BT Global Challenge - Leg 4 - Halfway already

madforsailing's diary writer Andy Magrath is fired up for a good finish in Sydney Harbour

madforsailing is following the BT Global Challenge through the diaries of Conrad Humphreys (skipper) and Andy Magrath (crewman) aboard LG FLATRON.
Andy Magrath, LG FLATRON:

It is only Wednesday and we are already half way through Leg 4, Wellington to Sydney. Our ETA is Saturday evening.

The start was rather hectic. Two headsails and full main reaching across the start line became very interesting as the boats that were early and to windward proceeded to bear away onto boats to leeward. Given that the start area was lined with small spectator craft it was most amusing to watch them scatter as ten 42-tonne steel yachts headed towards them. After the start there were two laps of a windward leeward course before beating out into Cook strait.

Round the cans we were middle of the pack but upwind we showed our best form yet. The way we have the rig set up now is obviously to our advantage upwind. After 12 hrs we were nicely placed in the top four. Out into Cook Strait and it has been downwind all the way. The last three days have been marked by a series of spinnaker peels and gybes to make the most of the wind and course.

At present there is more wind to the north but we don't want to stray too far north of the rhumb line on such a short leg. We are currently in first place but we can see the next three boats. Spirit of Hong Kong, Team Spirit, and our closest rivals in the race overall - Compaq. We should be in for a very exciting finish.

My thoughts go out to Save the Children and Quadstone who are currently still stuck in Wellington Harbour. A few hours after the start they were involved in a port/starboard incident. Kids had the right of way and Quadstone T-boned them at the stern quarter. Kids are the most badly damaged with 200 hours of welding required to the damaged steel hull.

Quadstone should still make it to Sydney for the re-start but Kids won't leave Wellington until 11 March and I guess will have to sail straight to Cape Town. Nick Fenton, skipper of Kids was injured but we have been told that it is nothing serious and he is fit and well.