Photos: L © Pirates of the Caribbean R © Team ABN AMRO

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Thu, 15 Jun 2006 15:00:00 UTC

That they went slow wasn’t so much a tactic as an unavoidable consequence of a leg where gusts exceeding ten knots were very much a novelty.

The breeze was so low, in fact, the race organisers had to reschedule the Rotterdam In Port race, and even considered a cancellation, in the fear the boats would not arrive from Portsmouth in time.

But whereas the conditions were light enough to prevent ABN AMRO ONE from switching on the turbo boosters, and doubtless claim a seventh win in eight legs, they were not insufficient enough to halt Mike Sanderson’s charge altogether. He still arrived into his yacht’s home port in second place, suggesting there are now few conditions where his crew cannot cope.

This leg could have, however, been celebrated by another team far removed from Brasil 1 and ABN AMRO ONE. Ericsson led the race for half of the 1,481 mile course. Having sluggishly staggered off the start line and down the Solent, Neal McDonald’s crew then travelled the next 200 miles at the front of the pack and passed The Lizard with no boats in view over their bow.

The chasers, however, did not have to break out the telescopes or climb any masts to spot the leader. Within a mile astern of McDonald were the yachts of Paul Cayard, Torben Grael and Sanderson. It was going to be a close race.

It was also going to be a tough race. The fleet, courtesy of winds reaching as high as 14 knots, eventually made it to the west coast of Ireland. There the fun stopped and so did the wind. At that moment, two and a half days into the leg, the wind dropped below four knots for hours at a time and Brasil 1 took the lead.

Slowly but surely the wind filled in again, and as they passed the Blasket Islands, sometimes inshore of the islands, sometimes offshore, the navigators were plotting courses in growing, albeit sporadic, breezes. ABN AMRO ONE, known for thriving in moderate conditions, was not prospering at all. In fact at this stage, with 450 miles sailed, Sanderson was a full 12 miles off the lead in fifth place and looking up at Brunel, the Pirates, Ericsson and Brasil 1, only ABN AMRO TWO was astern.

The slump would not last though. When the winds finally climbed to 16 knots they executed a couple of clever tacks and soon found themselves up in third, leapfrogging the Pirates and Brunel and sailing up to Brasil 1 like they were standing still. But they weren’t the only team making a position change. Ericsson was back in front and leading by two miles, with the finish a shade less than 900 miles away.

But 900 miles is a long way. With the Orkney Islands coming into sight at the northern tip of Scotland after four days of racing in fluky winds, the crew of ABN AMRO ONE found the extra gears of their yacht and were back at the front with a five mile lead.

Positions would not change except for very short periods for the next 300 miles of slow sailing in an average of just six knots of wind. The racing was so slow, in fact, food and diesel - to generate electricity for instrumentation and drive the keels - had to be rationed.

Six days had passed by now and more than 450 miles remained, prompting the race committee to change the course which shortened it by some 80 miles. Now they had to miss out Fair Isle and go through the Pentland Firth to leave Duncansby Head to starboard. Just 30 miles off the lead in fourth place was Brunel, unaware of the problems this course change would cause them.

The fleet raced on around the north of Scotland, Ericsson regaining the lead and opening up a two mile gap, but positions at the front changing with each gybe. The leading three boats, gaining the appellation Gold Fleet, made a big jump on the trailing three – the Silver Fleet - as they rounded Duncansby Head, opening a 60 mile gap that would grow to over 100 by the finish.

Then, with 120 miles to the finish and reaching in 13 knots, Brasil 1 edged ahead of Ericsson, who held a three mile lead on ABN AMRO ONE.

In the navigator’s station onboard Ericsson Andrew Cape made a decision he would come to regret. Only 50 miles remained to the finish when he led his yacht away from his two rivals to the west, but in doing so landed his crew in less wind, gifting second place to ABN AMRO ONE. The positions would not change and Brasil 1 crossed the finish line in first place after eight days at sea. In her ideal conditions, however, ABN AMRO ONE was closing up fast, but Torben Grael just managed to hold off the Dutch boat to score a universally acclaimed victory.

The action for the Silver Fleet, however, was not over. Brunel navigator Will Oxley had interpreted the change of course as a shorten course that directed the boats straight to the finish after Duncansby Head. He neglected to direct the yacht to the MSP special purpose buoy laid down 30 miles from the finish, in order to keep the boats clear of the shipping lanes and direct them to the finish along the shore. Despite finishing the leg in fifth they were forced to retire.

As they were out of the overall running, little more than pride was lost, but for Ericsson, who had just lost out on the leg, it was a double blow. The place ABN AMRO TWO gained through Brunel’s error was enough to keep them in fourth place overall.

Brasil 1’s win sees their hopes of second place overall rejuvenated with one final leg remaining. Slow but steady, however, is not likely to be their preferred strategy.

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