Problems for McKee

Possible dismasting for American Mini Transat leader

Saturday October 11th 2003, Author: James Boyd, Location: Transoceanic




Yesterday Jonathan Mc Kee on 247 - Team McLube was sailing faster than all his rivals and had nearly a 100 mile lead on second placed Samuel Manuard on 431 - Tip Top Too-Le Grau du Roi-Port Camargue. At 0300GMT this morning (Saturday) the race management was alerted by McKee’s Inmarsat D+ beacon that there was a problem aboard the American's boat.

In line with race rules as to how the Inmarsat D+ satcoms should be used McKee set off the second green alert half an hour later. Finally at 0400 GMT he set off the last alert.
"Jonathan understood the instructions," explains race director Denis Hugues. "Now we know that he has a problem aboard but that he doesn’t require outside assistance and is handling the problem himself."

McKee’s speed since the first alert has dropped to one knot and he is drifting more than he is progressing. As a result, the race management thinks that he has dismasted and that with daybreak, he is making a jury rig with the help of his boom and bowsprit. All the support vessels have been alerted and remain on the look-out.

The sea is believed to have been choppy at the time in southwesterly winds of 20 to 25 knots.

The latest position reports show that McKee is still in the lead with 50 miles rather than the 80 he had over Manuard yesterday evening.

Both boats are now across the equator and are heading for the Brazilian island group of Fernando de Noronha (see the mark on the chart above) which they must leave to starboard. As the wind chart above shows Sam Manuard to the west may just be able to lay this while McKee should be approaching it on a slightly freer angle.

For a first hand view on what the boats are going through at the moment - read Simon Curwen's take on this last part of the race. Curwen finished second in the Mini Transat two years ago - the race's most highly placed Brit ever.

Positions at 0700GMT

Pos
Sail no
Skipper
Boat
Class Lat Long DTF
1
247
Jonathan McKee TEAM MC LUBE proto S011266 W0305991
845.1
2
431
Samuel Manuard TIP TOP TOO - LE GRAU DU ROI PORT CAMARGUE proto S000428 W0315863
895
3
347
Pierre Rolland EXTRADO proto N002741 W0320480
926.1
4
151
Armel Tripon MOULIN ROTY proto N001701 W0301261
946.5
5
346
Sébastien Roubinet ADRENALINE proto N005715 W0292618
1004
6
240
Alex Pella AQUATEC - SANTIVERI - TEXKNIT proto N012025 W0293880
1018
7
260
Richard Mérigeaux BON PIED BON OEIL proto N020241 W0283033
1089
8
354
Bruno Garcia SALADINO proto N022203 W0283396
1104
9
353
Willy Garcia CEYLAN DIAMANTES proto N022360 W0283223
1106
10
393
Cian McCarthy THE TOM CREAN proto N031704 W0303323
1109
11
440
David Raison RAYON LIQUIDE serie N032001 W0301798
1116
12
312
Pascal Doin ASNQ proto N022863 W0281508
1120
13
303
Enrico Podesta DIABOLO-SLAM proto N024136 W0282981
1123
14
139
François Cuinet REGLISSE proto N030333 W0290396
1126
15
385
Jaume Mumbru PORT DE BARCELONA proto N030343 W0283286
1140
16
167
Manuel Castilla VISION ORIGINALE serie N030993 W0280678
1159
17
330
Jean-Pierre Balmes CECIM serie N033081 W0281688
1172
18
428
David Sineau FRANCE FERMETURES serie N032478 W0275746
1177
19
326
Ian Munslow ISHTAR proto N032823 W0275880
1179
20
318
Yann Riou THRANE & THRANE serie N032468 W0275071
1180
21
138
Eric Defert AMIRAL DE BRETAGNE proto N031458 W0272346
1187
22
421
Michel Mirabel GWALARN IV serie N030205 W0265986
1190
23
426
Erwan Tymen POGO 2 NAVY LEST serie N031336 W0264530
1208
24
258
Marc Gascons TIP-TOP proto N032553 W0265925
1210
25
269
Lionel Rubio de Teran GROUPE CIBF serie N041660 W0282156
1210
26
245
Patrick Bot FINIST'MER ECOLE NAVALE serie N043343 W0284186
1217
27
185
Thomas Valentin THOMAS HAWK proto N035603 W0272710
1219
28
168
Fabrice Guillerm RAULT LE SERVICE ALIMENTAIRE serie N043718 W0284403
1220
29
322
Gilles Guillerm BLUE BOSSA serie N034971 W0271475
1220
30
282
Erwan Abalain MARION NOEL CONSEILS serie N033348 W0264883
1222
31
295
David Sautret MIKALOU SAILING serie N043961 W0282290
1231
32
227
Donald Wright RUSSE NOIR proto N035363 W0270000
1232
33
175
Adam Seamans SPIRIT OF AMERICA serie N035786 W0265528
1238
34
352
Luis Irisarri DEVIAJE.COM proto N033971 W0261711
1246
35
89
Rémy Malburet SOEUR MARIE THERESE DES BATIGNOLLES serie N052598 W0292971
1250
36
209
Bertrand Lecharpentier NEC HONFLEUR serie N042030 W0270726
1250
37
321
Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty ARTECH - CAEN LA MER proto N045361 W0275506
1255
38
316
Pia L'Obry EXPATRIA.FR proto N040791 W0263618
1257
39
36
Peter de Smedt HUYSMAN proto N044215 W0272401
1260
40
345
Cécile Poujol INFORMATIQUE ET STATISTIQUES serie N043145 W0265676
1265
41
340
Rémi Beauvais SPI CALL CENTER serie N052268 W0280643
1277
42
388
Yves Niort DEMI-CLE SHIPCHANDLER serie N044013 W0264840
1277
43
373
Christophe Dary SAGA MERCEDES BENZ serie N052036 W0275970
1277
44
342
Alessandro Zamagna ARKE proto N053423 W0282068
1281
45
250
Brieuc Maisoneuve PAYS GRANVILLAIS serie N040668 W0255268
1283
46
277
François-Jacques Jauffrineau VENDEE PRISMA proto N053950 W0282218
1286
47
262
Eric Schmitt LA LIMULE serie N054853 W0284046
1287
48
329
Laurent Jaunin TERRE-ET-FAUNE.ORG serie N044500 W0263363
1289
49
371
Juan Carlos Sanchis Mari SPASMOS serie N054648 W0282708
1290
50
444
Isabelle Magois EDEN PARK proto N045173 W0264073
1291
51
29
Arthur Barret UBAYE proto N053750 W0275318
1296
52
135
Stéphane Ayrault WYETH proto N053031 W0272376
1302
53
333
Arsène Ledertheil LA CIGOGNE DE L'OCEAN proto N052471 W0270686
1306
54
416
Daniel Schaffer SENSIL proto N045556 W0261146
1310
55
34
Gustavo Pacheco EPSILON proto N052198 W0264053
1317
56
47
Bernard Morin JOGGING INTERNATIONAL serie N060341 W0275336
1319
57
56
James Bird ATOMIC proto N044646 W0253833
1323
58
335
Barnabé Chivot FTH THIRARD proto N053848 W0263171
1335
59
381
Gonzalo Botin DON VITO serie N041733 W0242330
1350
60
360
Henri Gourmelon TOBABOOTS serie N054141 W0252621
1374
61
109
Gaspard Franeau AVOCATS SANS FRONTIERES proto N081241 W0264501
1465
62
355
Jacques Valente ACTION INNOCENCE serie N133790 W0250731
1801
NC
121
David Lancry MENSURA FROST proto - -

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