Serious technical problems for Ellen on board B&Q

Key Data Day 14 1510 GMT: 17 hours 13 minutes ahead of Joyon
(data communicated by Thrane MiniC via BT Business Broadband)

Lat/Long: 29 21 S / 018 42 W (1620 miles E Brazil / 1920 W Cape of Good Hope)
Average Boat speed: 11.92 knots (heading S)
True Wind speed: 27.5 knots (direction SE)
Distance sailed so far: 5626 miles

Update based on data recorded at 1510 GMT...check www.teamellen.com for the latest data updated hourly...

In Detail:

Ellen MacArthur is suffering serious technical problems on board B&Q that could threaten her solo round the world record attempt. Two days ago it became apparent that the main generator - required to charge the batteries that power all the electronics on board, from the B&G instruments, satellite communications to the fresh water maker - was burning up an excessive amount of oil, and at a rate that was unsustainable for the duration of the record attempt. Ellen therefore then switched to the smaller generator to conserve the oil stocks she had left, but this engine does not have the same efficiency and has to run longer to charge the batteries. This in itself is not a problem but, unfortunately, the heat caused by the back-up generator has become excessive. The temperature inside the cabin at one point reached 48 degrees, melting some surrounding components and, in addition, it is omitting 'suffocating' exhaust fumes that are invading the cabin area down below. With the boat being also pounded by a sea that even Ellen said she had not experienced before on this boat, life onboard has been extremely difficult, with sleep non-existant and very high stress levels.

"After a week of being at sea, I realised the main generating engine was using a massive amount of oil and that amount of oil was not sustainable - in other words, I did not have enough oil to complete the trip with that engine. So we've been through a whole process of different tests and I've changed now from using the main generating engine to the small generator which has bought a whole host of problems - like ventilating the boat, trying to keep the temperature down in that room [the cabin]. The temperature in the main generating room went up to 48 degrees the first time I ran that generator and that was with all the hatches open... So its been a huge amount of stress - we've not used it enough yet to know for sure that it can do the job," reported Ellen from onboard B&Q this afternoon.

Ellen has been trying to find ways of ventilating the cabin by leaving the deck forehatch open but, of course, it is unthinkable to enter into the Southern Ocean with any deck or hull hatches open. As such, Ellen is trying to find ways of ventilating the cabin by using internal hatches located at the side of the daggerboard casing to expel the fumes from inside the boat bypassing the cabin area. "The smaller generator is an 'air-cooled' generator rather than a 'water-cooled' which means it gets very hot and it is relatively small - it's incredibly noisy and it only creates a maximum of 55 amps from its alternator, whereas the other one is about 200 amps. So it means lots and lots of charging with the engine running for longer periods of time, it means having the hatches open as I am still fighting to get rid of the exhaust fumes from blowing back inside the boat."

To compound problems further, the main watermaker has also failed - whether from the excessive heat inside or another reason is not yet known. Again, Ellen has switched to the back-up watermaker but it is struggling to make limited amounts of fresh water as the conditions are so rough, it is proving difficult to 'suck-up' enough salt water through the intakes. To operate the watermaker, the small generator has to provide enough power and there the problems are being compounded.

The implications of these technical issues are serious as B&Q is about to enter the harsh, freezing conditions of the Southern Ocean. Ellen and her shore team are desperately researching possiblities for her to ventilate the boat internally and to look at getting the main generator operational again using a mix of olive oil and rapeseed oil that Ellen has a small stock of on board. If the main generator can operate on this type of oil, there is only enough on board for it to be operational from Cape Horn to the finish (ie 20 days or so) so B&Q is totally reliant on the smaller 'air-cooled' generator through the Southern Ocean.

B&Q is battling it out in rough conditions - 30+ knots of headwind and big waves that are slamming into the side of the boat "literally picking us up and throwing us sideways". These conditions alone are potentially boat-breaking and hampers any chance Ellen has of solving the immediate technical issues. For Ellen, she will not want to give up but she is experienced enough to weigh up the pitfalls to help her make the decision to continue or not on this particular attempt. This decision will not come easily or quickly, as her and the shore team look at all the options open to keep B&Q on course for this attempt – or take the decision to bail out and get back to the UK in time for a second go this winter.

Excerpts fropm Ellen Audio 1200 GMT: courtesy of Geolink/Iridium
To listen to the full audio go to www.ocftp2.com/audio/ellen/em121204a_uk_e.mp3

Describe conditions on board?
Right now, we are sitting in a [weather] front in the South Atlantic and we've been in here now since the early hours of the morning. We've seen maximum of 37 hours of wind but the biggest enemy is actually the sea because the waves are absolutely huge and in this breeze we are just flying off them and coming crashing down. The noise the boat is making is horrendous, as are the noises I am making as I am bouncing off the sides of the boat and its really, really uncomfortable.

How hard is it for you?
Life on board is pretty tough – doing anything is virtually impossible... I've been trying to do some things this morning and its even difficult to just move inside the boat - you are permanently holding on to something, you're permanently getting thrown around. I've, literally, been thrown off the chart table seat, I've had my head thrown agains the roof of the boat and my feet thrown against the floor on numerous occasions - airbourne about six times during the night so its not much fun on board. The boat is standing up to it amazingly and I'm trying to hang in there as well.

Explain the generator issues?
We've had number of technical issues since the begining of the trip and the most preying on my mind, is the charging. After a week of being at sea, I realised the main generating engine was using a massive amount of oil and that amount of oil was not sustainable - in other words, I did not have enough oil to complete the trip with that engine. So we've been through a whole process of different tests and I've changed now from using the main generating engine to the small generator which has bought a whole host of problems, like ventilating the boat, and trying to keep the temperature down in that room [the cabin]. The excessive heat I think is the reason I've burnt out one of the watermakers. The temperature in the main generating room went up to 48 degrees the first time I ran that generator and that was with all the hatches open... So its been a huge amount of stress and its still preying on my mind - we've not used it enough yet to know for sure that it can do the job, or whether I can cope with the fumes.

What are the issues with the back-up generator?
The smaller generator is an 'air-cooled' generator rather than a 'water-cooled' which means it gets very hot and it is relatively small, it's incredibly noisy and it only creates a maximum of 55 amps from its alternator whereas the other one is about 200 amps. So it means lots and lots of charging with the engine running for longer periods of time, it means having the hatches open as I am still fighting to get rid of the exhaust fumes from blowing back inside the boat.

What was your decision for back-up plans?
We did look at the back up plans that we could put into practice on board before we left, obviously. Since the boat was built, we've always had the back-up generator in - its not there to completely replace what the main generator does - but its been there to, basically, tide us over and that's exactly what its doing. It's not doing the same job - it means there is a lot longer time spent charging - but to have that problem and to be using it after just 2 weeks at sea, is a bit of a knock. But at the same time there is still a small glimmer of hope that for the last few weeks, I may be able to use the other [main] generator running on a different kind of oil and that's a glimmer of hope in my own mind that once I get round Cape Horn, there is a chance to go back to the other generator and things on board could improve again...

Explain the watermaker problems?
One of the watermakers has given up - yesterday I tried to run it with the generator and there was a strange noise coming from it, so I stopped it and then today I tried to run it again without the generator which means that you are using more of the boat's power but sadly it didn't work either.

How are serious is the situation for the record attempt?
You just have to hope that everything continues working, just as it is working at the moment and that its going to keep working like that for the next month or so to get you round. But from a personal point of view, its been unbelievable stressful coping with these problems and sailing the boat in these conditions has been a real handful. Today I've been trying to sort out ventilation for the generator, trying to attach fans to hatches, wire things up and literally getting thrown round the boat as I've been going. So its been pretty demoralising - every time we seem to solve a problem to some extent, another one comes along, or something else stops working. Its been a very, very taxing first couple of weeks and its not really an ideal situation to be going into the Southern Ocean being tired and exhausted from the problems you have had already. But on the other hand, we've managed to combat most things - there is nothing that is a massive worry apart from the watermaker and the fumes and heat. We just have to see how we can do in the Southern Ocean and once we are going downwind [which might help the ventilation problem]...

More Information:

• Team Ellen website