Posted on 10/19/2005 8:42:55 PM PDT by Mo1
Yes.
Are you sure? How do you know?
Because......
:-)
First Hour: Capt. Kelly Sweeney will discuss piracy and maritime terrorism.
You should be in bed at 4am.
It is Central Time for me. And I'm almost there.
OK... Have a good night Essy.
Volvo Ocean Race.
13 November, Sunday morning: in the early hours the first inkling of a problem with one of the Volvo Open 70s became obvious when Paul Cayard’s Pirates of the Caribbean slowed. Boat speed data coming from the boat showed a drop from the high 20s that were being recorded, down to single figures.
Then a report was called in to Race Headquarters, recounting they had what the team refers to as, "non-structural damage to the keel resulting in the boat suspending racing." The keel damage is apparently compromising the racing ability of the boat, though not its safety. Falmouth Coastguard MRCC has been informed that the boat was not in danger and was heading for Cascais in Portugal.
Two hours later another call to RHQ confirmed the position shown by the computer tracker that movistar had turned at right angles to the course and was heading towards the coast. The call informed RHQ that the boat had fractured a keel ram shelf, the support that carries the fixed end of one of the massive hydraulic rams that actuate the swinging keel. They were able to carry on sailing for a while, as the Volvo Open 70 rule insists that the keel can be worked with just one of the two rams for safety reasons and that was the situation. Shortly after the original incident, however, the boat reported further problems. This more serious damage caused Bouwe Bekking, movistar’s skipper to report, “The load on the one ram must have been huge, as the main bulkhead buckled badly. No other option than to head to port as it is not safe to carry on.
“So what now? Currently we are heading towards Cadiz, where we have to assess the damage. It looks like a major, but have to wait for what the experts say, for the time being we are going to port to fix the damage and have not retired from this leg, but fear the worst.
“Currently sailing just with a storm jib and it seems the breeze is dropping a bit. I won't push to get there early; first we have to get this puppy safely back in port. All the guys are sitting on deck, staring blank out of their eyes, a dream has come apart abruptly.”
Chris Bedford, the Volvo Ocean Race met man gives the forecast for the area as follows: “Across the whole area of the fleet the wind will stay at its current levels of 30 to 35 knots from the north, though the Pirates alone, in their more northerly position, may experience some lightening of the wind for a couple of hours imminently. Then the wind will build, possibly reaching 40 knots, with gusts to 50. This will continue through the night until the early hours of Monday morning."
To add to the list of problems, ABN AMRO ONE has reported steering trouble during the night which has caused them to back off, resulting in their team mate ABM AMRO TWO storming away in the lead.
Brunel Sunergy also have their problems; skipper Grant Wharington reported earlier this morning, “We had a tough night. Firstly a steering problem, not solved yet but we think the toe-in angle of the rudders needs to be adjusted. It was ok until about high 20s of boat speed the leeward rudder cavitates, pretty sure we have fixed this one, but we won’t know until we speed up again.
“All was going fine until about 2300. Our wind speed went from low 30s to 50 plus in a squall; we had R1, staysail and full main up, doing mid 20s. We broke the gooseneck, also broke jib halyard, so have been sailing under staysail only since. The good news was through all this Scotty was steering and we did not wipe out!!”
At the front of the fleet the race goes on, but as many of the skippers commented before they left port, knowing when to back off will be a key to winning. These incidents can only have concentrated their minds more forcefully on the task in hand; race hard, race fast, race safely.
http://www.volvooceanrace.org/news/article/2005/november/unluckyforsome/index.aspx
Maritime Piracy
First hour guest Capt. Kelly Sweeney discussed piracy on the high seas which is on the increase, particularly in certain hotspots such as the Caribbean and off South America. Just in the first seven months of 2005, there have been nearly 4,000 attacks on ships, he reported.
Pirates have become more sophisticated, monitoring the electronic ID info that ships are required to send out. He also noted that merchant vessels are outgunned by pirates who carry such weapons such as live grenade launchers and automatic machine guns. ~ Capt. Kelly Sweeney
We do live in sick times the enemy within as the average mind is becoming indistinct!
I think the Yatch Race is beautiful but in days gone by honorable men would found this reprehensible!
Real thoats are being cut today on the high seas! People are becoming throw aways...It is the mentality, the indifference, the lack of empathy for ones follow man...
I never got caught up in Natalee Holloway case but I know enough that it is because of this kind of indifference which blinded oncs mind or vision that seems to sanction these things...
allowing to continue to exist and as it continues to escalate...
Some how I think the money from Hollywood and other hidden sources our behing this cabal!
Resty lighten up -- for two hundred years kids has played pirates. cowboys and Indians.
More sick things are happening now on land than are happening at sea. If you started showing some empathy towards the real horrors perpertated daily then one could haved some sympathy for your selective indignation for the trivial.
I will give you a clue, it is not Hollywood´s fault.
Ruby Beach,
I'm going to make that one of my destinations when I go out that way.
5 AM=8AM. (time zone differential)
Add 4 1/2 hours flight time.....and it is 12:30 PM.
Not 4 PM.......math wizard!
Welcome back to the office!
:-)
.
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