Le Défi Atlantique - Team Cowes Back In The Northern Hemisphere

STARBOARD TACK UPWIND - WIND 18 KNOTS E - 30 MILES N EQUATOR - TEAM COWES 6TH - DISTANCE TO LEADER [AT RACING] 67 MILES

IN BRIEF:

* TEAM COWES CROSSES EQUATOR AT 1230GMT...and Moloney commits to Doldrums crossing around 31 degrees longitude: "I think I will have a good lane through...if I go down you can bet some of the others will go with me!" The Doldrums will bring stressful and sleepless conditions for the skippers who are under constant threat of the wind disappearing altogher or violent squalls that can deliver in excess of 40 knots of breeze... During daylight hours cloud activity can signify the squalls but at night the skippers are blind to the signs and the ever present boat-breaking danger.

* MOLONEY FURTHEST BOAT EAST AND IN 6TH PLACE just slipping 12 miles behind Sébastian Josse (VMI). In four days TEAM COWES has covered 820 miles [approx one-fifth] of the 4,100 mile course to La Rochelle, France. The most westerly boat is Alex Thomson on AT Racing and is new race leader just one mile ahead of of Jean Pierre Dick. Moloney expects to fall into same line as third place Mike Golding in few hours time. For the present distances can be measured in hours not days - the Doldrums may change all that...

AUDIO CONFERENCE NICK MOLONEY:

"Getting smoked a bit here... Jo-Jo is a bit quicker than me and east of north but I have bit the bullet to cross the Doldrums now. I crossed the Equator at 1230GMT and going north hard as I can as close to north as I can. PRB is heading west of north and I am just trying to stay in the middle and should end up on Mike's [Golding] line in a few hours time. Boat speed is ranging between 12-17 knots as the wind speed fluctuates and sailing a true wind angle of 110 degrees with genoa and full main. Most wind I had was last night - around 21 knots - but averaging around 18 knots. The waves are steep and the nose of the boat is always in the wave in front - one reason I don't want to switch to the gennaker - as she might not come out if I have that up.

"In two days time east of us is a cell of no wind around 28-29 degrees but I am sticking to the waypoint of around 31 degrees to cross. There is an area of instability although the closer we get the more accurate the weather picture is, but it's not a bad line to take and I think I will have a good lane through. If I go down you can bet some of the others will go with me! I am not worried about the guys 30 miles north - the risk of them getting through and me parking up is minimal.

"It's about to get tough and I have been up all night trying to hold on to too much sail in an effort to hang on to Ecover and PRB but I have rested during the day so feel in good shape."

LE DEFI POSITIONS 4.12.03 1100GMT:
Pos/Skippers Name/Lat/Long/Boat Name/DTL/DTF
1st Alex Thomson / AT Racing / N014838 / W0333975 / 0 / 3213.3 2nd Jean Pierre Dick / Virbac / N013552 / W0331268 / 0.7 / 3214.0 3rd Mike Golding / Ecover / N000840 / W0312370 / 38.6 / 3251.9 4th Vincent Riou / PRB / N000710 / W0313146 / 42.7 / 3256.0 5th Sébastien Josse / VMI / S001440 / W0311092 / 55 / 3268.3 6th Nick Moloney / TEAM COWES / S002804 / W0310912 / 67 / 3280.3 7th Joe Seeten / Arcelor-Dunkerque / S001912 / W0324348 / 94.3 / 3307.6 8th Benoît LEQUIN / Wel.network / S031772 / W0312028 / 229.4 / 3442.7 9th Benoît PARNAUDEAU / Colibri / S033148 / W0335608 / 299.8 / 3513.1 10th Anne LIARDET / Gonna Gitcha / S042528 / W0341220 / 355.6 / 3568.9

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