Steve Fossett Challenges

Mission Control, UK 27 Jan 1600 GMT
Having withdrawn from The RACE on 13 January after losing a daggarboard and experiencing further mainsail problems (see Press Release Archive for full story), maxi cat PlayStation and her crew arrived at Palm Beach, Florida, USA on Thursday 25 January.

Skipper Steve Fossett, his 12 man crew and all support staff with the PlayStation team wish the remaining boats in The RACE all the best - sail fast and sail safe

January 15th 2001 - 16.000 GMT

Mission Control, UK 15 Jan 1600 GMT
In his email diary crewman Damian Foxall describes the events leading up to PlayStation's withdrawl from The RACE:

Day 13 The old main is showing some signs of wear and tear. Nick spends the whole day repairing the 1st reef patch. While this is going on we are slow,15-16kts, and unable to take advantage of the lead boats slow speed to catch up....really frustrating...thoughts of previous sail failures coming back to haunt us. Main fixed...up...and away we go into a building sea...bouncy at 20kts plus. The front 3 are 800-1000 miles ahead now...but approaching a high pressure ridge....our chance to catch up as we head around the St. Helena high.

After a good few hours this evening hauling back the miles on the Ollier cats that have slowed to 5-8 kts, disaster struck. On watch at the time, to hear a great ripping and tearing sound from the board casing. Tom Weaver and Mark Callahan asleep with their heads next to the board at the time, scramble past in a sleep hazed rush for the hatch way.. Further inspection and no damage below, but a broken dagger board floating limply by the side of the boat...the now useless stub still left in the casing.

All the crew on deck...lining the rail as we watch the 6' detached piece float away into the dark

One of the main causes of failure in a Round the World race is a submerged object strike. We join the long list. A shock we took off the Canary Islands may have been the reason, but either ways the odds were now stacking against us.

A hugely disappointed crew made what was probably their toughest decision ever. To leave their competitors continue, no longer chased by PlayStation.

We now have a 4000 mile delivery North to Florida, in other circumstances an ideal sail...20 kt trades...warm...sunny...fast downwind...strangely fast as our lack of board won't hinder us on this point of sail. But as we look back on the job to get here, down the track at the other boats and forward to the Southern Ocean...I wouldn't wish this trip on anyone.

Sorry to our back up team, boat building team and to everyone following our progress. Most importantly to our fellow competitors... we wish you a safe and fast race. May the best boat win.

January 14th 2001 - 7.00 GMT

0700 GMT Mission Control (UK) Sunday 14.01.01:
After the port daggarboard shattered late on Saturday night, Skipper Steve Fossett of the 125' maxi-catamaran PlayStation has advised The RACE officials early this morning that he has reluctantly had to take the decision to withdraw from the 23,000 mile race araound the world.

Key problems with the old 1998-2000 'delivery' mainsail showing serious signs of wear - and ongoing breakage - coupled with the daggarboard breakage last night - have lead Steve (after consultation with and fully supported by his crew) to take the difficult decision not to pursue the RACE into the Southern Ocean. Here's what happened:

At about 21:40 GMT on Saturday night 13.1.01, maxi-cat PlayStation and her 13 man crew received a jolt as the port daggarboard was shattered and broke off at the waterline. They had just gotten back up to speed, having spent much of the day at 2nd reef during rapid repairs to a 3 ft (1m) tear in the mainsail (at the 1st reef clew) from earlier on Saturday. The sail repair was working well when the daggarboard incident occurred.

It is not yet known what was struck. Inspection of the remaining part of the port daggarboard may subsequently point to the cause.

After consultation with the crew, Steve Fossett took the decision to withdraw from The RACE - The RACE directors were officially advised by e-mail at 0049 GMT on 14.1.01., subsequently confirmed by phone and fax from Steve's RACE project manager Peter Hogg. Below is the text of Steve's message.

"Now it's the daggarboard. Just after we hoisted the Mainsail after a day of repairs, the port side daggarboard was shattered and broke away. I suppose we probably could sail around the world with just the starboard daggarboard, but the real issue is the Sails:

We bought a new set of sails for The Race because we doubted our old sails were fit to make it around the world. When the new Mainsail and Solent broke before we got out of the Mediterranean we knew we were in trouble, but we were game to give it a try with the old sails. Today's repair of the first reef clew by Nick Moloney looks good, but then the second reef clew looks like it is starting to fail. We are destined to be struggling with sail repairs for the rest of the way.

I laid out my reservations about our continuing in The Race and asked the crew to tell me what they thought. They have thown their every effort into this project for months and in some cases years. Some of them would like just to finish the passage even if we were uncompetitive. I get to make the tough decisions. Unless the crew could offer a persuasive argument to continue we would have to turn back.

The crew talked it over and came back to tell me they all supported my decision. I turned the boat around and we're heading for Miami.

I doubt that it is the way a Skipper is supposed to make a decision, but that is how it was done on PlayStation.

In a further conversation with Mission Control this morning, Steve advised that all was well onboard and that they would arrive in Miami/Ft Lauderdale in 10-14 days time. The mood onboard is "one of disappointment, of course, but morale is pretty good, considering. We are still very confident in the boat and her structure - and in her tremendous speed and record-setting potential."

Following replacement of the daggarboard and and refitting of new sails in Miami/Ft Lauderdale, Steve, PlayStation and crew are now looking at targeting the Miami-NYC record and the TransAtlantic records - beginning this May.

Here we go again: PlayStation's battle worn mainsail has torn while sailing in fast reaching conditions 440 miles off the coast off Brazil. The damage was to the Clew (boom end) of the first reef of the mainsail. The stitching just pulled through the material like a comb.

The crew quickly reduced the load by lowering the sail to the second reef. Skipper Steve Fossett described,
"I climbed out on the boom to assess the damage. It 's bad: the tear is about 3 feet long plus there is another 6 feet where the sti tching is broken or suspect."

"The sailmakers have swung into action: Nick Moloney, still hardly able to stand on his previously sprained ankle, has assembled a bag of repair materials and crawled out on the boom to start preping the sail for the extensive sewing job. Eventually we will have to lower the bottom half of the sail on to the trampoline to do the heavy duty stitching. How long? I think about a day for the entire repair. If anybody can salvage this situation, my crew can. No sense talking to them about what can't be done. Their attitude is "of course it can be repaired."

PlayStation's racing Mainsail exploded in the same place on the second day of Th e Race. They stopped in Gibralter to take on their Delivery Mainsail, which requ ired a 2 day minimum stop under The Race rules. Fossett reported "This sail is t he original Mainsail of carbon and spectra built by North Sails in New Zealand. Our plan was to retire the sail to "delivery" trips because it is two years old and has 15,000 miles on it. Here we are trying to race around the world with it!"

January 12th 2001 - 17.15 GMT

(click on "Progress and Tracking" for latest 3-D position reports on PlayStation and the RACE fleet)

Mission Control (UK) 12/01/01 17:15 GMT:
Having crossed the equator in a 35 kt ITCZ (InterTropicalConvergenceZone - i.e.-The Doldrums) squall at about 0100 GMT last night PlayStation and crew were still fighting their way out of the Doldrums this afternoon - languishing in only 4 kts of wind at last report - as they look forward to resuming the long task of chasing down the three leading boats.

Skipper Steve Fossett was characteristically brief in Friday's short daily message:
"Now we've been caught in another ITCZ disturbance, so we are still going slow. Notice the 2 lead boats seem to be taking the shortcut across the High. Very interesting."
Steve

Crewman David Scully summarised the crew's frustration - and life onboard - at rather greater length in his report on the past 24 hrs:
"Worse and worse. It was a deck pounding, teeth grinding, fist shaking, cursing and swearing, blue skied, beautiful day aboard PS, with no breeze. We crawled along, first East, then West, always slow, and never in the direction we wanted to go.

Worse still was the certain knowlege that the others were streaking away at over 20 knots, while we sat, powerless, windless, hopeless.

But this is not a crew who have never before encountered misfortune. We have watched before as the Fates drop their favors on one boat, then the next in the course of a race as long as this one. We know well that the day is always darkest before it goes totally black. So we are not surprised that today is as bad as yesterday, though rainier.

In one of the rare intervals of favorable wind last night, we buzzed across the equator in a black squall. The speedo was hovering around the 26 knot mark. We had all sail set and were riding the fine line between control and chaos, as we dodged from squall to squall. At 0100, PS crossed the Line, and such was our excitement that we had no fitting offering for the local landlord, King Neptune. All we could offer him was a grainy sort of candy bar that is supposed to be better for you than the traditional type, and no-one on board likes. Not only is he punishing us with poor wind, but such is his displeasure that he has not yet visited the boat to extract a forfeit from those on board who are making their first crossing. We pray, we propitiate, we hope.

Life on board is not without it's lighter side. Nic Maloney, of the recently sprained ankle, has earned himself the pseudonym of Lt. Dan, after the legless character in "Forrest Gump" who howled at the hurricane from the bridge of Forrest's fishing boat. Nic drags himself across the tramp on all fours, genny sheets in his teeth, and in spite of his handicap, still manages to hold a rope. Needless to say, the rest of the crew derive a huge amount of amusement from this.

Last night, Brian excelled in the galley, producing a re-hydrated macaroni and cheese to die for. The girl who e-mails him 30 times a day does not know her luck!

Mark is contemplating a trip up the mast, to replace the mast head unit, which is not working. On these trips, the gyrations of the boat give the man in the bosun's chair the look of a yo-yo on a string. It is a wild and challenging trip to the top of this rig!

Steam has been pouring out of the nav staion, where navigator Stan, and skipper Steve, are working out a way back to the front of the fleet. Would spraying WD-40 in their ears cool the spinning wheels?

I leave you to get back to this rainy afternoon aboard the super cat PlayStation. I hope I have better news for you tomorrow." David Scully

(click on "Progress and Tracking" for latest 3-D position reports on PlayStation and the RACE fleet)

Maxi cat PlayStation and her 13 man crew are still struggling with light winds in the Doldrums, as the leading boats in The RACE enjoy great weather conditions approximately 500 miles ahead.

Early this morning, navigator Stan Honey talked about the weather conditions: "We are in the midst of the ITCZ now, at Lat 3 South. We have had only one squall over 30 knots; the rest of our trials have been with light and shifty air and the calms associated with the rain cells."

"Interestingly in our squall with heaviest rain, it rained hard enough for the entire crew to lather up, and completely rinse off, twice. It rained harder than the showers in many hotel rooms!"

Crewman Dave Scully described yesterdays sailing: "The wind got lighter, conditions rainier, and the big mounds and ramparts of cumulus higher. The brew went down, and then there was a shower of rain, and it went away."

"We had good pace earlier in the day. The big genaker was pulling us south at 20 knots, but the contrary swell was making it snap and bang, and the thought of losing this $56,000 tool at this stage in the game was more than we could stand. We changed to the Kevlar blade. Slower, but safer."

"Still, we had a chance of skating through, but King Neptune decided to favour us with the full ITCZ experience. The wind stopped, and so did PlayStation, and we spent the night picking our way south in a light northerly."

"Dawn brought a long line of dark cloud which scared the water into wavelets, and the boat into motion. We jibed in the increasing breeze, and felt the clean rush of water against the hull for the first time in many hours. It pushed us out into the deep blue, soul blue, sky of the South Atlantic, laced with surreal tendrils of stationary cloud. The big genaker opened again, tentatively pulling us forward."

"We cannot get south on this breeze. We steer SW, and sit in the cockpit, and talk of other races, and other things, trying not to talk about the rest of the fleet, gaining mega-miles as we sit. Now is the time to take satisfaction in that it is a long race, but we still hate this part."

"Nick's ankle is mending. I am working on the other Nick's hand at the moment. It has an ugly little staph infection going, but is responding to antibiotics. I have not been able to go after him with my little cleaver, yet!"

On Day 10 of The RACE, Maxi Cat PlayStation remain in 4th place, gaining good ground on third place Innovation Explorer and keeping in touch with leaders Club Med and Team Adventure, who have now exited the Doldrums and picked up good weather conditions again.

Last night navigator Stan Honey summarised the strategy as PlayStation themselves headed towards the Doldrums: "We are now committed to our lane to cross the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Conversion Zone), and are happy with that "lane." The current task is to blend this crossing into our South Atlantic strategy." ..

"The current prognosis for the South Atlantic leave several strategies possible. It would be inappropriate for me to make specific comments at this time."

"We are (unfortunately) well North of the ITCZ tonight, and are therefore having a delightful sail. The eclipse was particularly enjoyable early in the evening. The only negative is the smell of the flying fish puree that covers the boat."

In an email late last night crewman Damian Foxall described how his watch were dealing with the problem of flying fish:

Day 8, 2200 GMT
Flying fish for dinner.....2 little beauties....a little garlic and the only fresh food we will have for two months. It's a clandestine operation which takes the full standby watch...some of the crew aren't to happy with the smell of cooked fish in their hull. I managed to keep the operation under wraps, despite the attempts of Mark Callahan to push the cleaned and hidden contraband fish out from behind their winch with his foot.

Stu is easily persuaded to eat some, two in trouble is better than one! No one finds out and we head of to sleep a little more well fed than the rest...they don't know what they're missing!

Day 9, 0400 GMT
It doesn't get better than this. Just started our watch and it's full sail, big tight luffed reacher. True Wind Speed 30kts.........sailing really deep, 150True Wind Angle so that we can keep the sail up....just as well Nick M is asleep. Light surfing....but mainly just steady 28-30kts BS

Clouds of kamikaze flying fish attack us with regular onslaughts..."'what's the story with these guys?" asks Gino. Stu and I say nothing...revenge for two of their flock missing?

More come on boardŠfunny until one hits you in the face at 40kts, goggles on....we're a flying fish killing machine....it's them or us. The battle goes on sporadically throughout the night punctuated by the machine gun like fire, as squadrons come on board. With the tropical sunrise the battle eases, the remnants strewn along the hulls like some sort of bizarre massacre.

My early morning tour of the boat uncovers no problemsŠno in chafe....no breakage...but 2 more flying fish and the grandfather of all flying fish...I have to lift him with both hands. This is too good to pass up...deciding to tempt fate one more time I head for the galley

All goes well for a while, the family of 3 just fit in the pan and are frying nicely...then I hear the sound of the boss man "anyone for a morning coffee?" A load of positive replies and the boots appear at the top of the stairs. Rumbled....."errr.....fancy a flying fish with your coffee, Steve?"

The conversion of the crew was easier than I thought, just hope they don't expect a breakfast like that every morning!

January 9th 2001 - 09.51 GMT

(click on "Progress and Tracking" for latest 3-D position reports on PlayStation and the RACE fleet)

Mission Control, UK 9 January, 2001
On Day 9 of The RACE, Maxi Cat PlayStation is currently working her way through the Cape Verde Islands in a westerly direction. At 0900 GMT she was approximately 650 miles (comparing distances to finish) behind leaders Club Med and Team Adventure and 300 miles behind 3rd place Innovation Explorer.

Last night navigator Stan Honey explained the strategy: "We are working our way West through the Cape Verde Islands, having determined that it is best to get our Westing now, and it might be more costly if we have to get it later when we are further South. Apparently Innovation Explorer has had similar thoughts. It will be interesting to see when/if Cam or Grant decides to move West a bit."

"The South Atlantic high is setting up to potentially slow the fleet right down, which might help PlayStation if we can restart the race at a ridge in the South Atlantic."

In a dramatic incident last night crewman Nick Moloney twisted his ankle when he fell on a winch tunnel. Skipper Steve Fossett describes the medical procedure:
"Nick Moloney landed hard on the winch tunnel in the leeward cockpit severely twisting his ankle. Dave Scully pulled out our two extensive Medical Kits prepared by Dr Neil Barth (Newport Beach, California) and The Race Organisation. Meanwhile I contacted our Team Doctor Dan Carlin and his associates at WorldClinic.com who responded immediately by email with specific treatment advice."

"Dave Scully and Gino Morrelli applied cold compresses and prepared a half cast. Appropriate anti-inflammatory medications were given. Diagnosis is that the ankle is not broken. Nick Moloney woke this morning thinking he was going to stand his watch--I don't think so. Hopefully he will be back on limited duty in another day or two."

"Risk of injury is very high on these unlimited catamarans. This is the fourth ankle injury on PlayStation in the past year. The other three were from being hit by waves while crossing the trampoline nets between the hulls. Nick's injury was fortunately minor, but it was reassuring that our first aid plan functions: trained crew members, immediate access to the Team Doctor and a properly stocked medical kit."

January 8th 2001 - 09.51 GMT

PlayStation Briefly Slowed Sunday a.m. by Mainsheet Drama - Continues to Make Good Pace Towards Doldrums

Mission Control (UK) 0951GMT - 08 January 2001
Maxi-cat PlayStation continues her steady progress south, and her stalk of the leading RACE trio as the RACE enters its second week. The 'accordian effect' again temporarily takes hold of the 'distance to leader' calculation this morning(showing PlayStation 569 nm behing Club Med at 0800GMT) as the leading group are now racing through the Tradewinds towards the Doldrums as PlayStation emerges from her more leisurely weekend holiday in the Canaries...

Skipper Steve Fossett Reported to RACE Control on Sunday Night (7 Jan): "One of the most feared equipment failures occurred (Sunday morning around 0730): The Main Sheet broke. The last time this happened to me was on the Stars& Stripes catamaran and the shock load caused the mast to break and fall over.The PlayStation Mainsheet is one of the most highly loaded points of the boat with a potential load of 15 tons. We we re lucky.

The crew immediately rigged an emergency Mainsheet system so we could continue sailing at least half speed while a new mainsheet was prepared and installed. Five hours later the job was done and we are sailing full speed again.

Fortunately Ben Wright, Mark Callahan, Dave Scully and Damian Foxall had the rigging skills to fix the Mainsheet. It is a reminder that to do well in The Race you need crew members qualified in rigging, sailmaking, and electronics.

This was a minor delay in our pursuit of the three lead boats. Even if we can sail faster, catching up is a long process that will take weeks instead of days." - Steve Fossett

Navigator Stan Honey's own report Sunday night (7 Jan) on the weather patterns taking the big cat towards the Doldrums...

"Yesterday we had some slow hours as we replaced the mainsheet, and removed and lubricated a sticky mainsheet sheave.

We had some nice Easterly shifts yesterday due to a temporary ridge off the SE corner of the high. Those enabled us to work our way West a bit, even while sailing on port jibe down the African coast. That was an unexpected gift.

It turns out that unexpected gifts vanish as easily as they appear. Tonight we are struggling with the rotten angles that we have been expecting for this part of the ocean, and are having a difficult time finding the shifts in which to work West, over into the lane of ENE winds that we want to head South in.

Adam Chappell reporting on the excellent NOW Sports website (also on Jan 7) commented :

"Considering PlayStation's change of sails back in Gibraltar and an imposed 48-hour delay for an assistance stop, Steve Fossett's men are fighting it out admirably south of the Canaries. Stan Honey, the onboard navigator, explained on Sunday's 'Vacation Radio' chat the reasons behind their lack of speed in the trade winds. He said: 'I think we found a lower pressure than the others and struggled out of the ridge, south of the Canaries. We had to make some pretty ugly jibes out there, and thought they'd stretched out big time on us. As it turns out, we haven't been hit that bad. That's been delightful.'

With all their bad luck of late, Honey was looking at some strange easterly wind conditions as a real bonus, taking them west for an approach to the Doldrums in about three days' time. He said they were on a ridge southeast of the high, which twisted the winds up a little, and helped them drift west. PlayStation's team is grateful for small mercies at the moment."

January 5th 2001 - 16.00 GMT

5 Jan 2001 1600 GMT Mission Control, UK
22 hours after leaving the sheltered waters of Gibraltar - where 48 hours of urgent sail replacement and repairs were effected over Tuesday and Wednesday - PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett (USA) and his 12 man crew continue to chase down the leading RACE boats, which are currently in the area surrounding Madeira, off the African north west coast.

Team race project manager Peter Hogg saw PlayStation off the dock at Gibraltar on Thursday at 17.35.07 GMT - exactly 48 hours and 1 second after the Tuesday docking (any 'assisted' stop under RACE rules requires a minimum 48 penalty stopover). He commented on the forthcoming chase: "The objective is to catch them by Cook's Strait (New Zealand) - this is achievable. The sail problem was an 'extreme structural failure' in the new mainsail. The proven, original mainsail is heavier but it has held up well for 15,000 sea miles - we know it is strong. It has been used on 3 complete TransAtlantic record attempts and the crew are comfortable to sail aggressively under it."

Throughout Friday PlayStation was sailing westbound in order to optimise their course to meet an anticipated low pressure system. She then turned due south just before 1600 GMT to begin the long stalk to the Equator and points south.

Steve Fossett: "We've just taken the big tack to go south - we are sailing upwind in 33 knots of wind. Conditions are rough, but we're making progress - this goes to prove the value of our decision to extend the bows before The RACE. We are now just 6 miles behind Polpharma Warta and hope to overtake them within hours, but it will then be a long process to make up ground on the 3 leading boats."

"We started today about 375 miles behind them and that gap will now increase somewhat as we still have to negotiate the high pressure ridge the lead boats have already struggled through. Hopefully the conditions will be not as bad for us."

German crew member Tim Kröger summarised the crew's mood in a brief telephone conversation via BT mini M telephone on Friday afternoon, "It is great to be underway again - we are very comfortable with the solid original mainsail and crew morale is high. Now we will just have to track them down."

5. Januar 2001, 16 Uhr (GMT)
Breitengrad 35 44.820 N
Längengrad 10 40.710 W
Geschwindigkeit 12.5 Knoten

5 Jan 2001 1600 GMT Mission Control, UK
22 Stunden nach dem Verlassen der Gewässer vor Gibraltar - dort hatte "PlayStation" aufgrund von dringend notwendigen Reparaturen ihrer Segelgarderobe am Dienstag und Mittwoch einen 48-stündigen Zwangsstopp eingelegt - haben Skipper Steve Fossett (USA) und seine zwölfköpfige-Crew ihre Aufholjagd auf die führenden Yachten gestartet, die sich zur Zeit in den Gewässern vor Madeira vor der norwestlichen Küste Afrikas einen Dreikampf liefern.

Peter Hogg, Projektmanager des Race Teams, verabschiedete "PlayStation" und die Mannschaft aus dem Hafen in Gibraltar am Donnerstag um 17.35.07 Uhr (GMT) - exakt 48 Stunden und eine Skunde nach dem Festmachen am Dienstag (laut Rennreglement wird jeder Zwischenstopp einer teilnehmenden Yacht in Verbindung mit Hilfe von außen mit minimal 48 Stunden Zeitstrafe belegt). Sein Kommentar zur bevorstehenden Jagd auf die Rivalen: "Ziel ist es, sie in der Cook Strait (Neuseeland) einzuholen. Das ist machbar. Das Segelproblem, das wir hatten, war ein extremer Materialfehler im neuen Großsegel. Das erprobte Original-Großsegel, das wir nun wieder nutzen, ist schwerer, hat aber bereits 15.000 Seemeilen unbeschadet überstanden. Wir wissen, dass es stark ist. Es wurde während drei kompletter Transatlantik-Rekordversuche genutzt und die Crew ist sicher, auch mit diesem Segel aggressiv segeln zu können."

Im Verlauf des Freitags segelte "PlayStation" zunächst mit westlichem Kurs, um sich möglichst optimal zu einem vorhergesagtem Tiefdruckgebiet zu plazieren. Anschließend wurde kurz vor 16 Uhr auf einen südlicheren Kurs mit Richtung Äquator und weiter in Richtung Süden gewechselt.

Steve Fossett meldete von Bord: "Wir haben gerade die große Wende in Richtung Süden vollzogen - wir segeln am Wind in 33 Knoten Windspeed. Die Bedingungen sind rauh, aber wir kommen voran. Nun wird sich der Wert unserer Entscheidung erweisen, die Bugspitzen vor dem Start zu The Race zu verlängern. Wir sind jetzt nur noch sechs Seemeilen hinter "Warta Polpharma" und hoffen, dass wir sie innerhalb der nœchsten Stunden überholen können. Danach jedoch wird es ein langer Prozess sein, auch gegenüber den drei führenden Booten Boden gutzumachen."

"Wir sind heute mit etwa 375 Seemeilen Rückstand auf sie gestartet und dieses Loch wird noch ein bisschen größer werden, weil wir noch durch das Hochdruckgebiet durchmüssen, durch das sich die führenden Boote bereits durchgekœmpft haben. Wir hoffen, dass die Bedingungen für uns nicht ganz so schlecht sein werden."

Crewmitglied Tim Kröger, einziger deutscher Teilnahmer an The Race, fasste die Stimmung der Mannschaft wœhrend eines Telefonats via BT Mini M Telefon am Freitag Nachmittag zusammen: "Es ist großartig, wieder im Rennen zu sein. Wir fühlen uns mit dem Original-Großsegel gut gerüstet für die anstehende Aufholjagd. Die Moral in der Crew ist super. Jetzt müssen wir nur noch unsere Gegner wieder einholen."

Wenn Sie weitere Informationen wünschen, stehen wir gerne zur Verfügung:
Kate Edge oder Stuart Radnofsky / Project 100 Communications Ltd/Steve Fossett Ocean Challenge
Tel: +44 - (0) 1727 836238 od. 844616
Website: www.fossettchallenge.com
Hi-Res Server: www.pixsail.com

Dirk Neumann / 4sail communications (für deutsche Anfragen) Tel : +49 - 172 - 5909349

Wenn Sie aktuelle Tracking-Infos benötigen, empfehlen wir folgende Websites:
www.VirtualSpectator.com
www.Now.com

Benötigen Sie hochaufgelöste Digital-Bilder oder Dias (für professionelle Presse-Verwendung) von "PlayStation" oder der The Race-Flotte, dann empfehlen wir die folgenden Fotografen:
Gilles Martin Raget: gmr@martin-raget.com
Thierry Boccon-Gibaud: thierry.bg@wanadoo.fr
Christian Fevrier: fevphoto@club-internet.fr
Jacques Vapillon: vapillon@vapillon.com

EL PLAYSTATION EN THE RACE

Comunicado # 04
05 de enero de 2001 16:00 GMT
Lat: 35 44.820 N
Long: 10 40.710 W
Velocidad: 12,5 nudos

05 de enero de 2001 Puesto de control, Gran Bretaña.

La caza ha empezado

El PlayStation y su tripulación están otra vez en regata

22 horas después de haber partido de las protegidas aguas de Gibraltar - donde se efectuaron cambios de velas y reparaciones el martes y miércoles - el patrón del PlayStation, Steve Fosset, y sus 12 tripulantes continúan a la caza de los barcos líderes de la regata. Éstos se encuentran actualmente en los alrededores de Madeira.

Peter Hogg, el director del equipo de regata, estuvo presente cuando el PlayStation zarpó de Gibraltar el jueves a las 17.35.O7 GMT - exactamente 48 horas y 1 segundo después de la arribada del catamarán el pasado martes para reparar (cualquier tipo de ayuda en tierra requiere un mínimo de 48 horas de penalización). Comentó ante el reto que tiene el catamarán por delante: "El objetivo es cazar a los líderes en el estrecho de Cook (Nueva Zelanda). El problema de las velas fue un 'fallo estructural extremo' en la nueva mayor. Ha sido sustituida por la antigua vela original que, aunque más pesada, está probada en unas 15.000 millas náuticas, sabemos que es fuerte y la tripulación la conoce bien."

Durante el viernes el PlayStation ha navegado hacia el oeste para optimizar su derrota para encontrar una borrasca. Luego ha virado hacia el sur, antes de las 16 GMT, para empezar su larga aproximación al ecuador.

Steve Fossett ha declarado: "Estamos tomando un largo bordo para ir al sur. Navegamos en ceñida con 33 nudos de viento. Las condiciones son duras, pero estamos haciendo progresos; esto va a probar el valor de la decisión de alargar las proas antes de The Race. Estamos unas 6 millas detrás del Polpharma Warta y esperamos adelantarlo en pocas horas, pero será un proceso largo recuperar la distancia que nos llevan los 3 líderes. Vamos hoy con 375 millas de retraso y esta separación aumentará algo, ya que todavia tenemos que atravesar el sistema de altas presiones que los líderes ya han dejado atrás."

Trim Kröger, uno de los tripulantes resumía el estado de ánimo de la tripulación: "Es magnífico estar de nuevo en la regata. Nos sentimos muy bien con la sólida vela mayor original y la moral es alta. Lo único que tenemos que hacer ahora es atraparlos."

Para mayor información:
Cristina Barredo LATITUD 42 Comunicación
crisbarredo@latitud42.com
Tel: 93 415 40 47 - Móvil:
658 87 35 26 Fax: 93 416 03 85

Imágenes en alta resolución:
www.pixsail.com
Gilles Martin Raget: gmr@martin-raget.com
Thierry Boccon-Gibaud: thierry.bg@wanadoo.fr
Christian Fevrier: fevphoto@club-internet.fr
Jacques Vapillon: vapillon@vapillon.com

Gráficos de las últimas posiciones:
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PlayStation : La chasse est ouverte - Le géant est aux trousses de ses rivaux

L'équipage de PlayStation bascule en mode course.

05 Jan 2001 16:00 GMT
Lat 35 44.820 N
Lon 10 40.710 W
Spd 12.5 kts

5 Jan 2001 1600 GMT Mission Control, UK
22 heures après avoir quitté les eaux abritées de Gibraltar - où 48 heures de travaux urgents et un remplacement de voile ont été effectués mardi et mercredi - Steve Fossett et ses hommes sont à la poursuite des leaders de The Race. Ces derniers sont actuellement aux environs de Madère, au large des côtes du nord ouest de l'Afrique.

Grand voile : le retour aux sources Peter Hogg, directeur du programme course de PlayStation, a vu le maxi-catamaran quitter le quai jeudi à 17h35 GMT, soit précisément 48 heures et 1 seconde après son arrivée à Gibraltar (le règlement de The Race impose 48 heures de pénalité pour la première escale technique). Peter a commenté la chasse que Steve et ses hommes s'apprêtaient à lancer : "l'objectif est de rattraper la flotte vers le détroit de Cook (Nouvelle-Zélande) - c'est tout à fait faisable. Notre problème de voile était un incident structurel majeur sur la nouvelle grand voile. L'ancienne voile, d'ores et déjà éprouvée, est plus lourde mais elle a déjà montré sa fiabilité au long de 15 000 milles. Elle a été utilisée lors de 3 traversées de l'Atlantique en tentative de record, et l'équipage est en confiance pour passer à l'attaque avec cette toile".

Bon choix architectural Vendredi, PlayStation faisait cap à l'ouest afin d'optimiser sa route et d'anticiper un système dépressionnaire. Peu avant 16h00 GMT, l'équipage a plongé vers le sud en prévision de la descente vers l'équateur. Comme l'expliquait Steve Fossett : "Nous venons de virer pour faire cap au sud, nous naviguons au près dans 33 nouds de vent. Les conditions sont difficiles, mais nous progressons - ce qui prouve le bien fondé de la décision d'allonger les étraves du catamaran. Nous sommes désormais à 6 milles de Warta-Polpharma, et espérons bien les passer d'ici quelques heures. Néanmoins, il nous faudra plus de temps pour revenir au contact des 3 bateaux de tête. Nous sommes partis avec 375 milles de retard sur eux, et l'écart va encore se creuser en raison de la zone de calmes que nous allons devoir négocier, et par laquelle les leaders sont déjà passés. Espérons que les conditions ne seront pas aussi mauvaises pour nous".

L'équipier allemand Tim Kröger a résumé ainsi l'ambiance à bord : "c'est génial d' être à nouveau dans la course. Nous sommes pleinement en confiance avec notre ancienne grand voile, et le moral de l'équipage est au beau fixe. Maintenant, il ne nous reste plus qu'à pourchasser les premiers." Que les navires de tête se le disent, le géant cherche à se montrer le plus vite possible dans leurs rétroviseurs !

Cartographie
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PlayStation ED IL SUO EQUIPAGGIO DI NUOVO IN ASSETTO DA REGATA

CACCIA APERTA ALL'INSEGUIMENTO DEI RIVALI

5 gennaio 2001 - 1600 GMT -
Lat. 35 44,820 N -
Lon. 10 40,710 W -
Velocita' 12,5 nodi

5 gennaio 2001, centro coordinamento Fossett Challenge di Londra (UK) - 22 ore dopo aver lasciato le tranquille acque di Gibilterra, dove tra martedi' e mercoledi' si era provveduto a sostituire e riparare le vele danneggiate, lo skipper di PlayStation Steve Fossett (USA) e i 12 uomini del suo equipaggio inseguono i battistrada, attualmente in navigazione nelle acque dell'isola di Madeira, al largo delle coste africane.

Alle 1735 e 07 GMT di ieri (4 gennaio), il responsabile del progetto PlayStation, lo statunitense Peter Hogg, ha allontanato il maxi-catamarano dal molo. Esattamente 48 ore ed un secondo dopo l'ormeggio di martedì' pomeriggio (secondo il regolamento della regata infatti ogni sosta "assistita" a terra non puo' durare meno di 48 ore). Hogg ha commentato come segue l'inizio dell'inseguimento: "L'obiettivo e' agguantare gli altri prima dello Stretto di Cook (Nuova Zelanda). Ci crediamo. Per quanto riguarda il danno alla randa si e' trattato di una carenza strutturale 'estrema'. La vecchia randa (attualmente a bordo) e' più' pesante ma ha gia' dato ottima prova di se nel corso di ben tre traversate atlantiche alla ricerca del record, per oltre 15.000 miglia di navigazione. Sappiamo che e' molto resistente, l'equipaggio inoltre riesce a portarla in maniera aggressiva."

Per quasi tutta la giornata di oggi PlayStation ha cercato di guadagnare miglia verso ovest per anticipare al meglio una depressione in arrivo. Intorno alle 1600 GMT ha infine puntato la prua a sud cominciando la sua lunga corsa verso l'Equatore.

Steve Fossett: "Le condizioni sono dure, navighiamo di bolina con 33 nodi di vento. Facciamo progressi, la decisione di allungare i bompressi era giusta. Ci troviamo a sole sei miglia da Polpharma Warta (Polonia) e credo che in qualche ora li sorpasseremo, ma riguadagnare l'acqua perduta sugli altri sara' piu' difficile."

"Questa mattina avevamo 375 miglia dal gruppo di testa, un distacco destinato probabilmente ad aumentare nelle prossime ore. Dobbiamo infatti fare i conti con un sistema di alta pressione molto instabile, i primi ci sono gia' passati, forse a noi andra' un po' meglio."

Tim Köger (Germania) ha sinteticamente espresso lo stato d'animo dei suoi compagni dell'equipaggio nel corso di una conversazione telefonica via BT mini M questo pomeriggio, "Essere di nuovo sotto vela e' fantastico. Vedere la vecchia solida randa di nuovo sull'albero ci tranquillizza. Il morale e' alto. Adesso dobbiamo solo acchiappare chi sta davanti."

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January 4th 2001 - 19.00 GMT

Maxi-cat PlayStation departed from Gibraltar at 17:35.07 GMT today (Thursday) returning to the seas to chase down the rest of The RACE field.

Skipper Steve Fossett and his international 12 man crew completed the mandatory 48 hour 'pit stop' stopover imposed under the RACE rules after receiving shore assistance following sail problems on Sunday/Monday. PlayStation's crew have replaced the damaged new mainsail with the original North Sails Spectra mainsail (used throughout 1999 and 2000) and have also put on board some of the original headsails in case further problems occur further into the race.

Of course the crew are eager to catch up to the top 4 placed boats, Team Adventure, Club Med, Innovation Explorer and Polpharma Warta - the top 3 (fortunately for PlayStation) making slow progress and still encountering light winds on the nose. These conditions are forecast to continue for the next 24-36 hours.

One hour prior to departure, crewman Stu Wilson (NZ) - driving with shipmate Damian Foxall (IRE) on their way to collect special departure rations at the local McDonalds, reported on the crew's defiantly up-beat mood: "We're back on our way - and we are going to catch these guys".

Latest Reported Position 4 January 2001 - 1800GMT
Lat 36 05 580 N
Long 05 20 830 W
Spd 7.9 kts

4 Jan 01 Mission Control (UK) 19:05 GMT - Excerpts from Steve Fossett's message to The RACE HQ this evening:
"PlayStation left the dock in Gibraltar at 17:35:07 UTC, exactly 48 hours after putting in to replace the Mainsail and Solent jib. The torn Mainsail was not repairable.

We fell 8-1/2 hours behind as we limped into Gibralter... The Race rules required a minimum 48 hour if a stop is made. This is a huge deficit. At the anticipated pace of The Race, we will have to average 1/2 knot faster than the lead boat in order to win... but the entire Crew is game and so much can happen during an Around the World passage. SO WE ARE ON."

January 2nd 2001 - 14.00 GMT

PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett has just advised RACE directors Denis Horeau and David Adams that the maxi-cat must put into port in Gibraltar later this afternoon to replace the mainsail plus some headsails. The new mainsail first reef clew has torn out. This was the second sail drama in as many days, as the head pulled out of the solent headsail on Sunday night (subsequently repaired).

STEVE FOSSETT: " We were sailing upwind in 27 Kts of wind when the clew in main gave way. It is very disappointing of course - to have 2 sail failures on a new set of sails."

The loss of the solent on the first night explains the 125' (38.1m) cat's relatively slow 1st day - but the real setback will now be the mandatory 48 hour stopover (under the RACE rules) for any 'assisted' stop.

PlayStation's container with spare sails - including the original Spectra mainsail (which has already covered some 15,000 sea miles) will reach Gibraltar early on Wednesday. While in Gibraltar the crew will change the main, plus some of the headsails.

January 1st 2001 - 16.00 GMT

24 hours on from the start, PlayStation and the rest of the Race fleet were 200-350 miles along the course and jockeying for position to determine who would become early leaders through the first gate - the Straits of Gibraltar, some 150 miles away.

Navigator Stan Honey reported after the first day and night's sailing: "Good sailing upwind - the wind was right on the nose" Prior to departure the crew were expecting strong westerly winds through the Straits - potentially 35 knots and 15 ft seas.

PlayStation Race Project Manager, Peter Hogg, commented "The passage through the Straits of Gibraltar is the first point at which an early leader can be reliably determined. It will require extreme caution from all crews as these are some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and an altercation with another large vessel is not recommended."

The first night at sea, for their New Year celebrations, the crew enjoyed fresh roast chicken, sandwiches and fruit - their last non freeze-dried meal for the next 10 weeks !

December 31th 2000 - 19.00 GMT

Today, the most extraordinary group of giant ocean multihulls ever seen, left Barcelona's Port Vell Marina in full view of over 20,000 enthusiastic spectators to begin The RACE, the first crewed non-stop race around the world.

At 1400h Steve Fossett's 125' (38m) PlayStation got a clean start along with Club Med, Team Adventure, Innovation Explorer and Warta Polpharma. (Tony Bullimore's Team Legato will start tonight having completed final safety checks).

With a single reef in the main, PlayStation was third across the start line and completed the Parcours de Degagement conservatively, before shaking out her reef and heading for the Straits of Gibraltar in fine form.

Steve Fossett, commented before the start: "Our plan is to be very careful because our greatest threat will come from breakages. In the big scheme of things, today's 'race around the buoys' is not really significant. The most important thing is not to cross the line early and not to hit anyone. There is still a long way to go."

The Race, brain-child of Bruno Peyron, has been in development for nearly 7 years and today, it enjoyed near-perfect conditions for the first ever start -sunny skies and 15-18 knots of winds out of the NW.

At 1800 hours local, the first position reports were released by Race Officials. With 23,000 nm still to go, PlayStation was challenging for second place, while Team Adventure was holding onto her lead, closely followed by Club Med, with Innovation Explorer and Warta Polpharma bringing up the rear in fourth and fifth respectively.

December 30th 2000 - 18.00 GMT

Barcelona 30 December 2000 1600h Exactly 24 hrs before the start of the unlimited RACE around the world, 125' (38m) maxicatamaran PlayStation and her 13 man crew finalised preparations under a grey catalan sky in Marina Port Vell.

American skipper Steve Fossett's PlayStation is the biggest catamaran in the 6 boat fleet and dominates the harbour.

Tim Kröger (Germany, 36) "I'm pretty excited now - it is very special taking any boat down south - I've seen it before, and taking a boat this size down is serious - I think PlayStation is the right boat for the task."

Dave Scully (USA, 40) "It's a race, but we have to finish - we will go as slow as we can to win."

PlayStation will leave the dock at about 1100 local time Sunday along with the rest of the extraordinary fleet of giant cats - for a race around the buoys in Barcelona Harbour before taking the start at 1400h.

December 28th 2000 - 18.00 GMT

With just 3 days to go before the start of The Race, maxi catamaran PlayStation and her crew are making their final preparations for departure from Port Vell, Barcelona on Sunday 31 December.

Fitting of the revised mainsail battens is currently underway and all other plans and preparations are progressing smoothly.

Skipper Steve Fossett arrived in Barcelona, from the USA, earlier today and announced the final crew for The Race. The 'Round the World' line up is:

Maxi-catamaran PlayStation and crew - at dock in Barcelona since Tuesday night - spent time back on the water outside Barcelona this afternoon - taking along with some members of the media as well. This was a chance to take advantage of the conditions to gain further experience with their new 'Cuben' sail wardrobe.

Wind range was 14-16 kts - which provided the perfect testing conditions the crew were looking for.

Watch Captain Brian Thompson commented: "Winds were pretty moderate, but it was quite a lumpy sea - about a 2 meter swell."

Asked whether the crew were enjoying the atmosphere at the RACE village, Brian added: "It is 8 in the evening now - and we've still got work to do today - about another hour's worth. The RACE has a cocktail party starting now - so we'll just be fashionably late".

December 19th 2000 - 18.30 GMT

After a largely trouble-free delivery, Steve Fossett's 125' catamaran 'PlayStation' will dock tonight in Barcelona after "another fine day's sailing" according to Navigator Stan Honey.

Stan Honey: "The last day has been really beautiful - last night we were in a dead calm - the Mediterranean was a flat as a mill pond. We just motored along all night under a cloudless sky until about 0800Z this morning when we got under sail again. The wind was blowing at 20 kts from the south and we made terrific time for much of the day. Our eta in Barcelona is about 2100Z tonight."

December 17th 2000 - 18.00 GMT

17 December 2000 Gibralter: Maxi catamaran PlayStation and crew put in briefly at Gibralter this afternoon at approximately 1500GMT before continuing to Barcelona and the RACE startline.

Watch Captain Gino Morrelli, PlayStation's co-designer commented on the delivery so far: "We have made good progress - the winds are quite light now, but yesterday we were averaging 20kts. The last 12 hours or so have been a combination of the mainsail and motoring."

As for the changes effected since the late decision to lengthen the maxi-cat's bows and transoms to a new total length of 125' (38.1m), Gino added: "We are very pleased - all the changes have contributed to the 'sea-kindliness' - she behaves much better in waves."

Estimated arrival in Barcelona is now late on the 19th (Tuesday). The rest of this coming week is already busy with official RACE build-up activity, with crew survival training (20 and 21 Dec), The RACE Opening Cerem ony (22 Dec) and high-speed demonstration sailing on the 23rd all booked for the crew.

December 15th 2000 - 19.00 GMT

After leaving Falmouth, UK in very rough sea conditions on Thursday (14 December) morning on the second leg of her delivery to The RACE startline, PlayStation and her crew are making good progress towards the Mediterranean.

Skipper Steve Fossett: "At last, it's just normal sailing. We had sailed a full day into very rough seas. Now as we are rounding Finisterre the winds are dropping and the seas flattening.

We did blow out our Staysail while switching down to the storm jib. This was a delivery sail and we have a new Staysail for 'The RACE'. But it is a reminder of how vulnerable we are to sail damage. Fortunately Nick Moloney and Stu Wilson on our crew are qualified sailmakers and could make such repairs during The Race.

After a quick stop in Gibraltar on Sunday, PlayStation will continue to Barcelona."

December 15th 2000 - 11.00 GMT

Falmouth, UK 15 December 2000 Maxi Catamaran PlayStation and her crew left Falmouth at approximately 0900 GMT yesterday morning, delivering the giant (125' / 38m) cat towards Gibraltar, then on to Barcelona by Tuesday for final preparations for 'The RACE'.

In Satellite telephone conversation directly from PlayStation, skipper Steve Fossett described the conditions "Overall things are looking good - we hope to be at Gibraltar on the 17th December (Sunday). Today we have been working against winds of 30-35 knots gusting to 48 knots. It has just settled down to about 28 knots. We are about 50 miles west of Oessant. Sea state is rough and we're down to the 3rd reef in the main and have taken down the storm jib. The original forecast was beautiful, but this rough seastate is a real handful - another good test."

The entire 'round the world crew are all on-board - except Dave Scully, who will meet PlayStation in Gibraltar. Plus Peter Hogg and sail specialist John Russell are making the delivery.

Steve Fossett: "Our current RTW complement is 11, but we may add one more to the crew for The RACE."

December 11th 2000 - 19.00 GMT

PlayStation waits in Falmouth, UK for next weather window to continue delivery to RACE start

Wednesday (December 13th) departure on next leg (directly to Barcelona startline) anticipated

Falmouth, UK - 11 December 2000: A day at dock in Falmouth, UK allowed for futher last minute adjustments - and quite a bit of unscheduled - but always welcome - media activity, as western UK - based TV crews, photographers and print media came out to have a chat and a look at the gleaming 125' (38.1m) PlayStation maxi-catamaran as she and her crew prepared for the continued delivery to the Mediterranean and the (Barcelona) 31st December start of 'The RACE'.

Skipper Steve Fossett: "We now believe there is a weather window to leave on Wednesday (Dec 13th) - and round Cap Finisterre, continuing directly on to Barcelona in about 6 days.

"I am certainly sorry to have disappointed those RACE fans who had hoped to see PlayStation in Monaco - we had been ready to leave Southampton for over a week, but December weather systems just have not cooperated.

We hope most of them can come to Barcelona - if not, then we'll look forward to seeing them all at the finish in Marseille!"

December 10th 2000 - 22.00 GMT

Fossett Awaits Further Weather Opportunity To Continue Delivery to "RACE" Start

Falmouth, UK: 10 December 2000:
After leaving Southampton late Saturday morning, PlayStation maxi-catamaran skipper Steve Fossett and crew reached Falmouth today after a strong first day's sailing - all upwind - to better position themselves for a continued delivery to the Mediterranean and the 31 December start of 'The RACE'.

Winds up to gale force were met, as the now 125' (38.1m) cat first headed southwest to cross the English Channel - towards Cherbourg - turning then to the western British port of Falmouth where she docked this morning.

Steve Fossett: "The boat handled the rough conditions extremely well - we were sailing upwind the entire trip and the new bows and raised front beam have worked well.

But there is no point in trying to get around to the Med on this weather system. It will be quicker to wait here before continuing. We'll wait for the next storm to pass and leave again on Wednesday evening or Thursday early so we can get on the back side of the low and get westerly wind angles - and more moderate conditions to allow us to round Cap Finisterre."

In a futher important development, PlayStation Watch Captain Ben Wright and Crewman Stu Wilson celebrated birthdays (numbers 35 and 34) today...

December 7th 2000 - 20.00 GMT

Southampton, UK: Thursday 7 December 2000: Stormy weather and a forecast for strong headwinds have again delayed the departure towards the Mediterranean for the 125' (38m) maxi multihull PlayStation and her 11 man crew. A new departure window of Saturday morning, 9 December is anticipated for the start to a delivery to Monaco and the Prologue of 'The RACE'.

"First we have to get out of Southampton and the English Channel - then we'll see how to get around the northwest corner of Spain (Cap Finisterre)", said skipper Steve Fossett Thursday evening as he continued preparations. "Navigator Stan Honey and I have been in contact with Project Meteorologist Bob Rice - who sees Saturday a.m. as the earliest departure opportunity. We do want to start on our way as soon as possible. Then we can always put in at Brest (France) or La Coruna (Spain) if necessary for a few days to wait for an improvement in conditions."

December 6th 2000 - 14.00 GMT

Following her recent hull lengthening programme, maxi catamaran PlayStation, now 125 ft (38 m), is back on the water and sailing again.

Skipper Steve Fossett reported early on Wednesday morning that last weekend's test sailing out of Southampton, UK had been successful and only minor final modifications will be made, mainly fine tuning of the new Cuben Fibre sails. The crew have now loaded the old suit of sails aboard for the delivery to Monaco for the Prologue of 'The RACE'.

Steve Fossett: "We plan a final sail from Southampton tomorrow, then departure for Monaco on Friday. We are making every effort to arrive in time for the Monaco Prologue sailing events (15/16 December)."

November 23rd 2000 - 20.00 GMT

Steve Fossett's (now stretched to 125'/38m) maxi catamaran PlayStation will be relaunched on Monday 27th November from Green Marine Boatyard, Spitfire Quay, Southampton, UK following 9 weeks of intensive rebuild.

Her newly lengthened bows and transoms will emerge from the shed early (approx. 8 a.m.) on Monday morning before she is carefully craned into the water. She will then motor across to Empress Dock (access via Dock Gate 4) where, weather permitting, the crew will begin the process of stepping the mast.

Tuesday will be spent rigging PlayStation, and on Wednesday the new Cuben Fibre sails will be fitted and final preparations made before, weather permitting again, her first sail on Thursday 30th November.

PlayStation and crew, including skipper Steve Fossett, will spend a few days testing around the Solent before they head to the prologue of The RACE in Monaco on 3rd or 4th December