| At sea. Global Challenge: Positions fragile on final run |
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; "Bay of Biscay. Imagine it.Done © Challenge Business")
| Sunday, 03 July 2005 | |
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Dan Wedgwood Leaders losing miles and changes on the leaderboard - a sign of what's to come... The leaderboard movements since this afternoon’s poll may well be a sign of what is to come on the approach to La Rochelle. BP Explorer has overtaken BG SPIRIT to steal fourth place by a fragile margin of 2nm, a battle that could prove pivotal in the fight to leave La Rochelle at the top of the overall leaderboard. Further down the fleet standings this evening, SAIC La Jolla has slipped to eleventh place, their southerly position allowing Team Save the Children and Pindar to sneak past them. There are also indications that the leaders should be steeling themselves for a tense final run. Team Stelmar’s advantage at the top over second place Imagine It. Done. has fallen by a mile since this afternoon’s poll, and in turn, Imagine It. Done.’s lead over third place Me to You has been reduced by 2nm. Slim pickings maybe, but the top six yachts are only separated by 30nm and four of those teams have a rival yacht within 2nm of their position in terms of distance to finish remaining. In the dying hours of this leg, with increasingly light winds expected, each and every mile won and lost will be lamented or celebrated. The current ETA is dependent on just how low the boat speeds drop as the wind veers from the southwest round to the north and becomes lighter over the next 24-hours. Figures this evening suggest that if lead yacht Team Stelmar maintains their average speed of 8.9 knots, recorded between the 1342 GMT and 1942 GMT position reports, they will cross the line on Monday morning at approximately 0600 – 0700 GMT. However, this is wholly dependent on the conditions, so if boat speeds fall along with the wind, the ETA will be pushed back later in the day. The only certainty is that the finish will be close, and Team Stelmar is by no means guaranteed to cross the line first. If conditions become sufficiently light and fluky, localised wind holes could stop yachts in their tracks, while others remain just far enough away to find some breeze and ghost past. “Every inch of ocean counts,” wrote Trevor Stanton earlier, describing the close racing from Barclays Adventurer, adding that BP Explorer was, “a small white light not very far ahead,” at the time of writing. This is the teams’ penultimate chance to be on the dockside before the friends they have made across the fleet and enjoy the satisfaction of welcoming them in, not to mention the significance of each point to the overall leaderboard. Note: Report based on positions at 1942 GMT 2 Jul 2005 21:05 GMT www.globalchallenge2004.com |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 July 2005 ) |
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