Estrella Damm Before The Straight (Photo © Estrella Damm / FNOB)
After a fast crossing of the Atlantic, comparing very favourably to the existing 60 foot monohull record of Bernard Stamm set in 2001 on the traditional route from Ambrose Light to the Lizard, the prospects of a slow sting in the tail for the two New York to Barcelona sailing record IMOCA Open 60’s Estrella Damm and W Hotels seem possible, maybe even probable.
Estrella Damm’s passage time for an equivalent 2925 miles across the Atlantic, albeit on this more southerly routing, is unofficially timed at around 7 days 23 hours. Stamm’s crossing in 2001 was 8 days 20 hours 55 minutes and 25 seconds. By comparison that sets an average speed of around 15.31 knots, compared with Stamm’s 13.79 knots.
For the two trios aboard Estrella Damm and W Hotels there was little time to reflect on the pace they have enjoyed across the Atlantic. Estrella Damm was in the Straits of Gibraltar early this afternoon and was more concerned about their routine of regular tacking, the lack of any real conclusions from the different forecast models, and the proliferation of shipping in the busy lanes which link the Mediterranean ports with the Atlantic.
On W Hotels, equally, there was little time for self satisfaction. Not yet. They have been steadily recouping some of their losses they sustained between Thursday and Friday as a result of damage to their port rudder. Estrella Damm passed Tarifa light at 1436hrs GMT, whilst Pachi Rivero, co-skipper on W Hotels reported an hour earlier that they still had 134 miles to the Strait. But since yesterday the chasing trio, Becker, Piris and Rivero, have gained the best part of 40 miles on Estrella Damm, which has lead this New York Barcelona sailing record challenge since the start.
The concern common to both crews has been the lack of clarity to be drawn from the recent forecasts for the Mediterranean. Both boats were into headwinds this afternoon, Estrella Damm’s upwind work was at least featured on some forecasts, whilst out further to the west Peter Becker thought their easterly might be a local effect.
Certainly no one is predicting a quick passage in the Mediterranean, but all four of the Spanish crews know the waters well, both the inshore micro effects and the big picture offshore patterns. At the moment Estrella Damm have the upper hand with less than 550 miles to the finish, and a 10 knots VMG, but – as they say -anything could happen.
Tono Piris On Board W Hotels (Photo © Laura Carrau / FNOB)
Quotes
Pachi Rivero (ESP) co-skipper W Hotels: “ We are 144 miles from the Strait. We are doing 17.7 knots with the wind at 164 degrees. We are tacking, a little bit more eased upwind. It is a bit before we will see the coast yet, but we are quite keen to see a boat because it has been a few days since we have seen one. All the repairs are holding up well.
We can see from the forecast that the wind is dying in the area in which Estrella Damm is, but we don’t really know how much we will catch them up, or if we will get a chance to pass them. But at the moment this is our chance to get closer and we will take all we can.
The weather forecasts are not playing out as they say. Conditions are different to what we expected.
There is not much wind in the Med. There is an area developing in the Med which promises no wind and I am just a little worried that Estrella Damm will be able to cross it and we might get stuck.
We should be in the Strait in around 10 hours or so.
We are not conscious of any other record times. I guess at least if we were ahead we might be thinking of it, but after these problems our focus is getting closer to Estrella Damm, we can’t really think how fast we’ve been.”
Peter Becker co skipper W Hotels: “We have some local winds which are different to the winds that we wanted but we’re fine. We are working hard to go forwards as fast as we can.
Of course the IMOCA Open 60’s are much faster than the big boats I am used to sailing. These are wonderful boats and the two guys are wonderful too. I think the main thing I have seen and learned is the remarkable friendship which has been created, and the very important lessons from these phenomenal offshore sailors, every little thing you see is learning in seamanship, decision making and management.”
Pepe Ribes co skipper Estrella Damm: “We have to be sharp because we are about to tack and we are in the Straits sailing more on the Moroccan side. We are going upwind with the wind at 18 knots, tacking all the time. In fact these winds are completely different to what we had seen on the forecasts. We were expecting still southerly or south westerly and we have easterly.
We are not really conscious of comparisons with other records. We certainly know e have been fast but now we are getting to the coast and to Gibraltar and that is going to screw up the averages. But the average for the Atlantic itself is really high.
As for an ETA for the finish, well it is really hard to say because the forecasts keep changing and never seem to agree. It could be anything.
There is a lot of traffic here, at the moment on the radar I can see 70 boats”
Standings at 1300hrs GMT Saturday
1. Estrella Damm (ESP), Ribes, Pella, Schreyer: 535.2 miles to finish
2. W Hotels (ESP), Rivero, Piris, Becker: 663.7 miles to finish (+128.4 miles to leader)
Estrella Damm Getting To The Low (Photo © Estrella Damm / FNOB)
The weather forecasts confirm that not only is deliverance from the 35-40 knot gusts and big seas due by Friday early afternoon, but then strategic decisions need to be taken over the following 24 hours which could have a lasting effect on positions up the Mediterranean.
Perennial leader Estrella Damm has a lead of just over 30 miles, and they still have no options but to press on flat out. Both teams well know that the miles up the Mediterranean are likely to be in light to moderate, variable headwinds and that in those conditions, the tables could be turned and W Hotels is acknowledged by most as having the potential speed edge.
As Estrella Damm’s vastly experience Project Manager Jan Santana (ESP) noted after this afternoon’s live audio and video conference with the boats, Pepe Ribes, Alex Pella and Stan Schreyer recognize that over three or four days from Gibraltar even a small speed deficit can quickly consume their 30 miles lead. Add to that the fact that some compression is inevitable, where the chasing boat stays with the better breeze when the lead boat has emerged into lighter going, and all predictions are for this remaining a close challenge.
On board both boats spirits are reported to be high, in spite of the challenging conditions. W Hotels could not be contacted, but Estrella Damm’s Alex Pella remarked that the thought of being so close to what will feel like the homeward stretch feels especially good.
Pella, Ribes and Schreyer are not having any significant problems except for routine small things that are an occupational hazard in the robust conditions, which they have been dealing with. On W Hotels the situation is similar although they had their hands slightly full when the videoconference was taking place this afternoon, as they were undertaking a repair to the compression bar and the part of the blade control mechanism of the windward rudder after it was damaged by a wave.
The W Hotels trio has had to throttle back to make the repairs, but the three co-skippers were confident in their ability to make good a relatively routine, but nonetheless annoying repair. The repair time was estimated to be around three or four hours which should allow W Hotels to return to optimum speed in five or six hours.
Boat speeds through last night and today have been impressive, averaging just under 20 knots and swallowing miles to the south of the Azores, rapidly approaching the improving conditions.
And then, probably on Saturday morning, comes the decision when to gybe, probably between 0800hrs and midday. Certainly for the Spanish crews that will feel like the turn for home.
Pachi Rivero At The Nav Station On W Hotels (Photo courtesy of W Hotels)
Quotes
Pachi Rivero (ESP), Co-skipper W Hotels (ESP): “Approximately 1 hour ago we got a damage in the windward rudder of the boat. I was on deck and a wave shook the boat completely and covered it in water. Once out of the wave I noticed a noise at the stern and it was the rudder hanging. Anyway after evaluating the damage (we have dismounted the rudder) we are already fixing it. We are still in the Record” in an e-mail to Record Control HQ.
Alex Pella (ESP) Co-skipper Estrella Damm (ESP): “We are going very well, with 20-30-32 knots of wind and so the work is still hard, we are happy, but it is reefs in and out because the wind is up and down and quite shifty. We are very concentrated and looking forward to when to gybe. The mood is up and we have no large jobs for the shore team when we get back, just small things and we have generally dealt with them as they happen.”
Jan Santana, Project Manager, Estrella Damm (ESP): “They (Estrella Damm) are pushing as hard as they can because they want to gain as much as possible now, because they know that when they pass Gibraltar the winds will be lighter.”
“You know that you have to prepare for different conditions and our boat is very good like that and upwind and for strong winds. If we are now at 30 miles in front of them, we know only too well that in 24 hours we can lose 20 miles. Now the forecast says that in three or four days the wind will be from the NE, very variable and light, between eight and 12 knots.”
“Both crews are working very hard, the skippers are very high level and the boats are pretty similar and so I expected it to be so close. The options are all pretty similar, and we have run the routings maybe ten times, sometimes with different programmes, and most of them have given exactly the same course that they have done. They don’t want to gybe too early because they go back into the low, and too late and the wind will be too close wind in 12 hours time. When they pass to the east of the centre of the low pressure the wind will change quickly.”
Stu McLachlan boat captain W Hotels (ESP): “I have been really impressed with how close it has been, clearly both teams are working very hard, Pachi, Toño and Peter have being going really well. Both Pachi and Toño have sailed together a lot in the past but they clearly have good chemistry and they have been able to make the boat go fast. Our job is to build in reliability and we have made good progress since last year with the boat. That reliability needs to be completely across the board and in all weathers, it is possible to have gear failures in light winds as well as big winds.”
Standings at 1300hrs GMT Thursday.
1. Estrella Damm (ESP), Ribes, Pella, Schreyer: 1272 miles to finish
2. W Hotels (ESP), Rivero, Piris, Becker: 1303.2 miles to finish (+ 31.2miles)
Estrella Damm (Photo © Estrella Damm / FNOB)
The two IMOCA Open 60’s pass into their second week of the New York to Barcelona Transoceanic Record Sailing Challenge battling with the toughest conditions of the passage so far.
