Friday, September 03, 2010
They have done it!! Visit Malta Puma overnight has overhauled Cheeki Rafiki on the water – an amazing achievement, well done guys and girls!! If you can cast your mind back some 9 days ago, when Puma turned back to effect repairs to their alternator, then decided to carry on, she was some 108 miles behind Cheeki and some 162 behind Encore. That deficit has now been reduced dramatically. Cheeki are still ahead of Puma on handicap as she has a lower handicap, but Puma now have to opportunity to extend their lead on the water for the next 48 hours to try and make 4th overall in class, wouldn’t that be just amazing! Conditions overnight have been as expected – calm with a Easterly breeze of between 10 and 12 knots, which means all the yachts currently in the Irish Sea and English Channel have to beat to make any headway. As mentioned previously, this means that they cannot sail in a direct line for home as the wind is coming from exactly the same place they wish to go, so they have to angle the yacht to the wind or beat, to make any forward progress at all.
Playing Around Logic have also been making steady progress during the night keeping the most southerly track of the fleet. They seem to have just cross tracks with Alicia, and may have even been close enough to see each other. They are making straight for the Scilly Isles the next mark of the course, but may need to put another quick tack in to get a little more southing before they can get round. The leaders of the class meanwhile have just gone round the Scilly Isles and are into the English Channel and home waters at last.
The weather forecast for the next 48 hours will give the fleet very similar conditions to what they have had yesterday and expected today. Easterly breezes tomorrow and then East-South-East on Sunday. Perfect sailing condition, but the breeze coming from the wrong direction!
ETA’s at the moment are: Playing Around 4am Sunday morning and Puma midday Sunday.
