babord) des demain.

En attendant son retour sur le pont j'ai echange Fraser, qui passe dans le quart de Brian a la place de Nick, contre un chocolat "Mars". C'est le 1er transfert inter-quart, il va falloir revoir les tarifs, 1 "Mars" ca parait pas cher - et Fraser est vexe comme un kiwi.

Depuis on a reempanne, cette fois en 20 minutes avec un ris et le Blast reacher (petit genaker) dans 25 noeuds de vent d'ouest.

Ciao

Cheyenne
Jac
mercredi 10 a 22h par 54 S et 143 W"

Nick Leggatt describes his encounter with the compass - Day 33:

"Today I have another picture taken by Jacques, this one is of me after I head butted the compass binnacle. I think Steve has written a bit about it. From my perspective: I was on watch, standing in my customary position in front of the wheel. Damian was on the helm, doing a good job in rather difficult conditions. We were reaching under double reefed main and solent, and getting a lot of green water over the boat as the wind and seas have picked up ahead of an approaching storm. One hour earlier Guillermo had been on the helm and after being hit by a huge wave he was left unable to breath for a few moments, in a crumpled heap on the deck aft of the wheel.

Since then we throttled back the speed as much as we could and were trying to keep it to under 25 knots to minimize the risk of damage but even then when the wave hit me it was a good solid one. There was not much I could do other than wait for the binnacle to use my head to stop me getting washed overboard.

The good news is that it was only my head that was damaged - so no vital organs to worry about there - and at least the cut is in the shape of another smile. Dr. Scully and Nurse Slattery did a great job of cleaning everything up and taping it all together, and then I was given a bit of bed rest to make sure that it didn't all open up again and I wasn't concussed. All ready for action once again.

Dave says that I must make sure I don't get the wound wet and he is putting me on antibiotics. Not sure if he joking about not getting the wound wet in a Southern Ocean storm!

Anyway, for my Mum, nothing to worry about, I feel fine again. - Nick"

Dave Scully writes about: The Jibe From Hell

Day 33: "The day started with taking the second reef. Then the jibe south. Sounds simple, but you start by unfurling the staysail, drop the chute, raise the solent to give you speed thru the jibe, ( we cannot jibe the spi ), jibe the boat, unfurl the staysail, drop the solent, hoist the spinaker, and get sailing again. I am ashamed to say that it takes an hour and a half of hard work by the whole crew.

But jibed we were, making good time. Fraser was driving, laughing about the unusually warm temperature. Loud bang as the halyard broke, and suddenly we were flyng the kite alongside the leeward hull. We kept pace on to keep it from hitting the water, and all hands turned to trying to get 2400 sq. ft. of streaming sailcloth back on board in 30 knots of apparent wind.

Somehow we did it. The halyard had, of course, popped back into the mast. It was too rough to start mousing a new one, so we set the solent on an outboard lead, and made the best of it.

Seas are high and chaotic. The boat slams into the waves. The waves slam into the boat. Guillermo was at the wheel when one hit him amidships, knocking him into the back beam and winding him severely. Nic was the next casualty. A wave caught him and drove his head into the binnacle with enough force to lay his cheek open to the bone. I had a midnight surgery going at the nav station with Justin holding the torch, got him steri-stripped together and off to bed. He will be fine, but no prettier when he finishes this trip than when he started.

Add to all this that we are making poor mileage, the olive oil bottle fell off the shelf and smashed on the floor, and that the puzzle of the Cape Horn approach is not getting easier to solve, you will appreciate that life aboard a record setting catamaran is not all beer and skittles. What will the next few days bring? Hopefully, a jibe back onto port and happier days."

Day 32-1/2: Good Progress Towards Cape Horn for Cheyenne

245 miles past 12 hrs directly towards Cape

1900+ miles ahead of Orange's 2002 RTW pace

Geronimo now tracking Cheyenne's pace to Cape of Good Hope

Steve on the helm, surfing down a big wave
© Nick Leggatt 2004

Brian Thompson on yesterday's eventful Southern Ocean day:

Day 32: "We are having our first taste of the famous Southern Ocean today; the winds are up, the seas are building and the barometer is making a long, fast drop. If we were on one of the old clipper ships we would be up the rigging, hanging over the edge of the ship on the yards, clawing in the canvas.

After our smooth run across the Indian Ocean and past New Zealand we are now faced with numerous weather hurdles before we can round Cape Horn. There is a gale ahead on Thursday, then a high pressure, then another low, plus other features in our path. It won't be easy or particularly fast; we are not going to escape the Southern Ocean easily.

It has already been an eventful day. We made a gybe at midday that took 2 hours all told. We came into the gybe with one reef and the spinnaker, but with the twin parameters of not being able to gybe the spinnaker due to its halyard arrangement and having to protect our battens. So we dropped to second reef, then unrolled the staysail and dropped the spinnaker with its snuffer. Then we hoisted the solent up the forestay using the 2:1 gennaker halyard, and rolled up the staysail. We ground the main traveller into the centreline and on the biggest wave I could find, I spun the wheel over and we surfed through the gybe at 20 knots, minimising the load on the battens.

This takes no time to write and even less to read, but an hour had gone at this stage. This was not a wasted hour as we were still making miles down the course all the time. After the gybe we found a problem with the snuffer so we spent the rest of the time fixing this and then hoisting the spinnaker back up.

We were up and running again and decided to keep the second reef in as the boat was so much more controllable with it, and in the winds over 30 knots there was no speed loss. We did this manoeuvre at the end of my watch, so I went to bed at this stage, with just a couple of hours left to sleep.

Whilst I was asleep it was an eventful period as the spinnaker halyard parted and the spinnaker fell into the water. So as the boat carried on at 15 knots under main alone the team on deck managed to wrestle the sail back on to the boat. This was a mission by all accounts but the sail was recovered ok. The halyard will have to wait as it fell through the rig and we are going to have to mouse in a new one when conditions are better.

Also Guillermo was hit by a wave whilst driving and was winded for a while. Whirly and Mark had to jump up on to the helm to help Guillermo to control the boat till he recovered.

I had better to go up and drive now...

Brian"

Day 32 - Fighting Towards Cape Horn

Cheyenne invests another day flanking to NE with 478 miles yesterday - but not all towards Cape

Now back on SE heading; lead over RTW record pace now 1815 miles

Spinnaker halyard breaks to add to challenge

"Now more trouble. The spinnaker halyard broke and this big sail was draped over the deck and being pulled into the water. 'All hands' managed to muscle it back on board and get it stowed below. The winds are building as our first storm front is approaching and it is too rough to send someone to the top of mast to get the halyard back in so we are done with the spinnaker. Our jibs will be our downwind headsails between here and Cape Horn.

In addition to being slower, we also have a worse angle to the waves. Already a wave has come over the side and knocked down the helmsman Guillermo Altadill and the other crew on deck. Guillermo had the wind knocked out of him and may have bruised ribs but continues on his sailing watch. It's dangerous on deck.

The wind and seas will build over the next 24 hours. We will be hunkered down in survival mode until this major cold front passes over us. These are the conditions the Southern Ocean is known for."

Day 31-1/2: Gybing along 50 - 51S

Still coming E/NE

Cheyenne should switch to an E/SE heading later today

David Scully's column yesterday on crossing the line:

End Day 31: Pacific Flyer

Cheyenne posts 7th consecutive 500+ mile day's run

Now over 5 days ahead of Orange 2002 position

Today's picture is a group picture of Jacques' watch.
L-R Mike, Jacques, Fraser and Justin
© Nick Leggatt 2004

1710 GMT Monday 8 March: Day 30-1/2

284 miles run past 12 hrs

2100+ nm ahead of Orange 2002 RTW record track

"The big weather news is a gale that is forecast to pass to the south of us on Thursday. This will squeeze the isobars between itself and the high to the north, giving 30 - 50 knot westerlies. 30 knots at latitude 48S and 50 knots around 53S. We are now at 53S, having been at 54S earlier today. We are making a move to slide up towards 50S to cover ourselves if this gale develops more. Conversely, if it weakens we will be able to revert to our eastward track."

Brian Thompson

Day 30 - Date Line

"We clocked up our best days run today at 622 miles, which puts us 2042 miles ahead of Orange, or 4.5 days ahead. We had great conditions for most of the day, sailing at a 125 TWA in 25 knots of wind with one reef and the staysail or solent. Boat speed was often touching 30 with the best speed of just under 35. The boat was not loaded up and we were gliding down the waves very easily. The helm was light so we did not have to grip the sheets on the edge of control.

If we we're looking for 24 hour record conditions this was not a million miles away. We could have sailed more aggressively and got another 50 miles but the sea state was not quite flat enough for safe speed, and a round the world record attempt is not the right time to sail hard enough to beat the current 24 hour mark - it would be too tough on the boat and the crew. That is best left for a dedicated run in the Atlantic.

We were all pretty pleased to get a 600 mile day for this trip, and to cap it off, within the same hour we had crossed the Date Line, sailing from the Eastern Hemisphere into the Western. As Adrienne said 'we are taking this baby home now!' 3900 miles to the Horn...

Now night is falling here, whilst dawn arrives for those of you in the UK. The wind is picking up to 30 knots and becoming more westerly so we are sailing more downwind in bigger waves. We just changed back down to the staysail after wrestling the big cuben fibre solent down to the deck and lashing it off. We won't make such a big days run as the waves will be slowing us, but it should still be respectable.

The big weather news is a gale that is forecast to pass to the south of us on Thursday. This will squeeze the isobars between itself and the high to the north, giving 30 - 50 knot westerlies. 30 knots at latitude 48S and 50 knots around 53S. We are now at 53S, having been at 54S earlier today. We are making a move to slide up towards 50S to cover ourselves if this gale develops more. Conversely, if it weakens we will be able to revert to our eastward track.

We have not been able to go up the mast for several days so we assume all is well aloft. Damian did some repairs to the new pin that we made for the starboard cap shroud.

We have had 2 days of constant drizzle so not a lot of scenery except our avian companions the albatross and the petrels.

Nick is cooking tonight and he has just announced on the radio that it will be served in the 'Cafe Australis', I had better go over and get my table, and get some food before my watch in half an hour..

Brian"

Sunday March 7th, Day 30 - Justin Slattery on driving really fast...

"Highest speeds so far - A 622 mile day - My personal best day's run ever! Sailing was quite intense but really its all about the seaway, the yacht is capable of doing this time after time but only with the correct runway! The multi hull record is 695 nautical miles in 24 hrs set by Maiden last year in the north Atlantic with the aid of the Gulf Stream. Its not in our interest to push Cheyenne as hard as you would in a 24hr record attempt while trying to break the round the world record attempt - we'd most lightly not make it around - in fact I'm sure we wouldn't.

My last watch was probably the most fun watch I've had so far. Two hrs into our watch Jack Vincent my watch leader (and seven times around the world veteran of Volvo's, Whitbread's, Jules Verne attempts - you name it!) passed the helm over to me at a heading of 75 degrees, just north of east at a speed of 30 kts. For the next hour and a half I drove at speeds of between 27 and 34.6 kts, Cheyenne just seemed to be loving the conditions surfing from one wave to the next in 25 to 27 kts of wind at 130 degrees true wind angle with solent and one reef in the main. Hard to describe the feeling!

Shortly after our watch our Navigator Adrienne Cahalan came over the radio to inform us that we'd just crossed the International Date Line, 180 degrees of longitude - another milestone in our round the world attempt. We're still riding the bottom side of a high pressure system and from what Adrienne and Steve have just shown me of our synoptic charts and routing plans the picture looks pretty right now for the next 3400 miles to Cape Horn - although 3400 miles is a long way out and allot can change in the week or so it will take us to get there! Probably the most amazing thing about these yachts is their capability to out run and match the speeds of weather systems.

Everyone seems in great spirits on board. Believe me - no one wants to spend longer out here than is necessary, two months is a very long time! We all share a similar feeling - we all want to push Cheyenne hard and fast but at the same time not break her! Its the good compromise between the two with the right winds and sea conditions that will ultimately let us take the record. It's very easy to get caught up in these Cape to Cape, 24 hr. and Trans Ocean records along the way but it is so, so important not to deviate from our ultimate goal - to break the R.T.W. record of 64 days 8 hrs.

My other two fellow watch mates, Kiwi's Fraser Brown and Mike Beasley got to salute their country as we passed earlier today. Must be hard to pass by when you get so close. Apparently South Island N.Z. began to sink as the entire population of sheep migrated there to cheer on their countrymen!

Well that's it from me half way around the world! Four and a half days ahead of the current record.

Justin Slattery"

End Day 30:

Cheyenne streaks east into the Pacific and records best day yet - 623 miles

2042 miles ahead of Orange 2002

Jacques Vincent: Jour 30 - Bonjour du Pacifique

"C'est le matin pour nous. Traditionel poridge anglais plus ou moins "collant" selon le Chef. La nuit a ete humide mais rapide avec une moyenne de 25 noeuds, 1 ris et trinquette, la tenue de soiree des grands moments sur un multicoque. On vient de passer la NZ.( voir la photo de mes 2 kiwis sur le site ). On va bientot franchir le meridien 180 et on perd carement 1 jour ! J'espere que dimanche sera donc une bonne journee car on en fait 2 de suite ! A partir de maintenant chaque miles nous rapproche. Le moral est au mieux, certain se plaignent de l'humidite. moi je dors avec tout dessus et c'est sec au reveil ! Les sacs de couchage sont dans des enveloppes en gore-tex et tout ce qui depasse est trempe.

Un pauvre diable , David, a traverse le filet d'une coque a l'autre sans cire ni harnais et c'est fait violement fauche et asperge des pieds a la tete par une vague plus haute que le trampoline. Ca faisait un moment qu'on lui disait d'etre prudent. Du coup je perds une semaine de "chocolat" CAR C'ETAIT LA RECOMPENSE que j'offrais au barreur qui attraperait l'effronte ! Mais le spectacle et la lecon en valait le prix.

Les chocolats sont une bonne monaie d'echange et j'ai grace a ce commerce eviter plusieurs corvees de nettoyage. C'est bien d'avoir qq gourmands a bord ! La prochaine terre a passer est donc le Cap Horn. 3 anticyclones et sans doute 2 depressions seront au menu meteo.

Nous sommes au sud du 1er anticyclone centre sur la NZ. et on a quelques jours de vents portant devant nous. En ce moment vent de NW 25 noeuds et la houle qui va avec.

Ciao

Sunday 7th March 21h utc 54 S 174 E"

RTW Days 28, 29 and 30 as seen through Irish eyes - Damian Foxall and Justin Slattery report:

Day 28 - Cheyenne - 506 Miles
Damian Foxall: "We are now in the Pacific Ocean having sailed across the line this morning at 32kts. The Indian Ocean was crossed in 9 days , 20ish hrs - a new record and an indicator that we are still on track .

After 18hrs under spinnaker in 30kts of breeze and large sea , we are back reaching , it's wet on Port tack and life is asymetric on board as most crew are now hot bunking out of the Port hull which also holds the galley. On the Stbd side it's calmer , a blueglow lights the inside as the Nav. computers light the dark interior , with an regular effort made to control the persistant 'rainforest effect' we are drier on this side too. Well protected in or Goretex sleeping bags we sleep 3-4 hrs out of 12 ; then into the cycle of 4hrs standby , maintaining the boat , cooking , sail changes ; 4hrs on deck , Sailing the boat ( Helming ,Trimming ,Deciding on best sail configuration and optimum course )."

Justin Slattery:

"We are blasting along today at up to 34 knots, still racing ahead of a cold front that has been approaching us from behind for the past two days now, our tactics are still to move as fast as we possibly can, the faster we go and the longer we can stay in the prefrontal conditions of flatter seas and reaching winds at 120 TWA. We are looking at another great day's run today. We're back to 2 reefs and the staysail up again after several sail changes this morning. We've got 25 to 30 knots of breeze. Whilst reaching at these speeds we're regularly generating apparent winds in excess of 40 kts across the deck with spray looking more like smoke at times - feels incredibly fast and it is! W'ere potentially looking at another five days of similar conditions with a slight drop in wind pressure on Friday.

Excellent news for our record attempt!

The spray coupled with wind chill just bites into any exposed skin in air temperatures of just over three degrees celcious. The cold I can live with - it's the constant state of dampness down below that is hard to bear - at times I could swear my Musto foul weather gear is wetter after four hrs hanging in the dry locker than it was when I first came off four hour watch.

It also just seems to rain from the deck heads on to your bunk - lovely feeling! not unlike some forms of torture. But its the excitment of on watch trimming or driving at record breaking speeds that keeps us all motivated."

Day 29 - 526 Miles (51S 156E)

Damian:

"Dave Scully is monitoring the platform of the boat and especially the bearings between the beams and hulls. Although showing the inevitable signs of wear , a check and telephone call to the boats' architect confirms that all is OK. for now.

New Zealand ahead , we will pass 300 miles to the South of it tonight ,Maquarie Islands just to Port and Stewart Island to Stbd. This the first time the boat has been back since it was built in 1999 , it's a 'guest appearance' as we flash past.

Geronimo is past the Equator, into the South Atlantic and on pace with us."

Day 30 - 622 Miles

Damian:

"Into the South Pacific , 4000 miles to Cap Horn and crossing the International Date Line today ,East becomes West. ( I checked the spelling it is Date Line and not Dateline , no phonecalls please .)

A Big days' run our first in the 600's , blast reaching with 1 reef and Staysail constant 28-30kts BS. We are now Half way around in Estimated Time and Geographically ; at 53S 170E we are also exactly the opposite side of the world to Ireland, Strange that there just happens to be New Zealand at almost the opposite side of the globe with many similarities to the green isle , although Fraser and Moose dont much look like Saints or Scholars after 30 days at sea!

We are now 2042 miles ahead of the record . A certain tension is slowly mounting on board , as a friend put it, 'as if we were walking on broken eggshells' ; we must keep the boat going straight, fast without breaking anything."

In another remarkable photo journalistic scoop I believe I have taken the first ever photograph at the moment of crossing the International Date Line! In this unusual picture you can clearly see where one day begins in the east and the other ends in the west! The transit from east to west was so rapid that I almost missed the opportunity to capture it on film.

© Nick Leggatt 2004

Day 29-1/2: Cheyenne rocketing along in excellent conditions

1850+ miles ahead of record pace

304 miles past 12 hours

Tom Mattus of Commanders Weather commented: "Conditions are very good - and with the wind direction now at around 300 degrees they are heading East at a very good angle. That W/NW wind should hold for the next couple of days, although the High to the N and the Low to the S will start to squeeze together and they'll see the wind increase - along with rougher conditions. They then may need to go farther N."

End Day 29:

Fossett and Cheyenne Halfway Round in Under 29 Days - 4 Days Ahead of Record Track

Round The World Sailing Record Bid Racks Up Fifth Consecutive 500+ Mile Day

1859 mile lead on 2002 Orange RTW Record Position

Midway Mark Caps Week of Milestones and New Records

Steve Fossett commented on the attempt so far - and the challenges ahead:

"Twice early on we have had problems which could have caused us to retire. Once when the navigation instrument system shorted out, and again when the forestay disconnected. In both cases we were able to make the repairs - but I constantly fear the "pop" of something that would end our record attempt.

Since leaving the Atlantic, the wind has never run out. It was a marvellous experience to be sailing over 20 knots day-in, day-out across the Indian Ocean. Half our Indian Ocean crossing was in the Roaring 40's and half in the Furious 50's. We love these conditions.

Although we now enjoy a 4 day lead, we are not relaxing. Matching the record pace becomes more difficult because Orange had a truly outstanding Pacific crossing in 2002. Our full concentration is now directed to maintaining our speed - while not causing stress to boat. We think of all the equipment problems we had in the first half, and know that we have many more problems to solve in order to get to the finish line."

New Zealand to port!
Kiwis Mike Beasley and Fraser Brown send greetings home - only 400 miles to port - to their best girl.
© Nick Leggatt 2004

Watch captain David Scully

Day 29: "It seems unbelievable, but we have finally passed the halfway point! It feels like much farther. In the last few days, milestones have been whizzing by like petrol stations on a motorway. Earlier this week, Cape Leeuwin, then the southern tip of Tasmania early today, now the halfway mark. The next day, not to tempt fate, perhaps the International Date Line, and on to the Horn, 4500 nm down the track. It looks like sweet sailing for the next few days, with 20 to 30 knot winds aft of the beam. We may have to put in a few jibes, but should make steady progress.

Life on board continues to be routine. I notice a tiredness setting in among the crew. I think we are are all looking forward to the turn north, though the full moon and moderate seas we are sailing in tonight will give us a chance to restore energy. We shook the second reef later today. Downwind, pulling up that mainsail is a real struggle. We have a compression beam that is trying to drift off it's hinges, but I am hoping it has another 13,000 miles in it before it does.

Jacques' watch is driving the boat along at a steady 24 knots, slightly to the south of east in order to duck below a spreading high pressure over New Zealand's South Island. The full moon lights the black water and reflects off the frothy, white wave tops. Cheyenne is driving easily under single reef and solent, and the next mark of the course is Cape Horn. Not such a bad moment!"

Watch captain Brian Thompson, reports on halfway home, surfing - and lots of layers of clothes

Day 29: "Another day and another record made, as we crossed the line south of Tasmania and completed the fastest time ever across the Indian Ocean in 9 days, 20 hours and 29 minutes at an average speed of 22.56 knots for the 5335 miles between the 2 Capes.

Now we are in the Pacific Ocean and only 300 miles from passing under New Zealand, and through the scattering of islands that lie to the south of the 'land of the long white cloud'. We will be passing New Zealand in under 30 days from the start which is quite amazing progress. On the Volvo races it takes 32 days just to Cape Town. Once past these islands it feels like we will be on the homeward leg, with 4500 fast miles across to the Horn and then the 7000 long and difficult miles back up the Atlantic to Ushant. This Atlantic leg is the one that will make or break this record with so many weather variables compared to the express ride in the predominant westerlies of the Southern Ocean.

Even more importantly, we are still only half way and have just as many miles, wind, waves and hazards to encounter as we have already passed so far, so we have to keep the boat in working order for another 30 to 35 days and trust to a large dose of good luck to make it to the finish on time.

We have had a difficult period lately as the sea state has been dictating what speed we can travel at, and what sails we can have set, but now conditions are improving. We have one reef and the solent up, beam reaching to the east in a northerly breeze of 20 knots. The seas that remain are from our port quarter and helping us now to surf to higher peak speeds. This wind should last until tomorrow when it will start to swing back into the NW and increase. As we are sailing around a big high pressure system we are looking at reliable winds for the next few days. A few more 500 mile days are looking possible...

Since we left the Antarctic Convergence Zone the water temps have gone up slightly (our water temp sensor is not working so it is more by feel) and with the northerly breeze it is a little warmer up on deck. Nobody has taken off any layers, so we are just a little more toasty than before.

Everyone has a slightly different sartorial style, but I have on thin thermals, then a layer of thick thermals with a fleece and Gore-Tex mid layer over the top of that. Then my foul weather trousers and foul weather top with the latex seals, all by Musto. For my hands I have dry suit gloves with latex seals with thin liners inside, and for my head a thermal hat with a balaclava over the top. One pair of thick socks and a pair of Gore-Tex socks slide into my boots. The only thing I would change is to bring a Gore-Tex balaclava and to get slightly bigger boots so I could put on an extra pair of socks. Otherwise I have been warm and have remained 100% dry which has been fantastic. Glad that I am not wearing the wool undershirts and waxed jackets of the clipper ship crews, but then they would probably think we are crazy going to sea in such a small and spindly craft!

Brian"

Saturday 1729 GMT - Day 28-1/2 - Farewell Indian, Hello Pacific

Strong run all day as conditions remain very good

1800+ miles ahead of Orange 2002

Ken Campbell of Commanders Weather commented today: "Conditions are very good - the Low is coming on them now, with winds clocking to the North, but they will be working to the SE, staying very fast E of the Low for the next 12 hours. There are no sticking points re High Pressure and I see them getting good Northerlies and Northwesterlies until the middle of next week."

Jacques Vincent: Jour 29

"bonjour

La traversee de l'Australie s'est terminee ce matin en passant a 500 miles au sud de la Tasmanie, a 9 jours et 20 h de la longitude du Cap de Bonne Esperance, la traversee de l'ocean Indien en un temps record !!!

Le front froid qui nous poursuivait nous a finalement passe en nous bousculant un peu. on a sorti les petites voiles et meme pris 1 ris dans le tourmentin.

Mais rien de monstrueux, de bonnes conditions estivales en Irlande comme diraient nos 2 Irlandais Damien et Justin. Apres quelques empannages nous sommes de nouveau babord amure dans des vents de NW de 20 noeuds. La coque tribord sous le vent continuellement aspergee est froide comme un cimetierre. Brian a demenage et passe chez les babordais. La table a carte est parfois deserte, notre seduisante navigatrice ne recoit plus beaucoup de visite, l'internet cafe aussi est moins frequente.

Cote meteo une petite dificulte se presente pour demain avec la formation d'une depression quasiment entre nos 2 coques, le vent va passe temporairement au nord et peut etre NNE . Un anticyclone sur la NZ nous redonnera des vents favorables d'ouest assez fort apres demain. Le sud de la Nouvelle Zealande n'est qu'a 700 miles de nos etraves et nos 2 kiwis qui aimerairent bien pouvoir arroser ca de quelques tonneaux de bierre devront se contenter d'un the au lait. A bientot

Cheyenne samedi 6 a 9h par 52 S 151 E

Jac"