DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge
daily report June 18, 2003
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"Zaraffa"
Photo © Daniel Forster
|
June
18 – At 1300 (UTC) the fleettracker software
reported that Zaraffa had honored Point Alpha
(40N 50W). The next mark for Skip Sheldon’s
Reichel/Pugh 65 is Skroo Lighthouse on Fair Isle.
Famous for birds, knitwear and historic shipwrecks,
Fair Isle is a tiny jewel of an island lying halfway
between Orkney and Shetland. But before then,
there is a lot of ocean to conquer.
Aboard
Zaraffa is Mark Rudiger, arguably the most well
known navigator across the oceans and winner of
the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race. Rudiger
gave the crowd of over 75 journalists gathered
for the pre-start press conference last week some
insight into the race.
“We’re
sailing with the minimum weight of 12 crew,”
said Rudiger. “We plan to pace ourselves
and play it conservatively by picking our course
and keeping an eye on the boats behind us.”
This
is the first time that a transatlantic race has
taken competitors from Newport and into the River
Elbe, in Germany.
“As
a professional racer, it’s exciting to see
ocean racing events like this flourishing,”
said Rudiger. “It’s been a year since
my last transatlantic crossing and I swore I’d
never do it again, but it’s hard to resist
the challenge. I don’t even put ice in my
drinks!”
Preparation
included analyzing historic wind data and building
sails to match the conditions.
“For
a race with a the distance of this one, we expect
a wider range of wind angles and wind strength,”
said Sheldon. “Especially at the time of
the year, from roughly June 1 to August 1, the
winds get lighter and the number of weather events
that come through are diminished.”
Zaraffa’s
crew includes veteran around-the-world racers
Richard Clarke, Neal MacDonald, Richard Mason,
Greg Gendell, Michael Joubert and Justin Clougher,
who are joined by SAIL magazine editor Josh Adams.;
Quantum Sails’ Dave Flynn; dinghy champion
Geoff Ewenson and Rodger Erker, the boat’s
captain since its inception.
Built
in 2000 by New England Boatworks, the young ocean
racer made a name for itself by winning both the
2002 Newport to Bermuda Race and the 2001 Rolex
Fastnet Race (superzero class).
Additional
information and news about the DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge is available on the Internet
at: www.DCNAC.de
