Monnett Around the World - Indian Ocean this evening
by François Blanchet 27 Mar 2000 21:04 BST
Indian Ocean this evening
On his 78th day at sea, Philippe is sailing to the south of Tasmania. It’s an optimistic Monnet who will be entering the Indian Ocean at the end of the day with a 6 day lead over Mike Golding’s record : " I’ve finished getting further from home and now I’m now getting closer". Last position at 09.30 GMT : 44°38’ S – 147°38’ E
Difficult Tasman Sea
Faithful to its reputation, the Tasman Sea did not spare the skipper of UUNET : "I had two good days, then a windless bubble… Today I’ve picked up headwinds and the boat is slamming hard in the waves". Despite all, meteorologist Pierre Lasnier admits his satisfaction of seeing Philippe enter a less hostile zone, "even if strong gales are forecast for the next few days".
UUNET is progressing at 8 knots against 30 knot headwinds from the NE, with 5 metre waves. While the sea temperature is clement (15°C), the same cannot be said for the weather : big clouds, squalls, lightning… But Monnet is used to this type of weather.
Tricky… but no halt in Hobart
During his radio session, Philippe confirmed his decision not to stop to repair his running backstay problem, even if the deterioration has worsened in the last few days : "the spot continued to delaminate along 5 centimetres over the weekend, because I had to force on the runner somewhat, but I’m not stopping in Hobart".
As for life on board, the skipper admits being tired after an apocalyptic passage through the Southern Ocean : "I didn’t come away unscathed from the Pacific and I’m trying to perk myself up a bit… I appreciate the boat not moving about so much and these last days of lull have enabled me to get some rest".
6 day lead
Philippe will be entering the Indian Ocean this Monday with a 6 day lead over the record of Mike Golding. He is hoping to somewhat increase his advantage in the next few days : "I hope to nibble a day from him rapidly because he suffered a lot around Tasmania… It’s a wild place, a little bit like our tip of Brittany…"
A Brittany where the skipper of UUNET is expected with the record in his pocket in the month of June.
More Information: www.70degresud.com/Eng/News