Crews can expect hotter conditions in the race to Panama, but crossing the Doldrums could see boredom set in.
Crack open the sunscreen, Panama here we come! There will be some excitement among the Clipper Race crews when they slip their moorings in San Francisco later this week and head back out under the Golden Gate Bridge because the first leg of race 11 will be a chance to ditch the foulies and soak up the rays following their chilly 18-layer month in the Pacific.
But sunshine and higher temperatures are linked with the Doldrums where the breeze is invariably in short supply so they had better be careful what they wish for because progress over the 3,350 nms passage south to the head of the Panama Canal could be painfully slow.
It was clear from the messages sent back from boats to Clipper HQ that the Pacific experience was a little prosaic for some people’s liking. The leg was “long, arduous, grey and cold,” crews reported, and some of them required to pack on between six and 18 layers of clothing.
But mainly it was just boring as the diaries and updates bear testament to.
“Boredom can be a real enemy on these long legs and trying to minimize its effect takes some doing both for an individual and for the watch leaders,” reported Nicola Besag on PSP Logistics.
Bake offs, design contests, lengthy Kindle sessions and all manner of activities were dreamed up to relieve the boredom of straight line sailing which requires relatively little in the way of all-hands-on-deck sail changes.
The next three weeks might be more a float off. Less boring perhaps but massively frustrating as crews try and get creative in finding ways to prevent their boats from parking up for days on end.
“The sea is so glassy that we are bobbing on a mirror image of the night sky; which although beautiful to look at is not conducive to eating up the distance to finish,” one message sent during this leg in the last race read.
But what to do when the wind dies? Mess about with the sails then mess about some more, one skipper suggested.
“The wind didn’t get up past five knots of true breeze all day and we worked very hard to keep our boat moving in any reasonable direction! The lightweight spinnaker was gybed, sheeted in, eased, gybed again and the mainsail eased out, sheeted hard in, barber hauled, prevented, etc. We really tried everything to keep the boat moving.”
And when all else fails, set up some classrooms to use the time at sea constructively as the crew on New York did in the 2011-12 Race.
“Richard Gould has been going over spinnaker trim and sail setting sat in the shade on the foredeck. Stephan Larsson has been teaching Celestial Navigation in the saloon and Raghu Gopalakrishnan is teaching splicing to others, it’s been like a floating classroom most of the last few days until the wind comes back,” their report read.
Even if the run south is speedy, the nearer they get to Panama, the nearer they get to the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, otherwise known as the Doldrums which could see the brakes applied just hours from the finish line. If the boats are close, the drama will be unbearable with tactics playing a large part in determining the order in which they cross the line.
Mother Nature will provide some entertainment with repeated wildlife lessons throughout the leg. Pygmy Killer Whales have been spotted in these waters and boobies, turtles and dolphins will also provide their customary guard of honour.
“The sunrise brought a beautiful sight as the large equatorial sun beamed through the volcanic ash suspended in the air displaying indescribable brilliance of colours. As many as six turtles swam around the boat as we coasted along in light unpredictable winds.”
Says it all really.