Velux 5 Oceans Solo Yacht Race: 2nd Leg

The first Velux ocean sprint from La Rochelle to Cape Town wasn’t hard enough for the five single-handing skippers. The Velux 5 Oceans is about to get a lot tougher. Howling winds, freezing temperatures, mountainous seas and icebergs await the five ocean racers as they leave the comfort of Cape Town and head into the bleak expanses of the Indian Ocean bound for Wellington in New Zealand. It is here they will encounter some of the worst weather conditions known to man – and they will face them alone. More than 7,000 nautical miles, and countless obstacles, lie between the skippers and their next port of call. These are the latitudes known as Roaring Forties and the Screaming Fifties, where boats can do 10-15 knots over the water under bare poles. People will get wet and boats will be broken, somewhat.

But not for me. I'm going to sail the same distance, solo, without getting wet, injured, starved, or shipwrecked. I'm going to be doing it virtually! 
At 0400 PST tomorrow, my Open Container III will start the second leg, along with 64,329 (at last count!) other one-design boats. My goal is to finish in the top 1,000! Judging from my 2010 stats up until now, that will be achievement enough for me!

There is Open Container, sailing along in 723rd place (see the violet track)!

But look at the light green track! That's Belladonna! Not too shabby, huh?

Well that was then, my next map is going to show my position degraded somewhat. For lack of a better word! I have been inattentive (somewhat).

The real world concerns ... you know what I mean: the usual suspects. Well, I have to forgive myself.

The real issue is, of course, how far south does one go to get in the funnel, into the jetstream?

The winners are people who knew this starting out. Like Contiguous, for example. (His is the green track.) This dude has become a serious racer, I seem to recall beating him handily. But he has done his homework, understands the distortion or the Mercator map as opposed to the globe and is diving south. From the Many Players game machine he derives a position of 208th! That's very good. I'd be very comfortable with that.

But alas, I haven't been studious enough nor attentive enough and I have slipped back into 1,467th place.

Not good. I feel badly. I'm trying to figure out who I have to answer to....

This next screen dump was taken yesterday, when I was flying high. I actually attained 505th place before the wind change.

That's Dinty, a skipper very well schooled in classic English litarature (thank you) some 75 miles behind trailing a green wake!

Since then, my fortunes have changed: In the early, early Saturday morning hours I elected not to cover him and tried a port gybe instead of a starboard gybe. At the time, I was thinking it was a toss-up. Dinty lost, maybe, 500 places; I lost 4,000.

If I were a football coach, I'd be fired; as it is, for my Anosognosiac Sailing, I'll lose 90% of my sponsors. 

Oh! And no, I'm not thinking I'll show current positions. Much too ugly.  (DADT!)

Now, it's a better scene. Somewhat.

I have been greatly disappointed. Hoping for an overnight gain of 500 boats, I came up with an improvement of less than 100.

Meanwhile,Dinty has been plunging south. He's in 1,945th place and definitely gaining. I'm having to cover.


Looking ahead, there's Belladonna, seemingly out of reach! All the more spectacular because she's flying stock suit of sails. Her all-black profile can be seen leading us south at 1,229 on the leader board.

I just wish Contiguous were close enough to also be in the picture. I'm hoping C does better in the days to come, but not too much better!

I have my work cut out for me if Open Container III is going to attain 999 or better!

It's a long leg, and I've certainly had my share of opportunities. Don't know how many more I can get or deserve.

This evening's shot is really dramatic.

Open Container III's violet wake is streaking south easterly at 14.6 knots in 18.4 knots of wind.

Paula, in No Going Back, is chasing me at 13.4 knots.

Just to the east of N.G.B., are, (in order),  

• Companion in 1,172nd place,
• Dinty in 1,092nd,
• and Belladonna in 898th place.

As you can see, I am in deep trouble.