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Breaking news: Sevenstar Winsome retires due to steering failure. Artemis Ocean Racing of Jonny Malbon has rounded Muckle Flugga on the northern tip of the Shetland Isles and is currently enjoying fantastic surfing conditions on the way back down the east coast of Scotland with just 640 miles left to the finish. It’s a fair reward for a solid five days of beating and the Open 60 is now revelling in the conditions, hitting top speeds in excess of 16 knots and stretching her lead over second place Solune of J-P Chomette to some 122 miles. Meanwhile it’s tough going for the rest of the fleet as they continue to battle into strong and shifting headwinds from the north and north-west on their way up the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Sadly for Sevenstar Director and race sponsor Harry Heijst on the beautiful Sparkman & Stephens designed Winsome, his race is over as a steering problem has rendered the wheel useless and they are now tiller steering on a course back to Cowes. A message from Pieter Kohne explained the situation saying: “I got the message from Harry that they have ceased racing due to problems with the steering. They can't use their steering wheel anymore and are using the backup tiller. Position of Winsome at the moment is app. N 54 12, 4 W 10 19, 3 or at the NW coast of Ireland, just a bit past Blackrock Lighthouse. No panic whatsoever. Harry was talking about pleasant weather, 12 knots of wind and eating lobster in a nearby place. So far they have done approximately 650 nm and their race had only just begun. They will take their time, to make up their plans (while Frank is cooking a nice pot of tea as I was told), but it doesn't sound like a good idea to continue for a 1000nm+ around the Shetlands with no proper steering. Plans are being made for a safe and quick journey back to Cowes, with possibly a stop for repairs.” Kieran Jameson from aboard the Sigma 38 Changeling telephoned in to say that the persistent strong beating conditions were not harming crew morale at all and that they were looking forward to supper tonight. Linking up via a gas rig just off Black Head the affable Irishman told us, “we’ve got one reef in the main and a number three up and have repaired some damage to the number one, however far more importantly, we’re all looking forward to the Game stew and saffron rice that is simmering away in the galley at the moment. Tonight at 7.00pm we shall have our gin and tonic and then a glass of wine with dinner! We did have a minor diesel leak into the bilges this morning which the boys have cleared so they all deserve a good feeding. By our reckoning we’ve got another 280 miles of beating with the wind on the kisser!” As the race progresses the RORC will continue to bring daily updates and position reports from the boats highlighting the highs and lows of this premier coastal yacht race. All yachts competing in the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race have been fitted with a tracking device developed by the RORC in conjunction with OC Technology. Yacht positions will be updated half-hourly and can be followed on the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s dedicated micro site accessed via www.rorc.org
Quotes from the boats:Minnie the Moocher – Ker 11.3 Anthony Richard
Grim. Grim. Grim. Well, maybe not so grim today but from 4am on Wednesday it has not been easy. Difficult seas have been the problem, rather than the wind strength. Very few of the crew have had a proper meal since Tuesday. Loads of water over the deck, damp sleeping bags, ugh. The violent motion of the boat has meant that sleep has been very difficult. However Tom Richards, at 17 our youngest crew member, has said he has not felt yet he wanted to get off the boat. We are all agreed, at 37 ft and inches, this boat is too small for anyone to want to do this race twice. We take our hats off to the girls on Ilex of Upnor, the X335 which is the only boat in the fleet smaller than us. It's Wilko's birthday today (Mark Wilkinson). We have a little surprise for him which we will leave him to explain to his wife! Wilko and our navigator, Mike O'Dwyer, are like pigs in muck in these conditions, absolutely loving it. It was really funny to hear Wilko singing his little ditties to himself during the middle of the night, last night on the rail. We had a fantastic spectacle from porpoises last night. There was slight fluorescence in the water so their trails showed like torpedoes as they darted and turned by the side of the boat. The bigger boats will have liked the upwind conditions more than us, it has been a real struggle to stay in touch. We see a very interesting weather development tomorrow which we hope to take advantage of, but our big play will come in the North Sea with the downwind conditions that we love. Jeu d’Esprit – Clem Jones
Here's the latest news from 'Je Desprates' Friday Morning just west of Rock Island cracking along in the cool breeze looking forward to the weekend. Barney our entertainments guru is undecided whether we should have a few quiet beers, head out to the movies or just stay in and be miserable. The big bad B team are up on deck sailing hard on the wind, beating over the ever increasing swell. As we are nearing 30% of race distance a clothes change is imminent for all. Meanwhile in the gourmet galley one of the crew has lied about the required Leiths training for the boat and the team are in for a shocking night on the menu plan and the Aga is not as gimballed as it could be - not sure what Jakki will do! Also slight problem with water maker and the leaky valve has meant an over intake of salt in the crew's coffee so more showers required to flush out the tanks. Pippa liked the Dolphins show this morning especially the baby calves squeak!squeak! Onwards and Upwards, now passed our most westerly point so here comes the North. Talisman – Prima 38 – Alistair Heggie
We passed Black Rock at 12:00 today. Wind direction continues to frustrate us. Boat is in good condition, although everything is wet. We bailed 10 to 15 buckets out of the bilges yesterday and took the opportunity to make minor repairs. We have taken a bit of a battering over the past few days. The saloon locker that we loaded with bottled drinking water was forced out of its frame sharing its contents with the main saloon area. The instruments went down two days ago due to water in the wiring so we are sailing 'the old fashioned way' with the assistance of hand held GPS. The crew, rig, sails, steering and head are all fine. Two of the crew were suffering badly from seasickness on the way up to the Fastnet but are on the mend now. I am happy to report that all crew are now eating their rations and processing them appropriately. For most of us three and half days on a beat into a force 4-6 is a new experience. It feels like we are in a human washing machine. We are all jealous of Jeremy's waterproof sleeping bag - 200 quid well spent! We are looking forward to extending this new experience for another 250 miles to the Flannan Isles...
Noonmark VI - Midnight musings from navigator Luke McCarthy.
Well, we're still on port tack, still in a north westerly airflow and just about laying the Flannan Isles. This is perhaps the longest layline ever, assuming we do get there without having to tack. We were talking today (well, actually yesterday I guess) about how different this race would have been without technology. As it is, we can see where all the other boats are whenever we want and get regular weather forecasts by a choice of means (though some are painfully slow and others require lightning quick handwriting). Even five years ago, this would have been very different, and any time before that would have been more of an adventure than anything. With the technology comes added pressure on the crews, as every move can be analysed by the Big Brother style trackers, and on board we know our gains and losses on the other boats. This means that the margins for error are smaller, but in a good way really as it makes it more of a race than an adventure. It also allows friends, family and the media to stay much more in touch, which can only be good both for people's peace of mind and interest in sailing.Jaguar Logic – Reflex 38 – Notes from the crew… Pete Summers aka Pedro aka ‘Master Chef’ (Skipper of Jaguar Logic)
For me life on board is going well a little annoyed about losing so much ground to Philippe (Puma Logic) last night and letting Sidney catch up so much. Other than that all is going well apart from the great debate amongst the crew as to when the first change of clothes comes. As of yet no one has told me I am particularly offensive so at least another day should be fine.
Stuart Gow:
The Flying Fluggas were on watch and fast approaching a gas rig on tow. The helmsman had been doing well for the last hour keeping the boat on the perennial ‘best course to windward’. To avoid the rig the helm was asked to bear away to 025°. An unusual response followed…. ‘Can you please get my glasses from the chart table’. A bemused watch were then informed that the helm could not actually see ANY of the instruments including the compass. Not bad for a half blind helms person. Well done Mags
Jon Barnes:
Living the life of Fungus the Bogeyman, eating Nutella straight from the jar, finding the heads pump handle has come away in you hand – This is ocean racing at its very best.
Ali Wheeler – (Rookie crew member training for the Global Challenge Round the World race)
Good dosages of seawater when you’re eating on the rails ensures enough salt intake and anyone helming at breakfast time gets treble portions of muesli flying at them. Life below is not quite so pleasant, a wet/heeled over bunk for three hours doesn’t mean much sleep – but so long as you ask people how they are after they have had food and the response is positive. We’re enjoying seeing other boats around us and especially those behind us. The “ten girls on a boat” get a particular cheer from some of the guys every time we get nearby! As for me, - Jeu D’Esprit any crew vacancies next year give me a call!
Peter Burwood (Mate)
Have got used to life again at 30° heel on a rolling, yawing, pitching boat. The Muckers on Muckle watch continue to surprise with their endurance and cheer despite the enduring conditions of a wettish boat at 4am. It is surprisingly warm as half of the crew are often still sleeping without sleeping bags, long may it continue. Just been woken up and been told it might be time to shave as half my pillow is stuck to my beard. Not been told to change my t-shirt yet though. Unlimited Sailing / John Merricks – Farr 45
“We’ve been on port tack for the last 300-400 miles. It’s still quite windy out here with strong gusts and big shifts, but it’s been good sailing for a fetching course.” Roughly 50 miles from the Outer Hebridean Islands, the crew are now hoping the wind will hold in the same direction long enough to get them round the next mark just off the Flannan Isles. As the leaders begin to extend, Unlimited Sailing / John Merricks are still at the top of the large pack and will hope to keep ahead of their nearest competitors. “I came up on deck this morning and as the sun came up this boat appeared on our starboard stern. It was a bit gutting to see someone overtaking us, but they are bigger so they will be faster.” Norddeutsche Vermogen Hamburg, a 56-footer has been closing the gap on the Farr 45 for the last few days. After ripping a sail yesterday the crew have had the sail repair kit out yet again. “Our main repair seems to be holding well, but we got a small tear in the jib luff yesterday afternoon. We’ve patched that up now and are hoping it will hold.” Kingspan – Chieftain: Skipper Gerard O’Rourke
"We broke two halyards, not surprising seeing as the pounding we have been taking and twenty-one year old bowman Morgan White had the unenviable task of gong aloft to run a new one, on his first attempt to climb the rig his grip slipped and he got bashed into the rig several times before getting back in control, in all it took him three attempts but he stuck at it and re-threaded a new halyard, it took some guts and as he eats like a horse he had a double ration for dinner by way of reward." Jochem Visser, navigating on board is pleased with the performance of Kingspan Chieftain so far: "We have had a good run round the top of the course so far and it is surprisingly mild considering how far north we are, we have had good boat
speed for the last 48 hours, including one spell with the jib top up averaging 13 knots. We have gained significantly on Solune, they were 50 miles ahead of us but we have cut that down to only 27 miles now."
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