Tied the Knot & GS2 Contest Announcement!
Hello Friends-
As we approach Salvador, Brazil- although 280 miles offshore- the sailing is fast, warm and wet- with 20k winds on the beam propelling GS2 at 10+ knots through the water and blue water coming over the bow and back to the cockpit. Our course has converged- and finally crossed- our outbound course (see Boat Tracker here) so we have "tied the knot" as they say in terms of completing the circumnavigation from a technical perspective. This is a cool achievement that merits a moments pause for appreciation. Obviously the goal is to get back to Newport and cross the original start line off Castle Hill, but it is still interesting to note the crossing of our track from the outbound leg and thinking back to where my head was at back in December versus today in April. Seems like so long ago, when the goal was to get south down the coast of South America and gradually arc to the East toward the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Now the goal is to get North to Recife and gradually turn left towards Newport… identifiable progress and I am a more experienced ocean warrior for the miles!
So with under 400 miles to go to the turning mark at Recife, I would like to have a little fun an introduce the "TeamOne Newport - Guess the time of GS2 finish in Newport" contest. You can read the synopsis of the last leg from Commanders Weather below, and begin to think about how long you think it might take GS2 to get from Recife to Newport, and therefore guess the day, hour, minutes and seconds of the arrival time. TeamOne Newport is providing great prizes for first through fourth place and we hope that many of you out there in GS2 Nation who have been loyally following our progress will take a few minutes and do some rough math and throw your dart on to the board for a finish date. For guidance, Commanders has thrown their dart conservatively at May 5th- but there are many factors that will come into play that could effect that ETA. After rounding the Bulge the GS2 website will display the real-time estimated arrival.
So take a moment- review the info- and send in your guess for the finish time and hopefully it will make this last leg "down the homestretch" that much more fun and exciting.
Cheers
Joe
(See below for screenshots from the tracker.)
GS2 Time-to-Finish Contest
Sponsored by:
TeamOne Newport
View the GS2 Apparel Store >
Submit your entry below by guessing the day and time at which GS2 will arrive just off of Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. For guidance, Commanders Weather (GS2's meteorologist service) has thrown their dart conservatively at May 5th, but there are many factors that will come into play that could effect that ETA.
Deadline to Enter:
Entries will be cut off 48 hours after GS2's rounding Recife, Brazil. We anticipate he'll be rounding the bulge in approximately 2 days so get your entries in soon!
How to Enter:
On Facebook add a comment to this web post: GS Facebook Contest Entry >
(provide your guess of day/time of arrival in this format: MM/DD and HH:MM:SS 24-hour format please)
OR
Submit your name, email, and guess here: GS2 Contest Entry Form >
Prizes: (see photos below)
TeamOne Newport is offering the following great GS2 branded apparel.
First Place: Scrambler Jacket ($159.00 value)
Second Place: Short & Long Sleeve Henri Lloyd Performance T-Shirts ($104.00 value)
Third Place: Polo ($35.00 value)
Fourth Place: Hat ($26.00 value)
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Meteorologist's Synopsis & Tips for Guessing Arrival Time:
NOTE: Since a record is no longer feasible, Joe expects to time his arrive between 8am and 6pm Eastern time.
From the waypoint off Recife, Brazil at 8 South X 33-34 West, the Great Circle distance to Newport is about, 3,700 nm. The target location to pass the Equator is 0' North X 33' West, so we will sail a Northerly course in the prevailing South Easterly breeze past Fernando de Noronha Islands to get through the Doldrums (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) '" at this time, this looks like the narrowest crossing of the ITCZ. Goal is to get thru in the narrowest zone of the ITCZ. We then come more NNW-NW until we hit the NE Trade winds, which could occur anytime between the Equator and 3 North. The Trade Winds blow from a True Wind Direction of 50' to 70' at 15-25 knots, so this should allow for some fast sailing in beam reaching conditions, with the bow pointed just west of Bermuda and then Newport, leaving the Caribbean Islands to port. The Bermuda High and associated light winds must be avoided, and there will be a transition out of the Trade Winds and into the more Westerly wind flow between 20' and 30' North. The Gulf Stream will be crossed about 250-300 miles from Newport and that is the last major obstacle before home base.
Contest Rules:
Read here on the GS2 Website >
Tying the Knot:
At approximately 10:47am EST the crossing occurred as shown below:
