Past Recife

The Volvo fleet has turned to head for Barbuda

Positions at 1000 16 March 2002

	Yacht	Lat	Lon	DTF	DTL	DTL-C	SMG	CMG	PO
1	illbruck	02 07.68S	037 42.52W	3011	0	-1	11.2	322	37
2	tyco	02 07.96S	037 42.24W	3012	1	1	11	322	25
3	Assa Abloy	02 08.44S	037 40.76W	3013	2	0	11.1	322	26
4	News Corp	02 33.96S	037 11.92W	3052	41	6	10.1	320	24
5	SEB	03 25.76S	037 46.04W	3060	49	0	10.8	307	16
6	Amer One	03 03.24S	037 16.48W	3067	56	5	10.3	315	25
7	Djuice	02 56.48S	037 04.52W	3072	61	6	9.9	317	19
8	Amer Too	03 06.64S	037 07.28W	3077	66	7	9.9	318	8

The entire fleet is now past Recife and heading north east towards Barbuda. While positions came and go almost hourly, the basic for of the fleet has changed little in the last 24 hours. Tyco,illbruck and Assa Abloy continue to battle for inches at the front of the fleet, while SEB, the Amer Sports Boats and djuice form a second group at the rear. News Corp continues to hold position between the two groups.

"We have now started the race for the pole position in the second division," reports djuice skipper, Knut Frostad. "Not that we have given up on catching the leaders, but one step at the time. The race has evolved to a three and a half boat race. The girls being the half boat. They are out of sight at present but definitely not out of the game, after their nice comeback yesterday."

Following Grant Dalton's now famous pronouncement that he would run naked through the streets of Auckland with a pineapple up his arse, if an all girls crew beats him on any leg of the race, one can only wonder if the djuice crew are alone in watching the battle between Amer Sports One and Too with more than passing interest. "Good on you girls, keep it up," says Frostad.

While positions relative to the rest of the fleet are paramount in the crew's minds, the time taken to get to Miami is also starting to take on considerable significance. "I make many mistakes during every leg but my biggest so far on this one was to mention a couple of days ago that we were behind schedule and if (note the word if) we carried on at the same speed (which we won't) the leg would take us 21 days," reports Tyco navigator, Steve Hayles. He goes on to say that "the ensuing panic has calmed a little but the thought of rationing is not a welcome one We have all agreed that we will look at it in a couple of days time when we have a better feel for the weather for the rest of the leg."

It is a similar story aboard News Corp. "With all the water ballasting , battery charging, making drinking water and using small fans inside the boat to cool you down it appears that we have slightly under estimated our fuel supplies to run the generator," reports Ross Field. he continues to say that plans haven been put into place to ensure that supplies don't run out.

Page two.... Emma Westmacott reports from Amer Sports Too
Page three...The view from Amer Sports One by Chris Nicholson
Page four... A philosophical Mark Rudiger