BT diary - Andy McGrath on LG Flatron

Will going west at the Doldrums allow them to pass the leaders?

As the days roll on our position appears to get worse, but things are not always what they seem the waypoint that is used for the position reports is just off the African coast. We are currently headed for a waypoint at four degrees north and 20 degrees west (ie further offshore) which is why we are doing badly in the position reports.
There is a reason why some boats head inshore and some stay offshore which I will try to explain. We are approaching the Doldrums. At around four degrees north the north-east tradewinds and the south-east tradewinds meet to form an area of fickle, confused and often weak winds. The Doldrums which are widest inshore on the African coast narrow as they move west.

As we approach the Doldrums area we are presented with three options:
1. The shortest distance which is straight through the middle
2. The second shortest distance which is to cut in close to the African coast. A short route but one which passes through the Doldrums at their widest part. (This is the route that Logica and Compaq have taken.)
3. Go west. This is a further distance to sail but the wind should be steadier and the Doldrums narrower.

We have gone with option three which is also what most of the rest of the fleet look like they are doing. We currently have the 0.75 spinnaker and full main up in ten knots of wind. We also have about one knot of current with us which is helping our boat speed to keep up around eight knots.

This has been a nerve-wracking time for our skipper Conrad and navigator Cian McCarthy deciding which way we should go - east or west? The decision is now made and the best we can do as crew is sail the boat as well as we can in the given conditions. Hopefully when we are through the Doldrums the easterly boats will have parked up and we can make up the miles we have lost in a fresh north-east wind. At the moment we have all of our fingers and toes crossed that we have gone the right way.