"Prodigy found the wind on Saturday, but lost it on Sunday and finally crossed the finish line on Monday morning to take line honours in the 2011 Cape to Rio yacht race.Skippered by Chris Frost , the 54ft yacht arrived about 8am, completing the race in just under 16 days and easily breaking the record set by Robin Knox-Johnston’s Ocean Spirit 40 years ago.The Durban yachtsman, 47, wasn’t that far off his forecast of taking just 14 days to reach Rio after an exceptional 24-hour run of 241 nautical miles on Saturday. But Prodigy ran into a calm about 30nm from Rio, which stalled her progress before she crossed the finish line near the Fortress of Copacabana in a lifting fog and in only two knots of breeze. “It was like being stuck in a Formula One car without petrol,” said trimmer Craig Schweitzer. “It took us seven hours to complete the last 500 metres.” There were few revellers on hand to welcome the yacht, but Frost and his crew were in full party mode following their 3,320nm crossing and can now look back on their achievement with immense satisfaction, given that Knox-Johnston’s 71ft yacht took 23 days and 40 minutes to finish the race. “It’s great to have a record-breaking race,” said race director John Martin. “It wasn’t quite as fast in finishing the race as the owner had predicted, but it was good enough for me.
“Chris Frost has had many setbacks in the building of the boat and then setting it up to reach racing standards, which he has now achieved. He fully deserves to win the race on line honours.”Gerry Hegie’s City of Cape Town, which was on the same latitude as Prodigy on Saturday, but could only manage 180nm, is still on course to win the race on handicap and is aiming to reach Rio on Tuesday.Hegie, 25, is also well placed to finish second on line honours, well ahead of the other maxi in the race, the 63ft Grand Filou II, a remarkable effort from a young skipper on a smaller boat with a stiff handicap.The rest of the 17-yacht fleet is expected to drift into Rio later this week with Ciao Bella, skippered by Mike Robinson, still in second place on handicap, followed by Perie Banou II, Xtra-Link, Yachtport SA, Spirit of Izivunguvungu, Cape Storm and Envirodiesel Me 2 Me."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Update - January 31 2011 - 08h00 UTC
Hi All,
As at 08h00 UTC our position is:
24.47S
21.32W
Over the evening the winds remeained calm with the odd "catspaw" of wind coming through and then nothing.. Often leaving us wallowing. So progress has been poor.. This moves our ETA, but this is Ocean racing, we cannot control the weather conditions..
Best to all,
From a becalmed Xtra-Link
As at 08h00 UTC our position is:
24.47S
21.32W
Over the evening the winds remeained calm with the odd "catspaw" of wind coming through and then nothing.. Often leaving us wallowing. So progress has been poor.. This moves our ETA, but this is Ocean racing, we cannot control the weather conditions..
Best to all,
From a becalmed Xtra-Link
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Update - 30 January 2011 - 08h00 UTC
Hi all,
As at 08h00 UTC this morning, our position is:
24.42S
30.1W
Over the last 24 hours the wind speeds have dropped dramatically. In our current position we feel we are routing best through it, but nonetheless we need to largely sail through it, sailing around won't work and would be far more costly due to distance..
This has given the lead boats an advantage as they will now enter the stronger winds first and pull away and the smaller boats behind who are still sailing in stronger winds, so they will close the gap.
We are expecting another day or two of these light and fickle conditions.
This has put our ETA out by quite a bit, but unavoidable. One cannot accurately predict these things..
The upside is, is that the sailing is quite pleasant and the seas have smoothed out a bit.. the only time when it is not comfortable is just before midday(UTC) as it is sweltering hot then and the wind is normally at it's lightest.
We will be expecting some of our slowest runs for the next day or so..not to mention the past 24 hours.. This is what sailing can bring..
Best to all,
From all abaord Xtra-Link.
As at 08h00 UTC this morning, our position is:
24.42S
30.1W
Over the last 24 hours the wind speeds have dropped dramatically. In our current position we feel we are routing best through it, but nonetheless we need to largely sail through it, sailing around won't work and would be far more costly due to distance..
This has given the lead boats an advantage as they will now enter the stronger winds first and pull away and the smaller boats behind who are still sailing in stronger winds, so they will close the gap.
We are expecting another day or two of these light and fickle conditions.
This has put our ETA out by quite a bit, but unavoidable. One cannot accurately predict these things..
The upside is, is that the sailing is quite pleasant and the seas have smoothed out a bit.. the only time when it is not comfortable is just before midday(UTC) as it is sweltering hot then and the wind is normally at it's lightest.
We will be expecting some of our slowest runs for the next day or so..not to mention the past 24 hours.. This is what sailing can bring..
Best to all,
From all abaord Xtra-Link.
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
update from Rio - 29 January 2011 (courtesy of HEINEKEN website)
"Friday 28th January 2011-Barring an unforeseen disaster, Prodigy will take line honours in the 2011 Heineken Cape to Rio yacht race early Monday morning. Skipper Chris Frost had earlier predicted a finish as early as Saturday evening, but this was unlikely given the earlier decision by Frost and his navigator Wolf Seitz to sail too far south where they pointed their nose into the high and then skirted around it. Most of the 17-yacht fleet have reported an Atlantic Ocean that is still lumpy and cross swelled.
City of Cape Town, skippered by Gerry Hegie, which has led the race on handicap for the past 10 days is scheduled to arrive in Rio about 18 hours later after pushing his 42ft Lavranos to the hilt in the 3,320nm transatlantic race.Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella is still second, followed by Jon and Andrw Sanders’ Perie Banou II, Dale Kushner’s Xtra Link, Izivunguvungu (Kader Williams} and Cape Storm (Sean Cummings).Race director John Martin has meanwhile clarified the status of Izivunguvungu after reports that the development boat had been disqualified after taking drinking water on board from Xtra-Link.“She has not been disqualified,” said Martin. “As is the norm in any yachting regatta protests are heard after the race and this will be the case regarding Izivunguvungu. ”Xtra-Link has requested six hours redress for coming to the rescue of the 42ft yacht, but a decision regarding this matter will also only be heard after the race.After the last reported 24-hour run Prodigy was 598nm from Rio, City of Cape Town 740nm, Grand Filou II 922nm, Xtra-Link 1005nm, Izivunguvungu 1012nm and Cape Storm 1052.ends for further info, Please contactJeanne van RooyenLocal mobile in Rio de Janeiro".
City of Cape Town, skippered by Gerry Hegie, which has led the race on handicap for the past 10 days is scheduled to arrive in Rio about 18 hours later after pushing his 42ft Lavranos to the hilt in the 3,320nm transatlantic race.Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella is still second, followed by Jon and Andrw Sanders’ Perie Banou II, Dale Kushner’s Xtra Link, Izivunguvungu (Kader Williams} and Cape Storm (Sean Cummings).Race director John Martin has meanwhile clarified the status of Izivunguvungu after reports that the development boat had been disqualified after taking drinking water on board from Xtra-Link.“She has not been disqualified,” said Martin. “As is the norm in any yachting regatta protests are heard after the race and this will be the case regarding Izivunguvungu. ”Xtra-Link has requested six hours redress for coming to the rescue of the 42ft yacht, but a decision regarding this matter will also only be heard after the race.After the last reported 24-hour run Prodigy was 598nm from Rio, City of Cape Town 740nm, Grand Filou II 922nm, Xtra-Link 1005nm, Izivunguvungu 1012nm and Cape Storm 1052.ends for further info, Please contactJeanne van RooyenLocal mobile in Rio de Janeiro".
Saturday, January 29, 2011
prodigy closing in on line honours (courtesy of HEINEKEN website)
"Prodigy closing in on Rio and line honours Barring an unforeseen disaster, Prodigy will take line honours in the 2011 Heineken Cape to Rio yacht race early Monday morning.Skipper Chris Frost had earlier predicted a finish as early as Saturday evening, but this was unlikely given the earlier decision by Frost and his navigator Wolf Seitz to sail too far south where they pointed their nose into the high and then skirted around it. Most of the 17-yacht fleet have reported an Atlantic Ocean that is still lumpy and cross swelled.City of Cape Town, skippered by Gerry Hegie, which has led the race on handicap for the past 10 days is scheduled to arrive in Rio about 18 hours later after pushing his 42ft Lavranos to the hilt in the 3,320nm transatlantic race.Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella is still second, followed by Jon and Andrw Sanders’ Perie Banou II, Dale Kushner’s Xtra Link, Izivunguvungu (Kader Williams} and Cape Storm (Sean Cummings).Race director John Martin has meanwhile clarified the status of Izivunguvungu after reports that the development boat had been disqualified after taking drinking water on board from Xtra-Link.“She has not been disqualified,” said Martin. “As is the norm in any yachting regatta protests are heard after the race and this will be the case regarding Izivunguvungu.”Xtra-Link has requested six hours redress for coming to the rescue of the 42ft yacht, but a decision regarding this matter will also only be heard after the race.
In a report to race headquarters, Izivunguvungu outlined the decision to request help.“After the water maker packed up the crew was stressed not knowing if we would have to withdraw from the race,” said crew member Ryan Pentolfe. “We had 30litres of water left that had to last about 10 days between seven crewmembers and I must say I had my doubts. Kader didn’t want to pull out and toldthe crew: ‘We are not going to give up guys, we will go on till we can’t no more,we came too far to just give up now’.“The crew was happy to carry on and try their best to keep their cool in the burning hot daytime heat with just about no water. Two days went past and I could see a drastic mood change in myself and in the rest of the crew. We were on the point of giving up.On January 26 just after I had finished my watch about 10am, I went down to catch some sleep before my next shift. I had just put my head down and from on deck I heard Kader and other crew saying they had spotted another yacht. “It was Xtra-Link; we dropped our sails and started to transfer water. After the transfer we said our thanks and were on our way. Now that we have water everyone is back to normal, eating and drinking well. Thank you Xtra-Link and Dale Kushner for your good seamanship.
See you in Rio.”After the last reported 24-hour run Prodigy was 598nm from Rio, City of Cape Town 740nm, Grand Filou II 922nm, Xtra-Link 1005nm, Izivunguvungu 1012nm and Cape Storm 1052."
In a report to race headquarters, Izivunguvungu outlined the decision to request help.“After the water maker packed up the crew was stressed not knowing if we would have to withdraw from the race,” said crew member Ryan Pentolfe. “We had 30litres of water left that had to last about 10 days between seven crewmembers and I must say I had my doubts. Kader didn’t want to pull out and toldthe crew: ‘We are not going to give up guys, we will go on till we can’t no more,we came too far to just give up now’.“The crew was happy to carry on and try their best to keep their cool in the burning hot daytime heat with just about no water. Two days went past and I could see a drastic mood change in myself and in the rest of the crew. We were on the point of giving up.On January 26 just after I had finished my watch about 10am, I went down to catch some sleep before my next shift. I had just put my head down and from on deck I heard Kader and other crew saying they had spotted another yacht. “It was Xtra-Link; we dropped our sails and started to transfer water. After the transfer we said our thanks and were on our way. Now that we have water everyone is back to normal, eating and drinking well. Thank you Xtra-Link and Dale Kushner for your good seamanship.
See you in Rio.”After the last reported 24-hour run Prodigy was 598nm from Rio, City of Cape Town 740nm, Grand Filou II 922nm, Xtra-Link 1005nm, Izivunguvungu 1012nm and Cape Storm 1052."
Update - 29 January 2011 08h00 UTC
Hi all,
AS AT 08H00 UTC our position is at:
25.5S
27.50W
Yesterday the wind speeds started to drop off as forecasted. We are still sailing with full spinnaker dead downwind. The sea state has improved slightly. Last night was the same.. Nice to helm and be on shift but the speeds are down to the 6's and 7's..
For the past few days conditions have been very hot. Even night shift is done only in shorts and a shirt.
We are now sailing with less then a 1000NM to go to the finish.
Hard to give an ETA as the weather seldom plays ball, but at this point would like to at least break the 20 day barrier.
Best to all,
Dale and all aboard s/y Xtra-Link.
AS AT 08H00 UTC our position is at:
25.5S
27.50W
Yesterday the wind speeds started to drop off as forecasted. We are still sailing with full spinnaker dead downwind. The sea state has improved slightly. Last night was the same.. Nice to helm and be on shift but the speeds are down to the 6's and 7's..
For the past few days conditions have been very hot. Even night shift is done only in shorts and a shirt.
We are now sailing with less then a 1000NM to go to the finish.
Hard to give an ETA as the weather seldom plays ball, but at this point would like to at least break the 20 day barrier.
Best to all,
Dale and all aboard s/y Xtra-Link.
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Friday, January 28, 2011
South Atlantic rain squall
Some pics of a rainsquall we went through this morning.
The squall lasted around 15 minutes.. lots of rain and increased winds..
Everyone enjoyed the change of scenary and the shower...
Dale
The squall lasted around 15 minutes.. lots of rain and increased winds..
Everyone enjoyed the change of scenary and the shower...
Dale
Update - 28 January 2011 - 08h00 UTC
Hi All,
Our position as at 08h00 UTC this morning is:
25.4S
24.57W
Yesterday had us sailing in slightly lighter winds which has slowed progress a little, the sea is still lumpy and cross swelled. Last night we managed to get a wrap in our spinnaker which took 1.5 hours to sort out and also involved Leroy going up the rig. this cost us some more time in speed made good.
All well aboard.
Best,
Dale
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Message for Leroy and crew
Subject: Message for Leroy & crew
Hi Leroy
Hope you all are doing well. Mrs P says thanks very much for your
message; she did receive it.
I have just read the blog and didn't know what was happening with the
water situation!! But a HUGE thank you to you and the crew for being
such awesome seaman and helping out Ryan's boat. You will be blessed
:-)
Anyway keep well and keep the pics and updates coming.
Later
Olivia
Hi Leroy
Hope you all are doing well. Mrs P says thanks very much for your
message; she did receive it.
I have just read the blog and didn't know what was happening with the
water situation!! But a HUGE thank you to you and the crew for being
such awesome seaman and helping out Ryan's boat. You will be blessed
:-)
Anyway keep well and keep the pics and updates coming.
Later
Olivia
LATEST NEWS (courtesy of HEINEKEN website)
"The yacht Spirit Izivunguvungu has in this point in time not officially been disqualified from the Race.
The Race organizers are very grateful to Xtra-Link for diverting and providing water to Spirit of Izivunguvungu. It is the prerogative of the Race Committee to issue official press statements and any issues pertaining to the Race will be addressed on completion of the Race, as is the norm.
Spirit of Izivunguvungu is one of 17 yachts participating in the iconic Heineken Cape to Rio Yacht Race and was lying in 5th position on handicap when she reported to Race HQ in Rio de Janeiro that her watermaker had become unserviceable and that they were running out of drinking water.At this point they had 1400 miles to go to the finish which would take approximately nine days .Extra-Link skippered by Dale Kushner was asked whether she would divert to assist the sailors, she agreed.Said Kushner : “We were able to transfer 20 cans of isotonic drink which the crew immediately gulped down. Then we were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more than sufficient for the rest of their voyage.”The transfer took about 45 minutes in what Kushner described as a “well executed process”.
Izivunguvungu is not the first yacht in the race to run into water problems. Myrtle of Bonnievale nearly hit the panic button after they battled for five days to repair their watermaker and Ciao Bella also reported hassles earlier this week.Gerry Hegie’s City of Cape Town meanwhile continues to lead the race on handicap from Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella and Jon Sanders’ Perie Banou II.
Prodigy, leading the race for line honours, has 799 nm to go to as of Thursday 27th January, followed by City of Cape Town (918 nm), Grand Filou II (1103 nm) and Xtra-Link (1,176nm).Commenting on the Race so far, Race Chairman, John Martin said :“This has been an exceptionally fast race and a new record will be set”. “Prodigy stands to finish the race in race record time of 15 days compared to the race record set in the first race, in 1971, of 23 days, when the same course was sailed and Ocean Spirit, skippered by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the first to cross the line."
The Race organizers are very grateful to Xtra-Link for diverting and providing water to Spirit of Izivunguvungu. It is the prerogative of the Race Committee to issue official press statements and any issues pertaining to the Race will be addressed on completion of the Race, as is the norm.
Spirit of Izivunguvungu is one of 17 yachts participating in the iconic Heineken Cape to Rio Yacht Race and was lying in 5th position on handicap when she reported to Race HQ in Rio de Janeiro that her watermaker had become unserviceable and that they were running out of drinking water.At this point they had 1400 miles to go to the finish which would take approximately nine days .Extra-Link skippered by Dale Kushner was asked whether she would divert to assist the sailors, she agreed.Said Kushner : “We were able to transfer 20 cans of isotonic drink which the crew immediately gulped down. Then we were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more than sufficient for the rest of their voyage.”The transfer took about 45 minutes in what Kushner described as a “well executed process”.
Izivunguvungu is not the first yacht in the race to run into water problems. Myrtle of Bonnievale nearly hit the panic button after they battled for five days to repair their watermaker and Ciao Bella also reported hassles earlier this week.Gerry Hegie’s City of Cape Town meanwhile continues to lead the race on handicap from Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella and Jon Sanders’ Perie Banou II.
Prodigy, leading the race for line honours, has 799 nm to go to as of Thursday 27th January, followed by City of Cape Town (918 nm), Grand Filou II (1103 nm) and Xtra-Link (1,176nm).Commenting on the Race so far, Race Chairman, John Martin said :“This has been an exceptionally fast race and a new record will be set”. “Prodigy stands to finish the race in race record time of 15 days compared to the race record set in the first race, in 1971, of 23 days, when the same course was sailed and Ocean Spirit, skippered by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the first to cross the line."
"Water, water everywhere, but barely a drop to drink on Izivunguvungu" courtesy of HEINEKEN website
"It was in contention for a top six finish on handicap, but then the 42ft development boat from Simon’s Town naval base sent out an SOS yesterday with the news that they were running out of drinking water after their watermaker had become unserviceable.In a magnanimous gesture, Dale Kushner’s Xtra-Link, which is presently in fourth place and was only about 20 nautical miles from the distressed boat, agreed to divert from her course to assist Kader Williams and his crew.“We only have 30 litres of water onboard to cover the second half of the race,” Williams informed race control, “and we still have to cover about 1,400 miles, which could take another nine days.”Race director John Martin, after much deliberation, asked Xtra-Link to divert and assist and Kushner immediately agreed.
The organisers confirmed that Xtra-Link will be awarded time consideration -- about six hours -- for its act of sportsmanship out at sea.“We met mid-ocean yesterday morning at about 11 and as there was almost 20 knots of wind blowing and a sea running, the two boats could not come alongside otherwise they would have been damaged,” said Kushner in a link-up to race control.“We were able to transfer 20 cans of isotonic drink which the crew immediately gulped down. Then we were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more than sufficient for the rest of their voyage.”The transfer took about 45 minutes in what Kushner described as a “well executed process”.But the mid-Atlantic link-up has come at a price for Izivunguvungu; receiving water in the rules is cause for immediate disqualification, taking them officially out of the race. The boat started off poorly, but had moved as high as fourth place before sending out a distress call.Izivunguvungu is not the first yacht in the race to run into water problems. Myrtle of Bonnievale nearly hit the panic button after they battled for five days to repair their watermaker and Ciao Bella also reported hassles earlier this week.
Gerry Hegie’s City of Cape Town meanwhile continues to lead the race on handicap from Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella and Jon Sanders’ Perie Banou II, but it was Xtra-Link that found the breeze yesterday, reporting a 24-hour run of 236nm, outpacing Prodigy (202nm) and City of Cape Town (194nm).Prodigy has nevertheless increased her lead in the race for line honours and was 1,004nm from Rio after yesterday’s run, followed by City of Cape Town (1,110nm), Grand Filou II (1,272nm) and Xtra-Link (1,362nm)".
The organisers confirmed that Xtra-Link will be awarded time consideration -- about six hours -- for its act of sportsmanship out at sea.“We met mid-ocean yesterday morning at about 11 and as there was almost 20 knots of wind blowing and a sea running, the two boats could not come alongside otherwise they would have been damaged,” said Kushner in a link-up to race control.“We were able to transfer 20 cans of isotonic drink which the crew immediately gulped down. Then we were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more than sufficient for the rest of their voyage.”The transfer took about 45 minutes in what Kushner described as a “well executed process”.But the mid-Atlantic link-up has come at a price for Izivunguvungu; receiving water in the rules is cause for immediate disqualification, taking them officially out of the race. The boat started off poorly, but had moved as high as fourth place before sending out a distress call.Izivunguvungu is not the first yacht in the race to run into water problems. Myrtle of Bonnievale nearly hit the panic button after they battled for five days to repair their watermaker and Ciao Bella also reported hassles earlier this week.
Gerry Hegie’s City of Cape Town meanwhile continues to lead the race on handicap from Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella and Jon Sanders’ Perie Banou II, but it was Xtra-Link that found the breeze yesterday, reporting a 24-hour run of 236nm, outpacing Prodigy (202nm) and City of Cape Town (194nm).Prodigy has nevertheless increased her lead in the race for line honours and was 1,004nm from Rio after yesterday’s run, followed by City of Cape Town (1,110nm), Grand Filou II (1,272nm) and Xtra-Link (1,362nm)".
FOR DALE AND TEAM
Congratulations skipper Dale, Ian, Hans, Ruan and Leroy on an amazing
job well done !
You are stars and true sportsmen. Got all the news from Bernice and the blog.
Happy sailing and enjoy the rest of your adventure.
Best wishes, Marika
PS - i really enjoy the blog. Easy to read - short and sweet and very
informative
job well done !
You are stars and true sportsmen. Got all the news from Bernice and the blog.
Happy sailing and enjoy the rest of your adventure.
Best wishes, Marika
PS - i really enjoy the blog. Easy to read - short and sweet and very
informative
update - 27 January 2011 08h00 UTC
Hi All,
Our position as at 08h00 UTC is:
25.20S
21.49W
After coming to the assistance of "Spirit of Izivunguvungu" yesterday we continued our race. We were a bit committed to sailing "the one side of the course" now.. we carried on till just before sunset when we gybed. We have been back on Port tack for the entire evening with winds of around 14- 16knots full spinnaker and a slightly lumpy sea.
Moral aboard is good.
Best to all.
Dale
Our position as at 08h00 UTC is:
25.20S
21.49W
After coming to the assistance of "Spirit of Izivunguvungu" yesterday we continued our race. We were a bit committed to sailing "the one side of the course" now.. we carried on till just before sunset when we gybed. We have been back on Port tack for the entire evening with winds of around 14- 16knots full spinnaker and a slightly lumpy sea.
Moral aboard is good.
Best to all.
Dale
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
COMMENT FROM JOHN MARTIN
Hi Dale
I cannot thank you enough. VERY WELL DONE on some classic seamanship .
We salute you as an unbelievable sportsman and humanitarian I look
forward to receiving you in Rio.
Kind regards
John
I cannot thank you enough. VERY WELL DONE on some classic seamanship .
We salute you as an unbelievable sportsman and humanitarian I look
forward to receiving you in Rio.
Kind regards
John
THANK YOU FROM SPIRIT OF IZIVUNGUVUNGU
Dale,
I would like to thank you for the support to Spirit of
Izivunguvungu.
fair winds,
Manuel
I would like to thank you for the support to Spirit of
Izivunguvungu.
fair winds,
Manuel
XTRA-LINK TO THE RESCUE (26/01/11)
This morning we got a call from race control requesting our assistance, they reported that the yacht "Spirit of Izivunguvungu" had run out of water as their water maker was not working and they did not have sufficient reserves.. They had requested assistance and we were the nearest yacht from their position...
One of the basic maritime requeirements is that when you are called to assist, if at all possible you have a requirement to do so..
In this case, it was our pleasure to help our fellow competitors with something so dire as water.. Out in the South Atlantic you will not live for long without water..
We knew their position and routing through the trqacking suystem and therefore we chenged from our intended course, gybed and tight reached to their station. We managed to eventually contact them on VHF and indicated we were on our way and the procedure to transfer the water..
We met mid ocean a little beofore 11h00 UTC.. Gave then the intructions for the transfer.. (As there was almost 20 knots blowing and a sea running, the two boats could not come alongside otherwise the two boats would get damaged) We transfered the water on a rope strung between the two boats keeping the boats 40 feet apart..
First accross we sent them some 100 Plus, an Isotonic drink specifically designed to hydrate a person. We managed to spare 20 cans..
They immediately gulped it down.. immediately looking refreshed..
We then were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more then sufficient for the rest of their voyage..
The transfer took around 45 minutes.. It was a well executed process..In the end they said their thank yous and we both turned and carried on sailing..
For them a bit for of a formality as receiving water in the rules is cause for immediate disqualification. taking them officially out of the race. The rules are very stringent in this regard.
"Spirit of Izivunguvungu" is the first boat we have seen since the second day of racing.. they were in good spirits, looking good and glad to get their much needed water..
We will be aplying to race control for redress of 6 hours.. made of of us altering from our planned strategy, reaching to the meet point(not sailing the optimum angle) and the time taken to slow down, stop, do the transfer and then get going again.. We were now puhed the the side we were not planning to sail.
So today has been active aboard Yacht Xtra Link.. Everyone has just started packing away all the equipment and getting the boat sorted..
We should have sufficient water for the rest of our race..
From all on Xtra-Link.
Dale
One of the basic maritime requeirements is that when you are called to assist, if at all possible you have a requirement to do so..
In this case, it was our pleasure to help our fellow competitors with something so dire as water.. Out in the South Atlantic you will not live for long without water..
We knew their position and routing through the trqacking suystem and therefore we chenged from our intended course, gybed and tight reached to their station. We managed to eventually contact them on VHF and indicated we were on our way and the procedure to transfer the water..
We met mid ocean a little beofore 11h00 UTC.. Gave then the intructions for the transfer.. (As there was almost 20 knots blowing and a sea running, the two boats could not come alongside otherwise the two boats would get damaged) We transfered the water on a rope strung between the two boats keeping the boats 40 feet apart..
First accross we sent them some 100 Plus, an Isotonic drink specifically designed to hydrate a person. We managed to spare 20 cans..
They immediately gulped it down.. immediately looking refreshed..
We then were able to transfer a further 140 litres of water which will be more then sufficient for the rest of their voyage..
The transfer took around 45 minutes.. It was a well executed process..In the end they said their thank yous and we both turned and carried on sailing..
For them a bit for of a formality as receiving water in the rules is cause for immediate disqualification. taking them officially out of the race. The rules are very stringent in this regard.
"Spirit of Izivunguvungu" is the first boat we have seen since the second day of racing.. they were in good spirits, looking good and glad to get their much needed water..
We will be aplying to race control for redress of 6 hours.. made of of us altering from our planned strategy, reaching to the meet point(not sailing the optimum angle) and the time taken to slow down, stop, do the transfer and then get going again.. We were now puhed the the side we were not planning to sail.
So today has been active aboard Yacht Xtra Link.. Everyone has just started packing away all the equipment and getting the boat sorted..
We should have sufficient water for the rest of our race..
From all on Xtra-Link.
Dale
26 January 2011 update 08h00 (UTC)
Hi All,
Our position as at 08h00UTC this morning is:
25.37S
18.25W
The last 24 hours have kept us in the trades, besides the slightly lighter winds in the heat of the day on the few wind switches at about the same time, it is trades as normal.. As the day cools the breeze increases with nice late afternoon and night sailing.
The moon is in it's final stages with it only making a showing at around 03h00 UTC and only a sliver of it, so sailing at night is quite dark, especially since there is a lot of cloud cover at the moment so the clear star studded skies are rarely visible..(if they were, there would be plenty of light) .
Life aboard is very much a routine.. With us making sure we are sailing the boat as fast as we can in the right conditions 24/7.
Best to all,
Dale
Our position as at 08h00UTC this morning is:
25.37S
18.25W
The last 24 hours have kept us in the trades, besides the slightly lighter winds in the heat of the day on the few wind switches at about the same time, it is trades as normal.. As the day cools the breeze increases with nice late afternoon and night sailing.
The moon is in it's final stages with it only making a showing at around 03h00 UTC and only a sliver of it, so sailing at night is quite dark, especially since there is a lot of cloud cover at the moment so the clear star studded skies are rarely visible..(if they were, there would be plenty of light) .
Life aboard is very much a routine.. With us making sure we are sailing the boat as fast as we can in the right conditions 24/7.
Best to all,
Dale
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
25 January 2011 update (21h00 GMT) - courtesy of HEINEKEN Cape To Rio website
"After what has been a good fast race from Cape Town with some good brisk breezes, current patterns ahead of the Heineken Cape to Rio fleet look less than promising.
The South Atlantic high has moved quite far south, which some weather fundis say could mean far more fickle winds. But at least up to report time yesterday the lead boats were still clocking up good 24-hour runs.
Once again predictably Prodigy had the best run of 221 miles, with Gerry Hegie and team on City of Cape Town still maintaing speed to clock 213 miles. But below them the mileages drop back, Ciao Bella 174, Xtra-Link 179, and Cape Storm back to 150, (that's 70 miles less than two days ago) so it seems there are lighter winds ahead, and perhaps even calms.
But Ciao Bella is still hanging on to second place on handicap, but now looking less of a threat to City of Cape Town.
From Prodigy skipper Christ Frost notes that to get a point to point run of 220 miles, they actually cover much more, maybe 270, as the yacht's sail configuration compels them to zig-zag courses. But Frost is confident of moving up the handicap log from their current eighth position. But he could not be happy about a big spinnaker being torn to shreds in lightish winds early yesterday. That was after sailmaker Alex Schon had spent 26 hours handsewing to repair a previous rip. "Now it is just shreds, unrepairable," was Schon's comment. Two spinnakers in three days, nice going.
Navigator Wolf Seitz reckons they will see two days of lightish weather before they can get on a better angle to speed up for the run into Rio
The intrigueing change on the handicap chart is that of Perie Banou II moving into third place, pushing Xtra-Link off the podium and back into fourth place. The wily Australian sea dog, Jon Sanders, 71, now on his eighth circumnavigation, carefully trimmed his sail wardrobe to lower his handicap rating, and had a run of 163 miles yesterday, not bad for a 25-year-old 39-foot yacht.
On Envirodiesel Me 2 Me, crewman Alex Antrobus emailed: "Bobbing about around 400 miles west of Namibia & about 600 miles north of Cape Town. Had a cracking last few days of sailing, sailing about 180 miles a day and in terms of things cracking literally.
"Despite broken and refixed spinnaker poles, snapped halyards, broken shackles & lost sheets, the crew morale is good," he added. The broken spinnaker pole as apparently the reason for Me 2 Me swerving north some days back. Without the pole, downwind sailing was out.
A novice to ocean racing, Saths Moodley, a 58 year old Durban-born economist has only just recovered from his sea-sickness. Was it bad? "Horrible! It was the worse sensation of my life. It took me 6 days to get over." A somewhat tough way to start living a life-long dream"
The South Atlantic high has moved quite far south, which some weather fundis say could mean far more fickle winds. But at least up to report time yesterday the lead boats were still clocking up good 24-hour runs.
Once again predictably Prodigy had the best run of 221 miles, with Gerry Hegie and team on City of Cape Town still maintaing speed to clock 213 miles. But below them the mileages drop back, Ciao Bella 174, Xtra-Link 179, and Cape Storm back to 150, (that's 70 miles less than two days ago) so it seems there are lighter winds ahead, and perhaps even calms.
But Ciao Bella is still hanging on to second place on handicap, but now looking less of a threat to City of Cape Town.
From Prodigy skipper Christ Frost notes that to get a point to point run of 220 miles, they actually cover much more, maybe 270, as the yacht's sail configuration compels them to zig-zag courses. But Frost is confident of moving up the handicap log from their current eighth position. But he could not be happy about a big spinnaker being torn to shreds in lightish winds early yesterday. That was after sailmaker Alex Schon had spent 26 hours handsewing to repair a previous rip. "Now it is just shreds, unrepairable," was Schon's comment. Two spinnakers in three days, nice going.
Navigator Wolf Seitz reckons they will see two days of lightish weather before they can get on a better angle to speed up for the run into Rio
The intrigueing change on the handicap chart is that of Perie Banou II moving into third place, pushing Xtra-Link off the podium and back into fourth place. The wily Australian sea dog, Jon Sanders, 71, now on his eighth circumnavigation, carefully trimmed his sail wardrobe to lower his handicap rating, and had a run of 163 miles yesterday, not bad for a 25-year-old 39-foot yacht.
On Envirodiesel Me 2 Me, crewman Alex Antrobus emailed: "Bobbing about around 400 miles west of Namibia & about 600 miles north of Cape Town. Had a cracking last few days of sailing, sailing about 180 miles a day and in terms of things cracking literally.
"Despite broken and refixed spinnaker poles, snapped halyards, broken shackles & lost sheets, the crew morale is good," he added. The broken spinnaker pole as apparently the reason for Me 2 Me swerving north some days back. Without the pole, downwind sailing was out.
A novice to ocean racing, Saths Moodley, a 58 year old Durban-born economist has only just recovered from his sea-sickness. Was it bad? "Horrible! It was the worse sensation of my life. It took me 6 days to get over." A somewhat tough way to start living a life-long dream"
Update - 25 January 2011 08h00 UTC
Hi All,
As at 08h00 UTC our position is as follows:
25.23S
14.4W
Yesterday had us putting in some Northing with is Altering for some Westing before midday.. We hade to do a number of Gybes as the winds had severe shifts.. In the later part of the afternoon it settled down. Last night has us sailing in 14-17knot winds..
With us moving to the West.. our sunrises happen later and later.. as we go into different time zones.. So we have to continually adjust our clocks..
There is a 5 hour difference between SA and Brazil/Rio.
All well aboard.
Best to all,
Dale
As at 08h00 UTC our position is as follows:
25.23S
14.4W
Yesterday had us putting in some Northing with is Altering for some Westing before midday.. We hade to do a number of Gybes as the winds had severe shifts.. In the later part of the afternoon it settled down. Last night has us sailing in 14-17knot winds..
With us moving to the West.. our sunrises happen later and later.. as we go into different time zones.. So we have to continually adjust our clocks..
There is a 5 hour difference between SA and Brazil/Rio.
All well aboard.
Best to all,
Dale
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Monday, January 24, 2011
Further update - 24 January 2011 - 21h00
"Inland sailor Mike Robinson is taming the South Atlantic in the 2011 Cape to Rio yacht race.The 35ft Ciao Bella has made steady progress on its westerly course to Rio and now lies in third place on handicap behind Dale Kushner’s Xtra-Link and current leader City of Cape Town , skippered by Gerry Hegie.Robinson, who has his entire family on board, normally does his sailing from the Boskop Dam in the North-West province and entered the race after numerous requests from his three teenage sons Ricky, Brennan and Ryan.The Simonis 35 completed 210 nautical miles after yesterday’s 24 hour run.
But it was Yachtport SA, skippered by Dave Herman, which had the best run (224,6nm), followed by City of Cape Town (219,7nm) and Xtra-Link (216,8nm).The 54ft Prodigy, skippered by Durban yachtsman Chris Frost, still leads the race for line honours but could only manage 215,9nm, while the other maxi in the race, the 63ft Grand Filou II, clocked 205nm.Prodigy is now 2,072nm away from the finish at the Rio Yacht club, City of Cape Town 2,144nm and Grand Filou 2,161nm".
But it was Yachtport SA, skippered by Dave Herman, which had the best run (224,6nm), followed by City of Cape Town (219,7nm) and Xtra-Link (216,8nm).The 54ft Prodigy, skippered by Durban yachtsman Chris Frost, still leads the race for line honours but could only manage 215,9nm, while the other maxi in the race, the 63ft Grand Filou II, clocked 205nm.Prodigy is now 2,072nm away from the finish at the Rio Yacht club, City of Cape Town 2,144nm and Grand Filou 2,161nm".
24 January update - courtesy HEINEKEN Cape to Rio website
"Race leader Prodigy is getting back to speed again, with a daily run of 235 miles, the best in the Heineken Cape to Rio Race fleet, but City of Cape Town was close on her tail with 229 miles, amazing given the difference in boat size. How are they doing it? CCT skipper Gerry Hegie emailed: "On the helm last night, got the crew to pump the the mainsail down the surfs for a good 6 hrs. Having to do a lot of work to maintain our handicap lead at the moment. If we slack off one bit we will give the lead away. " Their other secret is food. "Hallan Batista has been cooking for the last couple of days. The Brazilians can cook well!"
Though as the leaders approach the halfway mark, just what is happening to the breezes is niggling the skippers. Slightly more south, and still second on handicap, Robtek's Ciao Bella had a zippy run of 209 miles on a 35-foot boat! Navigator Kathryn, 25, eldest of the five Robinson youngsters aboard emailed: "Night watches good, and all watches getting good speed, but now more challenging as the wind is lighter. Task now to catch Gerry and the boys." They also look better positioned than 42-footer Xtra-Link, in third place, which clocked 196 miles. "Full spinnaker in 17- 21 knots last night," reported Dale Kushner. "We are considering putting in a gybe sometime today to skirt the high pressure that is ahead of us. Itis moving southwards but perhaps not fast enough." In fourth place, quite close and clocking 209 miles on the Pacer 37 Cape Storm, skipper Sean Cummings sent a buoyant email: "Had an awsome run onThursday/friday.Routine on board has been frenetic, sail changes at all times of the day, tore the head patch off our masthead A1 on Tuesday. Spent two days painstakingly hand sewing ... then another two days fixing and sewing. We finally have a working A1 which looks likeFrankenstein. The last 6 days of sailing have been some of the best I've done in many years." "Some impressive surfs for long stretches eating up the miles. The crew are starting to feel the hard push ... suffering from rope burns ,sore hands andfingers, sore shoulders ... but a nice sea water wash cures most aches and pains. Biggest complaint so far has been lack of sleep." Also having a good run of 215 miles was the biggest yacht in the fleet, Grand Filou II. But her position at 28.38 south will make it difficult to catch Prodigy and contend for line honours. If anything the heavy 63-footer may be heading into calms.
Yet overall Prodigy's below-par performance is puzzling. Her rather erratic course, a series of wavy curves may be in part the result of “sailing the angles”, i.e. not directly downwind, but at an angle slightly across the wind, to get better boat speed. The swing-keel with a 3.6-ton bulb is no huge advantage in a downwind race. But perhaps like Cape Storm, Prodigy tore one or more of her big spinnakers earlier in the race, and is having to make do with smaller sails. More worrying could be electronics problems. The hi-tech racer did report both electronic and also rudder problems on the second day of the race, but since then has reported nothing. Electronics buff Steve Searle, who had taken photographs of the complex circuits spoke to the yacht on skype to help mend the problems.
In addition, Ilha Trinidade, and island 480 miles north of Rio is no longer a mark on the course, so this could indeed be a very fast race".
Though as the leaders approach the halfway mark, just what is happening to the breezes is niggling the skippers. Slightly more south, and still second on handicap, Robtek's Ciao Bella had a zippy run of 209 miles on a 35-foot boat! Navigator Kathryn, 25, eldest of the five Robinson youngsters aboard emailed: "Night watches good, and all watches getting good speed, but now more challenging as the wind is lighter. Task now to catch Gerry and the boys." They also look better positioned than 42-footer Xtra-Link, in third place, which clocked 196 miles. "Full spinnaker in 17- 21 knots last night," reported Dale Kushner. "We are considering putting in a gybe sometime today to skirt the high pressure that is ahead of us. Itis moving southwards but perhaps not fast enough." In fourth place, quite close and clocking 209 miles on the Pacer 37 Cape Storm, skipper Sean Cummings sent a buoyant email: "Had an awsome run onThursday/friday.Routine on board has been frenetic, sail changes at all times of the day, tore the head patch off our masthead A1 on Tuesday. Spent two days painstakingly hand sewing ... then another two days fixing and sewing. We finally have a working A1 which looks likeFrankenstein. The last 6 days of sailing have been some of the best I've done in many years." "Some impressive surfs for long stretches eating up the miles. The crew are starting to feel the hard push ... suffering from rope burns ,sore hands andfingers, sore shoulders ... but a nice sea water wash cures most aches and pains. Biggest complaint so far has been lack of sleep." Also having a good run of 215 miles was the biggest yacht in the fleet, Grand Filou II. But her position at 28.38 south will make it difficult to catch Prodigy and contend for line honours. If anything the heavy 63-footer may be heading into calms.
Yet overall Prodigy's below-par performance is puzzling. Her rather erratic course, a series of wavy curves may be in part the result of “sailing the angles”, i.e. not directly downwind, but at an angle slightly across the wind, to get better boat speed. The swing-keel with a 3.6-ton bulb is no huge advantage in a downwind race. But perhaps like Cape Storm, Prodigy tore one or more of her big spinnakers earlier in the race, and is having to make do with smaller sails. More worrying could be electronics problems. The hi-tech racer did report both electronic and also rudder problems on the second day of the race, but since then has reported nothing. Electronics buff Steve Searle, who had taken photographs of the complex circuits spoke to the yacht on skype to help mend the problems.
In addition, Ilha Trinidade, and island 480 miles north of Rio is no longer a mark on the course, so this could indeed be a very fast race".
Update - January 24 2011 - 08h00 UTC
Hi all,
As at 08h00 UTC our position is:
25.50S
11.47W
Last night fairly uneventful sailing along in typical trade winds of around
15 knots.. swelly sea etc.. making OK progress.
Best to all.
Dale
As at 08h00 UTC our position is:
25.50S
11.47W
Last night fairly uneventful sailing along in typical trade winds of around
15 knots.. swelly sea etc.. making OK progress.
Best to all.
Dale
Daily Position Report Courtesy of Heineken
Sunday, January 23, 2011
General update - 23 January 2011 - 16h30 GMT
Hi All,
Just before midday the wind died on us leaving us wallowing for a while. It
was not expected to happen in the region we were. We gybed(had planned to
gybe later that afternoon anyway) and over the next few hours some wind
filled back in..
We are currently making some northing to help us skirt the
high pressure zone. This is the first time on Starboard tack since the
start of the race.(we started on Starboard and tacked for the first mark.
We did some on-board maintainance today.. some webbing on a main slide
needed stitching which we did up the mast, tightened the whip aerial up,
general check around etc..
We are currently sailing along with full spinnaker doing 8 knots at the mom
ent.
regards to all.
Dale
P.S. All pics taken today except the sunset shots.
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