The Race, Team Legato closes on the Polish boat

by Barry Pickthall on 8 Feb 2001 Just as predicted

Tony Bullimore and his TEAM LEGATO crew are back within 1,000 miles of their
rivals on Warta Polpharma just as Tony predicted on Sunday. At the 03:00
position report this morning, the gap between the Polish and British boats
was down to 986 miles after TEAM LEGATO has clocked up a succession of
450+mile daily runs in recent days. The Poles by comparison, covered only
263 miles during the past 24 hours.

Tony Bullimore reports:
'Yesterday, the race organisers say that we covered 470 miles over the last
24 hours. This conflicts with the computer onboard and Jason Owen our
navigator / tactician. Both say that we did 505 miles over the same period.
Well, the figures from the race organisers are the official ones so we have
to go with them.

Whatever the mileage, we are having a great run. We have got an excellent
sea running with us, favourable 15-knot North Westerly winds, and are
steering 138 degrees magnetic. We should pass the Kergulelen Islands by
midday today. It is all tremendous sailing.

Rob Salvidge has just had one of these days, He feels really happy - and so
does everyone else on the boat after the chili con carne he put together for
lunch. But on a down note Rob is unhappy because however he tries, he cannot
send our daily video feed over the satellite. (It will be something to do
with the satellites because the TEAM LEGATO race office has not been able to
raise the boat for the past three days either. ED)
Oh well. We can't win them all.

I am cooking a special treat for everybody tonight- corned beef curry with
rice. Everybody likes this and it goes down a bomb.

Yesterday we were 300 hundred miles from Kergulelen Island, our next
waypoint on the computer chart. We have been averaging around 21/22 knots,
speeding up to 27knots now and then. It is great sailing. But is now
getting very cold and there is no way you can go on deck without all the
gear on. Gloves are an absolute necessity. The barometer is steadily
dropping and is now down to 1001.

We have performed 3 sail changes in the last watch. Paul Larson, the watch
leader is a glutton for punishment, chucking reefs in and out at will, but
he is a perfectionist when it comes to sailing this boat fast.

We can now see the southwest corner of Australia on the electronic chart and
know that we are
definitely on the arse up side of the world. What would I give for a couple
of pints of Emu Export and fish and chips in Fremantle?
Oh well anyone can dream.'


Leading positions at 03:00 GMT today
1. Club Med 9,247 miles to finish - Passed thru' Cook Strait 2.02.01
2. Innovation Explorer +677 miles - Cook Strait 3.02.01
3. Team Adventure 4,816 miles - LEFT CAPE TOWN ON 26.01.01
4. Warta Polpharma 5,484 miles
5. Team Legato 6,470 miles Position: 47 27' S;65 44' E
6. PlayStation - RETIRED 14.01.01