Derek Hatfield onboard his yacht Activehouse at the start of Ocean Sprint 3. (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/w-w-i.com)
When you’re alone on a 60ft yacht in the depths of the Southern Ocean, thousands of miles from land or help, the last thing you want is to lose to control of your boat. But that was the situation facing Canadian Derek Hatfield last night when he awoke to find his Eco 60 Active House screaming along at a dangerously quick 21 knots, struggling to cope with a Southern Ocean squall.
The 58-year-old solo sailing veteran had been enjoying a rare moment of rest when he was woken from his sleep by the sound of Active House’s keel humming, a sign that she was traveling incredibly fast through the water. He scrambled on deck to find the wind had whipped up to 35 knots and Active House had accelerated from a comfortable 13 knots to 21.
“I was asleep when a squall came through and I woke to the sound of the keel humming,” Derek explained. “I put some foulies on quickly and went on deck to find Active House doing 21 knots. It was unbelievable, she was totally out of control. When you’re asleep and you wake up to that it’s a bit of a shock. It was the middle of the night, pitch black and quite disconcerting.
“I had to slow the boat down she was going so fast. It sounds funny that I would be trying to slow the boat down in a yacht race but it’s all about getting that balance between speed and safety.”
The incident took place near to Point Nemo, the most remote place on the planet, around 2,000 miles from land in every direction. “Going too quickly can get very dangerous very quickly and we are not in a place where you can afford for anything to go wrong,” Derek added.
Derek also revealed that he discovered a water leak in the mid compartment on Active House which he has been bailing out daily. He also had a scare when he went on deck to find the baby stay – the smaller, inner forestay – had disconnected from the deck. Luckily there was no damage and Derek managed to secure the stay using a spare bolt.
“I’ve been full on over the last few days trying to deal with all this stuff and race the boat at the same time,” Derek said. “I feel my speeds and tactics are suffering a little, but I’m doing my best to hang on to Brad and Gutek.”
The 1200 UTC position report polled Derek in third place just under 200 nautical miles behind sprint leader Brad Van Liew and less than 25 nautical miles behind second placed Zbigniew Gutkowski. At midday Derek was 200 nautical miles from the exit of the sprint three speed gate.
Ocean sprint three positions at 12h00 UTC:
Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)
Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 3021.3/ 0/ 240.1/10
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 3193.2/171.9/210.2/8.8
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 3217.1/195.8/ 229.5/9.6
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 3351.2/ 329.9/ 263.4/ 11
Chris Stanmore-Major shows the repairs he has done the damage to the mainsail of his yacht Spartan during Ocean Sprint 3(Photo by Chris Stanmore-Major/w-w-i.com)
CHRIS Stanmore-Major has been forced to carry out vital repairs to his yacht Spartan in the middle of the Southern Ocean after a 2.5-metre rip developed in his mainsail. The 33-year-old from Cowes, UK, had been chasing the leading pack in the third sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS solo round the world yacht race when disaster struck.
Despite blasting along through big seas en route to Cape Horn, Stanmore-Major, known as CSM, had no choice but to drop Spartan’s huge mainsail onto the deck to attempt a repair in the freezing, wet conditions.
CSM said: “I was about to change my mainsail from the second reef to the third reef. As I went to pull the reef in one of the screws that holds the mainsail track onto the mast caught on one of the sliders and the main would neither go up nor come down. It took about an hour to sort all that out. I tried to bear away and slow the boat down but by the time I got the slider moving again I looked along the sail and saw a huge rip had opened up in the back of the mainsail. The rip is about 2.5 metres long along the leech and the back 200mm of my sail is hanging off.
“It’s put a real crimp on proceedings. I’ve got the big Solent headsail up but it can’t pull as well the mainsail can push, so where we were doing about 15 knots we’re now doing 10 or 11 knots. It took two days for me to get into this position but now I have to sail a higher angle and that’s going to slow me down considerably.”
Over the past few days CSM, currently in fourth place, had been catching third placed Derek Hatfield, the gap between the two reducing from 160 nautical miles at the beginning of the week to 140 nautical miles yesterday.
“It’s a real disappointment but I’m doing the best I can,” CSM added. “It could be an interesting 24 hours. I’ve got to get the top part of that big mainsail off the boom, control it on the deck, lash it down as best I can then stretch out the ripped section of sail on the deck and get it stuck back together.
“At the moment I’ve got 35 knots on deck coming over the port quarter. The boat is making good speed still so there’s a lot of spray. The sail weighs just short of 200 kilos. I don’t have to move the whole lot but I do have to be very careful not to lose control otherwise it could be disastrous. Although I will lose a bit more ground on the rest of the fleet it is vital that I fix the tear. It’s something that I do once and I do right. Leaving it as it is would just result in the tear getting bigger. It’s just not an option.”
CSM is due to exit the easterly speed gate later today. He has less than 2,000 nautical miles to go until he reaches Cape Horn, the next major milestone on the sprint to Punta del Este in Uruguay.
Ocean sprint three positions at 12h00 UTC:
Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)
Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 2741.7/ 0/ 279.6/11.7
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 2942.2/200.5/251/10.5
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 2974/232.4/ 243/10.1
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 3201.5/ 459.8/ 149.8/ 6.2
Chris Stanmore-Major onboard his yacht Spartan at the start of Ocean Sprint 3,from Wellington New Zealand to Punta del Este Uruguay. (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchezr/w-w-i.com )
Le Pingouin Heads For Wellington first place finish (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/w-w-i.com)
AMERICAN solo ocean racer Brad Van Liew today made it two wins from two ocean sprints as he sailed into Wellington, New Zealand, to claim victory in second sprint of the VELUX 5
OCEANS solo round the world yacht race. For the 42-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, it brought to an end a gruelling month-long slog through the Southern Ocean from Cape Town in South Africa alone on his Eco 60 yacht Le Pingouin.
During the leg, the second of five that make up the VELUX 5 OCEANS, Brad sailed 7,682
nautical miles in 30 days, nine hours and 49 minutes at an average speed of 10.53 knots. His
win earns him the maximum 12 points and places him firmly at the top of the VELUX 5
OCEANS leaderboard after two ocean sprints.
With 40-knot winds whipping through Wellington Harbour Brad blasted across the finish line onLe Pingouin at 7.49am local time (6.49pm UTC) as the sun rose over the city. Cheers went upfrom the waiting crowds as, with the help of his shore crew, Brad docked alongside Queens
Wharf in the heart of the city at around 10am. First in line to welcome the victorious skipper
were his wife Meaghan and children Tate, 8, and Wyatt, 6.
Brad Reunites with his family to celebrate his win in Wellington, Australia (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/w-w-i.com)
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Brad said as he stepped off Le Pingouin onto dry land for the first
time in a month. “It’s really good to be here. I’ve now done five southern ocean legs and this
one was by far the hardest. The weather we experienced was different to any other I have ever
seen down there. The leg started with a delay and then took a long longer than anyone
expected – it’s been an unbelievable challenge. The hardest part was missing Christmas with
my kids and the best part is without a doubt arriving in Wellington.”
Ocean sprint two has seen some of the closest racing in the VELUX 5 OCEANS so far with
positions changing frequently as the fleet battled through the huge winds and mountainous seas that characterise the bleak Southern Ocean leg.
After opting to sail up the east coast of New Zealand, Polish skipper Zbigniew ‘Gutek’ Gutkowski is due to arrive in Wellington tomorrow followed closely by Canadian ocean racer Derek Hatfield who has taken a westerly route through the Tasman Sea similar to the one taken by Brad.
“This was a really close leg,” Brad added. “What was really neat from a competition point of
view was that it was so close. For a small fleet it’s great to have such competitive racing. The
four of us really have become fierce competitors. I’m happy to have a chunk of a lead because
Gutek and the others are getting determined!”
Le Pingouin (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/VELUX 5 OCEANS)
Chistophe Bullens on Five Oceans of Smiles Too (Photo by Christophe Bullens / w-w-i.com)
Belgian sailor Christophe Bullens has withdrawn from the 28th VELUX 5 OCEANS after a broken mast track thwarted his latest attempt to set sail from Cape Town, South Africa.
The setback was the latest in a long list of technical difficulties for the 49-year-old solo sailor. His troubles began before the race’s start, when his first Eco 60, Five Oceans of Smiles, was dismasted en route to La Rochelle, France. Four days before the race, Bullens bought the yacht Artech from Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty and sailed a 48-hour qualification passage.
He started the race on October 24, but suffered a host of problems in the following weeks, including a split mainsail, failed electronics, an onboard flood and a collision with a whale. The broken mast track came after two prior attempts to leave Cape Town for Wellington, New Zealand.
“All the problems encountered have finally beaten me and my boat, and have prevented me from continuing,” Bullens said, “Unfortunately I have no other choice than to withdraw from the race. It is not reasonable, and even dangerous, to go on.”
Race director Dave Adams praised Bullens’ tenacity, calling him a role model for the sport. “It is sad to see Christophe withdraw from racing but his decision is a sensible and reasoned one given the conditions he will face in the Southern Ocean and beyond.,” Adams said, “We wish Christophe the best of luck for the future and hope to see him on the start line of the Velux 5 OCEANS in 2014. “
The VELUX 5 OCEANS is a grueling solo race in which competitors cover 30,000 nautical miles in five ocean sprints. Four competitors—Derek Hatfield, Brad Van Liew, Zbigniew Gutkowski and Chris Stanmore-Major—remain in the race.
Five Oceans Of Smiles Too (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / w-w-i.com )
Clipper Ventures, organisers of the VELUX 5 OCEANS solo round the world yacht race, today announced a change to the 2010/11 race route. Ocean Sprint 3, which will see the fleet of Eco 60s depart Wellington, New Zealand, on February 6, will now finish in the Uruguayan city of Punta del Este, rather than Salvador in Brazil.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman of Clipper Ventures and the VELUX 5 OCEANS, said: “Punta del Este will provide a fantastic stopover for the VELUX 5 OCEANS. The Uruguayan port has hosted this classic race three times in 1990, 1994 and 1998, and provides the ideal backdrop for the skippers, teams and race partners. Whilst we were not keen to change route mid-race, Salvador was unfortunately not able to fulfil our demands with regards to the obligations to host the race. We therefore felt a change in route was in the best interests of all the race stakeholders.”
The skippers of The Ultimate Solo Challenge will be hosted by the Punta del Este Yacht Club during the stopover, providing services and facilities to the race management and competitors. The Punta del Este Yacht Club will host the Eco 60s in their marina, which is deep enough to accommodate their substantial keels. The club will also provide office space to race management and media, as well as container space and RIBs. The club’s experience in hosting stopovers and starts will be invaluable as the fleet set off for the Northern Hemisphere.
The ocean racers are expected to finish the 5,800 mile leg in early March and the start of Ocean Sprint 4 to Charleston, USA, is now set for March 27 2011. Ocean Sprint 5, the final sprint, will still depart Charleston on May 14 as the skippers return to La Rochelle, France, to complete their solo circumnavigations of the planet.
Active House (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / W-W-I.com)
Fleet still bunched after one day’s racing
CANADIAN ocean racer Derek Hatfield has reclaimed the lead less than 24 hours into the second sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Keen to make up for a slow start at the beginning of sprint one in La Rochelle, the veteran solo sailor was the first of the international fleet to cross the start line of the second leg in Cape Town on Active House.
It was a tough start to the Southern Ocean sprint with light airs dogging the skippers as they tried to steal any advantage they could over their rivals as the five Eco 60 yachts headed south from the start. Polish ocean racer Zbigniew ‘Gutek’ Gutkowski on Operon Racing looked to have the advantage as the fleet passed Robben Island but it was American ocean sprint one winner Brad Van Liew on Le Pingouin who emerged in front at the first six-hourly position report.
However it was all change again by midnight UTC: despite Brad being further south than Derek and Gutek, Active House was more to the east and leading Operon Racing by just under one nautical mile with Le Pingouin in third 2.4 nautical miles behind. British skipper Chris Stanmore-Major on Spartan and Belgian ocean racer Christophe Bullens on Five Oceans of Smiles too were both 15 nautical miles behind the leading yacht, CSM opting for a more southerly route while Christophe took a more easterly heading.
All five skippers will face patchy light winds as they punch through a high pressure system which currently blocks their paths to the stronger westerly winds that they are searching for. The Cape Town to Wellington sprint, the second of five that make up the VELUX 5 OCEANS, is around 7,500 nautical miles with the first yachts expected to arrive in New Zealand in early January.
Canadian Derek Hatfield gets underway, onboard his yacht Activehouse, for the second leg of the VELUX 5 OCEANS (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / w-w-i.com)
THE second sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS solo round the world yacht race got underway
from Cape Town today bound for Wellington in New Zealand. With the iconic Table Mountain
providing a stunning backdrop, the fleet of five international ocean racers crossed the start line
beginning a gruelling 7,000 nautical mile sprint across the Southern Ocean through some of the
worst weather conditions known to man.
The original start of ocean sprint two had been planned for Sunday but it was postponed due to
gale-force winds and huge seas off the coast of South Africa. The VELUX 5 OCEANS race
committee constantly monitored the weather forecasts until they felt there was a suitable
window in the weather to allow for a safe race start.
American Brad Van Liew gets underway, onboard his yacht Le Pengouin. (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / w-w-i.com)
The fleet set sail from Cape Town in their 60ft Eco 60 yachts in around 15 knots of breeze from
the South East. Canada’s Derek Hatfield on Active House was the first to cross the line, with a
strong start that will make-up for his poor start in La Rochelle. He led the five impressive ocean
racing yachts out of Table Bay and into open water where the wind dropped considerably in the
shadow of the mountain. Tactics will now come into play with all five skippers trying to find some
breeze to take them on.
Brad Van Liew (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / w-w-i.com)
Sprint one winner, Brad Van Liew on Le Pingouin followed Derek over the line, and a smiling
Christophe Bullens on Five Oceans of Smiles Too was third, with this his first start with the
entire fleet obviously meaning a lot to him. Gutek (Zbigniew Gutkowski) and Operon Racing
was next and finally Chris Stanmore-Major aboard Spartan who struggled to get his main sail up
and lost momentum on his way to the start line.
Prior to leaving the dock, ocean sprint one winner Brad Van Liew could not be drawn on his
tactics for the next leg. The 42-year old American has twice competed in the VELUX 5
OCEANS prior to this event, winning class two in the 2002/3 edition of the race.
“I’m just going to go out there, sail my boat and try to stay safe,” said Brad, skipper of Le
Pingouin. “Safety is the key to this leg. I’m very competitive by nature so I will just see what
happens once I’m there. I’m not going to go out all aggressive with a bone in my teeth. I think I’ll
just get stuck into it and let the cycle of the leg do its own thing.”
Canadian ocean racer Derek Hatfield, skipper of Active House, was facing up to the prospect of
Christmas alone at sea. “It will be a bit emotional but I will be able to call in,” the 58-year-old
father of four said. “It’s a special day at home but for me it’s just another day racing. All the days
meld together so when you’re alone at sea there is no real special day. It’s just another race
day.”
Chris Stanmore-Major Waves Goodbye as he heads out on Sprint 2 (Photo by onEdition)
Howling winds, freezing temperatures and mountainous seas await the skippers as they head
south from Cape Town into the notorious Roaring Forties and Screaming Fifties, named so
because of the sheer force of the winds that are found in those latitudes. The Southern Ocean is the only ocean in the world that is not constricted by land allowing waves and wind to mount
up as they circumnavigate the globe unimpeded.
Run by Clipper Ventures PLC, the VELUX 5 OCEANS started from La Rochelle in France in
October and features five ocean sprints. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race
is now headed for Wellington in New Zealand. Following that the race takes in Salvador in Brazil
and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France. The 2010/11
edition of the race is the eighth its 28-year history.
Ocean sprint one results:
1 Brad Van Liew 12 3 15 USA November 14, 28 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes 2 days, 6 hours, six minutes
2 Zbigniew Gutkowski 10 2 12 POL November 17, 31 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes 2 days, 11 hours, 49 minutes
3 Derek Hatfield 9 1 10 CAN November 20, 33 days, 22 hours and 37 minutes 3 days, 0 hours, 17 minutes
4 Chris Stanmore-Major 8 0 8 GBR November 22, 36 days, 0 hours and 44 minutes 3 days, 14 hours, 25 minutes
5 Christophe Bullens 7 0 7 BEL December 6, 49 days, 22 hours and 55 minutes 3 days, 17 hours, 17 inutes
Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski gets underway on Operon for Sprint 2 of Velux 5 Oceans (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / VELUX 5 OCEANS )
Skippers’ quotes:
Brad Van Liew:
“The second leg is a tough one to prepare for mentally because it is so different to leg one. This
time round we have to face extreme winds and seas and cold. I’m definitely more apprehensive
than I was at the start in France. This leg is about getting down south and once you’re there
there’s only one way to go. It’s a bit like jumping off a high dive – you’ve just got to commit to it.
It is a daunting leg to get into. I’m just going to go out there, sail my boat and try to stay safe.
Safety is the key to this leg. I’m very competitive by nature so I will just see what happens once
I’m there. I’m not going to go out all aggressive with a bone in my teeth. I think I’ll just get stuck
into it and let the cycle of the leg do its own thing.”
Derek Hatfield:
“You never want to be too over-confident with these things because it can be the kiss of bad
luck but the boat is ready and I am ready to leave. The weather is making everyone a bit
nervous and going into the south you can’t underestimate the weather. I have been there twice
and it’s one of those places that if I never went to again I wouldn’t feel too bad! First of all you
don’t want to go there and as soon as you get there you want to get away from it. I feel a bit of
nervousness but I just have to put it to one side and get on with the job and get through the
start. The start is always a nervous time because you have boats romping around on the start
line often in breezy conditions and also each skipper wants to be the first across the line. It’s
important to get across the line cleanly and then settle things down, get into a routine, get round
the Cape and then south of 40 degrees into the westerlies and then high-tail it to Wellington and
be there right after the New Year.
“Leg one was a bit of a trauma for me because I struggled through the first couple of weeks
before I found my stride. I found myself in third place and a little bit behind. I was able to
maintain third place but I’m hoping for better positioning in the next leg. I’m not saying I’m going
to be first or second necessarily but I am hoping to be nearer the front and pushing harder and
be a lot more competitive.
“I don’t feel too bad about spending Christmas away from my family. I have been away for
Christmas before – all these major ocean races seem to involve being away for Christmas. It
will be a bit emotional but I will be able to call in. I know the kids will be with Patianne and their
grandparents and having a good time. It’s a special day at home but for me it’s just another day
racing. All the days meld together so when you’re alone at sea there is no real special day. It’s
just another race day.”
Christophe Bullens:
“I’m a little bit nervous about ocean sprint two because of the weather conditions and also the
boat is not yet 100 per cent ready so I am a little bit stressed. The good thing is I know the boat
better now than I did when I left La Rochelle. In that respect the second leg should be easier for
me.”
Chris Stanmore-Major:
“The big challenge of ocean sprint two is going to be the conditions, the terrain we will be going
through. The Southern Ocean is mountainous; it’s part of the world where the seas can orbit
without stopping. You get huge seas building up, massive winds, and waves that are taller than
the top of the mast. It’s going to be very hard on the boat and very hard on me. We’re going to
get the best the Southern Ocean has got to give. I face it with some trepidation but I have a lot
of confidence in my boat. I think she will be good for it. I am going to take it very gently. You
can’t compete for the overall results if you don’t make it to the finish line. As we came out of
Spain in leg one I was second and I had Brad in my sights. If I can keep my errors down and my
boat in one piece then there’s a chance I can get to the front.”
Zbigniew Gutkowski:
“For the next leg it’s totally different to the first leg. In comparison, the first leg was easy. The
Southern Ocean is storm conditions nearly all the time. You’ve got to keep the boat in one
piece. Safety comes first, and then the speed of the boat. For sure I will be looking out for Brad
and the other guys and trying to make the best tactical decisions but staying safe is the top
priority. It’s really easy to break something out there and if you do, you’re on your own with no
Belguim's Christophe Bullens gets underway, onboard his yacht Five Oceans of Smiles Too, for the second leg of the VELUX 5 OCEANS; Ocean Sprint two from Cape Town to Wellington. (Ainhoa Sanchez / VELUX 5 OCEANS )
help.”
Chris Stanmore-Major completes first ever solo ocean race in 36 days
Chris Stanmore-Major Arriving in Cape Town (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez / Velux 5 Oceans)
BRITISH skipper Chris Stanmore-Major today became the fourth skipper to complete the first
ocean sprint of the epic VELUX 5 OCEANS solo round the world yacht race. After 36 days and 44 minutes at sea, the 33-year-old from Cowes, Isle of Wight, crossed the finish line in CapeTown, South Africa, at 4.44pm local time in beautiful weather conditions.
Chris, known by his nickname CSM, sailed 7,849 nautical miles on his 60ft ocean racing yacht Spartan at an average speed of 9.08 knots on the gruelling solo sprint from La Rochelle in France. It was a huge accomplishment for CSM, an experienced ocean yachtsman but a newcomer to singlehanded ocean racing.
Chris Stanmore-Major (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/W-W-I.com)
“I’m pretty jubilant to be here,” said CSM, arriving at the North Wharf at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where he was welcomed in by his fellow skippers Brad Van Liew, Zbigniew Gutkowski and Derek Hatfield. “Sailing 7,800 nautical miles on your in the first leg of the VELUX 5 OCEANS is a pretty big challenge and it’s one I’ve now completed. There have been some challenges but we – me and Spartan – have made our way through them. I knew it was going to be a learning curve and it was.
“I made lots of mistakes but I managed to come back from them and continue on. It’s been hugely challenging but the boat’s asted pretty well. I think she can be quicker but I’ve got to be a bit smarter. I’m just very pleased to be in.”
Ainhoa Sanchez/W-W-I.com
CSM joined the VELUX 5 OCEANS line up less than two months after completing the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in which he skippered a 68ft yacht with an 18-strong crew of amateur sailors. His first foray into solo ocean racing was a baptism of fire which began moments after the starting gun on October 17, minor breakages onboard his Eco 60 Spartanhampering his start.
After shooting up through the rankings into second place behind American race leader Brad Van Liew as he crossed the Bay of Biscay, CSM then chose to hug the coast of Portugal and paid the price when he was becalmed for several days, allowing Polish ocean racer Gutek and Canadian rival Derek Hatfield to slip past.
Then, a week after the start, the fitting holding the massive spinnaker to the front of Spartan shattered and the giant sail flew up in the air, attached only by one rope at the top of the 28- metre high mast. It was the second time the fitting had broken in two days and it caused substantial damage to Spartan. Recovering the sail from the water took CSM several exhausting hours.
After passing the Equator Chris turned his attentions to hunting down third placed Derek Hatfield, and at one point was just 100 nautical miles behind. It was a close fight right until the end of the leg, with Derek arriving in Cape Town just over 48 hours ahead of CSM.
“The prospect of hot food is a nice one,” CSM added. “My gas stove stopped working a week ago so I haven’t had hot food for seven days – I’ve been warming things up on the engine! Beer is tasting good right now too so I’m looking forward to having another one, a steak, a salad andsome chill-out time.”
CSM also had a few unexpected visits from nature during the ocean sprint. While crossing the Doldrums Spartan sailed through a cloud of insects which stayed with CSM for most of the following 4,000 nautical miles to Cape Town. Then, a few days before inishing the leg, a whale burst out of the water showering Spartan in a plume of spray.
Ocean sprint one, the first of five legs that make up the 30,000 nautical mile VELUX 5
OCEANS, was won on November 14 by Brad Van Liew. At the last position report at midday
UTC, Belgian ocean racer Christophe Bullens had 2,833 nautical miles left to sail.
Ocean sprint 1:
Brad Van Liew finished November 14, 28 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes
Gutek finished November 17, 31 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes
Derek Hatfield finished November 20, 33 days, 22 hours and 37 minutes
Chris Stanmore-Major finished 36 days, 0 hours and 44 minutes
Cheers and Applause for CSM (Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/W-W-I.com)
