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British
yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur began her bid for the world
solo record Sunday 28 November 2004 at 07:10.
Ellen
Macarthur
COMMANDERS' WEATHER
Sunday, 28 November 2004 at 17:58
No major changes - winds set to
veer NNE then ease between now and about 46N. Winds will
veer faster and diminish quicker south of 46N - want to
hit 45-46N and 10-11W and then gybe heading for 40N /
15-16W.
Want to slingshot southward along west side of the low
which is near 36N / 19-20W moving to 33-34N / 16-17W by
1200UTC Monday then 33N/11-12W by 1200UTC Tuesday and
then accelerate to Spain.
Wind forecasts
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in knots, time is
UTC
Sunday, Nov 28
1800: 010-030/20-25
Partly sunny - a few puffs coming out of the
stratocumulus during
the next 2-3 hrs and then more stable. Partly cloudy
tonight.
Monday, Nov 29
00: 040-060/16-22 near 45 45N/10 30W - gybing a little
before 00UTC (maybe
22-00UTC)
0600: 050-070/20-25 - wind stronger to the S, lighter N
1200: 060-080/22-28 near 42 25N/13 15W - wind stronger
S, lighter to the N
1800: 060-030/20-30 - winds backing
Partly cloudy to cloudy, chance of showers near and
south of 40N.
Seas 6-8 feet, long period NW-N swell, but some easterly
chop.
Ellen
waves at the start line at 0810 GMT 28.11.04
NEWS
BULLETIN 1210 GMT:
Lat/Long: 47 32N / 006 28W
Average Boat speed: 20.16 knots
Average Wind speed: 25.6 knots
Elapsed Time: 04:11
Distance sailed so far: 79 miles
Ahead of record: 2 hours (based on time at 1200 GMT)
B&Q
Castorama - Omega time keepers
Conditions
have been good for the first few hours of the attempt -
wind speed averaging 25 knots pushing B&Q along at
an average boat speed of 20 knots. Winds forecast to
stay NNW 20-30 knots, B&Q is just on the edge of the
continental shelf where the sea goes from 200 meters
deep to 1000 meters, heading south across the Bay of
Biscay 143 miles south of the Scilly Isles and 130 west
of Lorient.
Ellen MacArthur, skipper of B&Q, crossed the start
line off Ushant at 08:10:44 GMT today (Sunday,
28.11.04). Sailing with 2 reefs in the mainsail and a
staysail, B&Q passed within a few miles offshore of
the WSSRC observer on the island of Ushant off the north
coast of France in winds of 28-30 knots from the NNW.
Half an hour before the start, Ellen reported...'feeling
sick with nerves and only slept 10 mins in the
night...'.
The Omega clock is now ticking on Ellen's attempt to
break the current 72 day, 22 hour, 54 minute and 22
second record set by Francis Joyon. B&Q will have to
average over 15.38 knots to break the record (calculated
over a 26,938.42 mile course as sailed by Joyon).
B&Q will have to cross the finish line by 07:04:06
GMT on 9th February 2005 (the WSSRC rules state a world
record must be broken by more than 60 seconds and this
finish time takes this into account).
Latest information including latest positions via the
Race Viewer console upload automatically every 4 hours
eg 1611GMT, 2011GMT, etc, and boat data uploads
automatically every hour (NB: Race Viewer console will
be live later this afternoon once positions and boat
have been processed).
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COMMANDERS'
WEATHER 28.11.04...
FAST
START TO ELLEN MACARTHUR'S SOLO RECORD ATTEMPT...
ELLEN
STARTS SOLO RECORD ATTEMPT...
COMMANDERS
WEATHER FOR START
Vendee
Globe: A star is born Route
du Rhum success story Ellen:
Sports personality MacArthur's
French connection
The
75ft trimaran will attempt to break solo speed sailing
records, including the 24-hour and trans-Atlantic
records. MacArthur
said the boat, named B&Q Castorama, was designed
specifically for solo racing.
She
said: "There aren't many boats that exist like her.
She's designed to go across oceans very quickly with one
person on board."
MacArthur
became a star in the yachting world after finishing
second in the Vendee Globe solo non-stop round-the-world
race in 2001.
Her new boat, the three-hulled B&Q, has 100ft-high
mast and was designed by France-based Nigel Irens and
built in Somersby, which is 50 miles north of Sydney.
GOOD
LUCK MESSAGE FROM FRANCIS JOYON:
I wish Ellen good luck for
this big adventure. May the conditions be
favourable to her on this course so wonderful but also
so difficult.
I will follow her with a lot of interest like a lot of
people who will be
passionned for this new adventure of Ellen.
Good luck to you, Francis
DAME
ELLEN MACARTHUR
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