Day 32, Tuesday October 27, 1998

In Class I Isabelle maintained a 41-mile lead over Marc Thiercelin. Actually Marc told to his team and the French press and TV by phone that he had a torn mainsail and genoa. That could explain why Isabelle could take back the lead last night. She wrote: "I had some annoying squalls last night, and didn't get much sleep. Now the weather is fairly clear and cold. The wind is still out of the northwest, but dropping. That's a drag, because since I'm in the lead, I'm heading for an area of slackening wind, while Team Group 4 is catching up. Somewhere must have fixed its mainsail, since it seems to be moving well again. It really looks like the Southern Ocean now, with pretty cirrus clouds, albatrosses, and petrels."

© Foto Richard Konkolski

Mike Golding was just 27 miles behind Thiercelin that morning, but by evening he was able to pass Thiercelin and establish 10-mile lead on him with only 1,120 miles to go to Cape Town. Well, anything could happen.

Golding © Foto Billy Black

Jean-Pierre Mouligne sent a message from his Class II leading position: "Hello from Cray Valley. The weather has improved a lot in the last 12 hours. The bad news is that I now have a bad tear in my beautiful kevlar mainsail at the first reef. The sail split vertically as I was setting the first reef in. I am back to second reef in the main sail and under-powered to ease the load, and waiting for my sail maker in Rhode Island to wake up to get their advice. I have material to fix the main but not a lot and I need to do a job that will last to Cape Town." Mouligne, whose troubles with the batten pockets on Cray Valley's main had twice forced him to drop the mainsail for repairs, had worked hard to regain back the lead. At that moment he was 16 miles in front of Balance Bar steering south in an attempt to work beneath the high-pressure system that would probably dominate their tactics until they reached Cape Town.

Five hundred miles behind, Robin Davie entered in his log: "200 miles is a pleasant surprise, and it's nice to have a pleasant one now and again. Good speeds yesterday afternoon suggested a 220 to 230 or so day was on the cards. Nice 16 to 19 knot easterly winds became east-north-easterly, sheets were freed, and speed picked up with South Carolina humming away southwards."

© Foto Richard Konkolski

"A fine evening and clear sunset with a waxing moon on the yardarm slowly descending to set gave way to a sharply starlit night and a slowly decreasing wind which by dawn was down to 9 to 12 knots. Still great sailing as we tracked along at 8 to 8.5 knots, but it was a downward slide as the day wore on. The big asymmetric spinnaker took an airing mid morning as the wind backed abaft the beam. Speed picked up briefly but my early afternoon we were drifting and dreaming at 2 to 3 knots of boat speed and the big bag was floating around the rigging. Not much point in keeping it up to get it ripped on the spreaders."

Wind of Change Russia © Foto Billy Black

It seemed that Viktor Yazykov got his trouble in order. He was able to send a scarce message: "Well, it is very good feeling not to be the last one, but I am so sorry to Neil Hunter to be last. The beginning was very hard. After our five days, five hours and forty minutes delayed start we even have lost about two hundred miles to the fleet, having contrary gale force wind and many other troubles. My both elbows injured and still can not do a good job, the same with the right knee. At October 10th being poisoned by dehydrated food very badly. Could not eat and sleep. It was more mentally affected, deep depression. But my little boat had being doing a very good job without any my involvement averaging more than 150 miles a day run up wind. Today is our twenty third day at sea, the autopilot has being used for two days only and may be the same or less of hand steering. This boat has got a spirit of the Joshua Slocum's famous Spray. The book by Slocum I have read some thirty-five years ago made my life. For many years my dream was to build the Spray replica. This boat looks different, but has the same spirit. Now after three thousand miles up wind beating I can say it has a good up wind potential."

Viktor Yazykov © Foto Billy Black

Positions:

Class 1

Class 2

Copyright © Richard Konkolski
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