In The Eye Of Storm
Canadian ocean racer Derek Hatfield was today "licking his wounds" after a 12-hour battering from a Southern Ocean storm that brought with it winds of more than 40 knots and huge, confused seas. The 57-year-old's only respite from the carnage came when he reached the eye of the storm and winds suddenly dropped to around 10 knots.
After managing to sleep less than an hour in the past 24 hours, Derek was this morning taking advantage of the lighter winds found in the very centre of the depression to catch up on some desperately needed rest. But it was by no means over yet for the skipper of Active House - Derek must face the storm again, the second half of it standing in between him and his escape into more favourable conditions.
The relentless mauling then suddenly subsided as Derek reached the eye of the storm. Despite providing a rest from the gale force winds, Derek had to face a different and equally dangerous situation: huge, confused waves, with no wind to power Active House over them.
"It was horrendous," added Derek, who has shot into second place ahead of Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski'. "Huge pyramids of water smashing around all over the place. It was the worst banging and crashing off waves I have ever had. Even on the small waves the boat was falling off them and slamming down bow first. It's a wonder the mast is still attached to the boat."
It was a similar situation onboard Gutek's Operon Racing, now trailing Derek by 15 nautical miles. "Only the swell is left and it is hitting Operon Racing badly," Gutek said. "I am in the eye of the storm just waiting for the next big blow."
Chris Stanmore-Major is also been hit by storms.
Ocean sprint two positions at 00h00 UTC:
Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)
Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 2589.8/ 0 / 298.7 / 12.4
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 2838.9/ 249.1 / 244.8/ 10.2
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 2854.5/ 264.7 / 214.8/ 9
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 3560.1/ 970.3/ 202 / 8.4
www.velux5oceans.com
After managing to sleep less than an hour in the past 24 hours, Derek was this morning taking advantage of the lighter winds found in the very centre of the depression to catch up on some desperately needed rest. But it was by no means over yet for the skipper of Active House - Derek must face the storm again, the second half of it standing in between him and his escape into more favourable conditions.
The relentless mauling then suddenly subsided as Derek reached the eye of the storm. Despite providing a rest from the gale force winds, Derek had to face a different and equally dangerous situation: huge, confused waves, with no wind to power Active House over them.
"It was horrendous," added Derek, who has shot into second place ahead of Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski'. "Huge pyramids of water smashing around all over the place. It was the worst banging and crashing off waves I have ever had. Even on the small waves the boat was falling off them and slamming down bow first. It's a wonder the mast is still attached to the boat."
It was a similar situation onboard Gutek's Operon Racing, now trailing Derek by 15 nautical miles. "Only the swell is left and it is hitting Operon Racing badly," Gutek said. "I am in the eye of the storm just waiting for the next big blow."
Chris Stanmore-Major is also been hit by storms.
Ocean sprint two positions at 00h00 UTC:
Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)
Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 2589.8/ 0 / 298.7 / 12.4
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 2838.9/ 249.1 / 244.8/ 10.2
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 2854.5/ 264.7 / 214.8/ 9
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 3560.1/ 970.3/ 202 / 8.4
www.velux5oceans.com
