It has been a rough first night for Joe and the rest of The Transat competitors as they settle into life on board under very trying conditions. The skies have cleared a little, but the strong gusty wind, drenching squalls and bumpy seas have made the adjustment a real challenge. With the exception of the leading 60 foot trimarans, the fleet are still sailing in the Celtic Sea where the water is relatively shallow because of the continental shelf, and shallow water causes steep, cresting seas with bottomless troughs. Given the rough circumstances it's not surprising that there has not been any communication from the boat since the start.
Fortunately the wonders of modern technology are allowing us to follow Joe's progress through position information being transmitted from the boat and displayed on the official Transat website, and from this information it's clear that Joe and Kip Stone are locked in a head-to-head battle. At the early poll this morning Kip Stone and Artforms was in the lead, but two hours later the tables had been turned and Joe and Wells Fargo - American Pioneer was back atop the leaderboard with a scant three miles separating them. We can also tell from the information being transmitted that both boats are making good speed with Wells Fargo - American Pioneer averaging a shade under 10 knots, and Artforms consistently over 9.5 knots.
Joe is not the only skipper hunkered down trying to stay warm and safe. As of this morning none of The Transat competitors had sent email messages. When the boat is being tossed around it's a difficult chore to hang on to the nav seat let alone type an email, and placing a phone call is no easier. Instead it's likely that Joe is trying to keep his strength up by eating his AlpineAire meals and saving time at the computer for studying weather charts. The forecast for the next few days is complicated and will require constant monitoring.
If the forecast holds Joe can expect to sail into more moderate conditions by late in the day today as a ridge of high pressure builds in. The Azores High, a large area of high pressure that drives the weather in the North Atlantic, is situated well to the south of the fleet. With the wind circulating clockwise around the center of the system the boats are sailing into westerly winds along the top of the high pressure. As the yachts sail west the wind will back to the southwest as they approach the western side of the ridge, and the wind will slowly ease likely dropping below ten knots. The drop in wind will also bring drying conditions, but they will not last for long. A low pressure system, currently off the east coast of the US, is making its way across the Atlantic heading directly toward the fleet and packing gale force winds.
No one said it was going to be easy, or dry, but this is what Joe has been training for and his experience and skill as an ocean sailor is certainly being put to the test. Both skipper and boat are in top form and despite the rough sailing they will be reveling in the conditions. As soon as we hear from Joe we will update the website. Stay tuned.
- Brian Hancock (great.circle@verizon.net)