The Race Team Legato becalmed in Roaring Forties

by Barry Pickthall on 2 Mar 2001 'At this very moment we are becalmed - no wind - flat seas - sails flapping from one side and then the other. We are concerned that we do not damage our sails with all the continued flogging.

Our weather router has sent us on this course and it is easy to wonder if it is going to be beneficial in the end. Would we have been better off going South, into the big winds and really nasty seas? The answer is probably no. St James's Yachting, Team Legato's weather routers have done a great job up to now and I am sure they will continue to do so until the end of the race. It's all very well moaning when the going gets difficult, but once committed to a course of action like this you have to keep faith with it.

I feel for Warta Polpharma. The Poles have been in some really big winds and nasty seas. They are a great bunch of guys and l am sure they will make the right moves.

Although becalmed at the moment, we are using our time checking over everything on the boat, from rig down to deck to ensure that we are in good fettle for when we get going again.

But looking at the Raytheon wind instruments in front of me at the chart table, course over ground reads 0, speed over ground 0, velocity to waypoint 0, - Its enough to send you nuts!'

Weather routers report better prospects on the horizon Richard Price from the St James's Yachting Routing Service reports that there is better news just over the horizon. 'The latest weather maps show the strong headwinds to their South that we wanted to avoid. Another Low to their SW is virtually stationary and deepening which is good, and there is the High pressure to the Eastnor'east which is where we are trying to get them to. At the moment they are caught between two systems with no option to go North or South. So they have to put up with light airs again for a while. Once through to the NW'lies though and it should be easier to route them as their speed makes all the difference and they should have a fast run to the Cape.'

A lot of us are hoping and praying that they do!

Leading positions at 03:00 GMT today

1. Club Med 1,133 miles to finish - Rounded Cape Horn 11.02.01
2. Innovation Explorer +1,193 miles - Cape Horn 12.02.01
3. Team Adventure +5,876 miles - Cape Horn 28.02.01
4. Warta Polpharma +6,383 miles - Left Wellington 17. 02. 01
5. Team Legato +8,787 miles - Left Wellington 21. 02. 01

PlayStation - RETIRED 14.01.01

03:00 GMT TEAM LEGATO / WARTA POLPHARMA
Position: 45 37'S; 144. 51'W / 54 57'S; 80 01'W
Speed at time of satellite poll: 4.0knots / 19.2knots
Average speed for last 4 hours: 9.9 knots / 17.0 knots
Course: 74 Degrees / 82 Degrees
Distance covered over 24 hours: 238 miles / 408 miles
Distance between the two: +2,508 miles