DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge
June 25, 2003
Zaraffa Maintains Lead at Top of Fair Isles
Newport,
R.I. (June 25, 2003) -- Skip Sheldon’s racing
machine Zaraffa is not only extending its lead
on the fleet of 59 boats currently competing in
the 3,600 nautical mile race to Germany, but it
is looking to establish a new racing record that
will most likely hold for a very long time. With
approximately two more days of racing to go since
the Class I start on June 14 in Newport, R.I.,
Zaraffa’s navigator Mark Rudiger summarized
the boat’s success up to this point in the
DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge.
“We
were able to come off the backside of low and
we were unconventional in taking a more northerly
route out from the start,” he told WADK
radio's host Brad Read today by satellite phone.
“We
were
anticipating northeasterlies, so we could almost
fetch the gulf stream easier than boats that went
lower. We took our medicine early, so to speak.
It was critical for big picture. We had a four
hour window to catch the train on this cold front
and we were on the leading edge for a week, surfing
it. If we arrived four hours later at Point Alpha,
we would have missed the train. We were fortunate
to get on.”
Sheldon
reported that at approximately Noon (EDT), Zaraffa
was ten miles from the final waypoint and was
looking to round it within the hour. “The
feeling is one of enthusiasm and caution,”
he said. “We’ve had an extraordinary
trip. The feeling of the group here is we have
at least 2 more days with wind on the nose as
we round the island. We’ve been fortunate
with the boat and a highly compatible crew.”
He
then summarized the three characteristics of this
race, “The gulf stream and legs of turning
mark, the meteorology to get to Fair Isle and,
most difficult of all, the North Sea is shallow
and notorious for currents.”
Neil
McDonald one of the two watch captains onboard
and a member of Assa Asbloy with Rudiger summarized
the current weather as “clear blue skies,
gentle breeze and chilly. Normally it can be misty,
rainy and wild. It’s rather pleasant.”
How
does the current weather weigh on the boat at
this time? “After sort of surviving the
cold front and lows, and battling high pressure
across north sea, it was very challenging, both
for crew and our patience,” said Rudiger.
“We’re sniffing the barn and want
to get there, but first we have to cross high
pressure to get there. Once we cross, we’ll
be in good shape. Tomorrow will be a tough day
and hopefully we’ll come sliding in.”
Additional
information and news about the DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge is available on the Internet
at: www.DCNAC.de
