Familiar proceedings

As Bernard Stamm takes the lead on the final leg of Around Alone reports Mary Ambler

The first 24 hours of Around Alone’s fifth and final leg has been more of a regatta than a long distance offshore race, as the Class 1 leaderboard has been changing and all five boats are racing within 11 miles and in sight of each other. As the fleet squeeze round the ‘bulge of Brazil’ in moderate upwind conditions on a smooth sea, each skipper is starting to carve out their own routes.
At the latest positions (14:00GMT), Tiscali was the boat furthest west and inshore, and Italian skipper Simone Bianchetti was calculated in first place early this morning. This is the first leg where Bianchetti has not had to race with either a totally new or spare rig after two dismastings, and so this Lombard designed Open 60 is definitely one boat to watch on this last leg – something which British skipper Emma Richards on Pindar will be doing constantly, as her goal is to keep Simone 2 points behind her to retain her 3rd place overall. Richards got off the starting blocks a little slower, but has swiftly picked up the pace since: “I had opportunity to overtake both Tiscali and Ocean Planet overnight when they tacked late after the sand bank - phew! Tiscali has sailed a lower faster course and gone ahead of me but closer to the shore, and Ocean Planet is currently sitting about 200m from me to windward.”

However, eight hours later and it was the familiar sight of Bobst Group - Armor Lux at the top of the chart, as Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm covers both Tiscali to the west and Solidaires to the east by taking the middle route up the South Atlantic. American skipper Bruce Schwab admits to having his work cut out if he wants to achieve a top 3 finish on this leg, although he has been driving his boat well in these optimum close reaching conditions for his slim Tom Wylie-designed boat: " Ocean Planet is an innovative boat and most of our ideas have worked brilliantly, but the bottom line is that we came to the Around Alone unfinished and untested. So it has been a struggle all the way to fix, repair, refine, and learn as we go."

In Class 2, current leader Brad Van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is being doggedly pursued by Tim Kent on Everest Horizontal with just 15 miles separating them. After his longest stop-over in the race so far, Kent started Leg 5 the most well prepared he has been, which could make for a closer and more exciting race between these two American Open 50 skippers. Also, the two Open 40s Spirit of yukoh and BTC Velocity are having an excellent duel just 2 miles apart still.

Derek Hatfield on Spirit of Canada is currently making good progress up the coast of Argentina. It has been a frustrating week for Hatfield with his departure stalled from the Beagle Channel by a week due to extreme weather and a badly charted coastline to complicate his navigation. His second attempt was successful, although it took him 2 days to get out of Beagle Channel with prevailing headwinds. "I have rejoined the race, albeit a long way back. The race for me is one to get to Salvador as fast as possible and finish Leg 4 and then sail to Newport before 17 May, the day of the prize giving. It's an almost impossible time frame, but I will give it my best. Thank you for all your support."

POSITIONS AT 1400GMT 14th APRIL 2003

Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp AvgHeading DTF

1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux 10 58.680 S, 36 10.040 W, 86.25 nm, 10.80 kt, 42 °T, 3839.60 nm
2. Solidaires 11 06.000 S, 36 04.520 W, 78.31 nm, 9.78 kt, 45 °T, 3842.00 nm
3. Tiscali 10 51.080 S, 36 25.840 W, 74.45 nm, 9.30 kt, 38 °T, 3844.60 nm
4. Pindar 11 05.336 S, 36 17.500 W, 87.04 nm, 10.87 kt, 41 °T, 3849.40 nm
5. Ocean Planet 11 08.240 S, 36 16.560 W, 77.00 nm, 9.64 kt, 42 °T, 3851.04 nm

Class 2
1. Tommy Hilfiger 11 12.200 S, 36 22.840 W, 71.21 nm, 8.90 kt, 45 °T, 3858.03 nm 2. Everest Horizontal 11 18.120 S, 36 40.480 W, 73.78 nm, 9.21 kt, 37 °T, 3873.96 nm
3. Spirit of yukoh 11 53.135 S, 36 41.784 W, 60.42 nm, 7.56 kt, 60 °T, 3901.61 nm
4. BTC Velocity 11 48.960 S, 36 49.680 W, 55.90 nm, 6.99 kt, 48 °T, 3903.11 nm

Bruce Schwab writes from on board Ocean Planet

Yesterday was the final starting line in the 2002/2003 Around Alone. It was the usual busy last couple days, but I think I kind of liked the stress to get me psyched up to race! I had a fun start, and was second around the first mark, which was placed me a few miles up the bay so the many spectators could see us go by twice. Now we're off on Leg 5 to Newport, RI, USA.

I'm pushing at full speed right now, but the main goal is to safely finish this race around the world. I would really like to walk away with a top placing in this final leg, but I have my work cut out for me. Ocean Planet is an innovative boat and most of our ideas have
worked brilliantly, but the bottom line is that we came to the Around Alone unfinished and untested. So it has been a struggle all the way to fix, repair, refine, and learn as we go. To be competitive with the other Open 60's, she really needs to be finished with several features that we never had the time or $ to complete, and there are some other new modifications as a result of this experience and testing learned from sailing around the world.

But for now, Emma is just to leeward of me, and we are neck and neck! Last evening I was next to Simone and we were even until he apparently got things finally dialed in and he took off like a shot. In the last report he had also passed Bernard and Theirry! Seems like he is finally getting Tiscali figured out.

We all can't wait to get around the tip of Brazil through the doldrums, and crack off across the Atlantic tradewinds. Until "the corner" it's upwind and close reaching, but at least the ocean is smooth and it's not bad sailing. But watch out for those freighters! Had one go by within 200 yards last night. Emma was nearby watching and sent me an email wondering what it was like to pass so close. From her angle it looked like we almost hit!

I'll keep you posted on our trip home,

Bruce and Ocean Planet

Emma Richards writes from on board Pindar

Wow, what a day! We were lucky once again for start day with some great weather. After a good start, knowing that we only had a short downwind leg I opted out of the gennaker just after the start, as it would have taken me half of the time to unroll and roll in the sail again before the gybe, on the second leg I almost missed the gate mark off the point so had to put in a short tack to get through, but then everything started going better and I had opportunity to overtake both Tiscali and Ocean Planet when they tacked late after the sand bank - phew! Tiscali has sailed a lower faster course
and gone ahead of me but closer to the shore, and Ocean Planet is currently sitting about 200m from me to windward in 'stealth' mode - either that or his navigation lights don't work already! Luckily there is a bright moon and he is silhouetted nicely, he is aso close enough I can see the dim lights of his instruments too! well I better continue concentrating on my boat speed, I doubt I will get much sleep tonight, but am tired already as the start adrenalin is subsiding!

til tomorrow, EM x