Friday 14 August 2009

Fastnet 2009 - the morning after

I spoke to Peter this morning after he'd finally had a proper night's sleep (he says he never slept more than 90 mins at a time during the race). All sounded very jolly - Irish music blaring from the deck speakers across the Barbican of Plymouth whose marina is being used for the end of the Fastnet for the first time. They are moored right next to Hydrocarbon, the First 50 they beat in by 60 secs yesterday after both crews kept each other going through a long and tedious day. Nisida cheered Hydrocarbon over the line, and in return Hydrocarbon came on board with a case of beer. Rolex also (in a very welcome new development) provided a case of beer so the mood on board was very merry very quickly.

There are lots of boats still out on the course (even some class zeros), who will now be getting some good wind. However for many of them the prize giving this afternoon will come too early. Nisida wont be getting a prize (by my reckoning she will have come third in the sailing school category, but they only give prizes for first) but the crew will be celebrating finishing what by all accounts was an excellent if occasionally challenging race. It took them just under 24 hours longer than it did us two years ago, with much of that exta time spent doing the last 50 miles.

Nisida's crew were clearly less obssessed with Orca during the race than I was back home and I struggled to get any info out of them about her. Anyway Orca beat Nisida into Plymouth but they could see her at the finish - so I was right there.

Thursday 13 August 2009

Fastnet 2009 - finished!

Nisida finished the Fastnet today at just after 6pm - a sea breeze thankfully taking them over the line just ahead of Hydrocarbon - a First 50 they had been racing against since the Rock and who kept them going those last painful hours since day break today

I learnt this from a very excited and happy Serena and Beverley, who I managed to speak to as they were showering off 5 days of boat living. Wish that I could have spoken to them during the race as my emails would have been far more interesting than what I gleaned from a skipper very focused on weather.

Nisida was the 50th boat to finish the Fastnet - out of 300 that is fantastic! Handicap results are what they are but finishing in time for them to enjoy tonight in Plymouth is a big bonus. Serena and Beverley thought their mooring right under the Barbican was great - lots of restaurants and bars in crawling distance. Peter when I later spoke to him was less excited - he says it will be very noisy. I reckon he is so tired he wont notice.

Peter did say the crew has been huge fun. I am sure the celebrations for the eight of them who have just acheived their first ever Fastnet finish will last long enough for us to celebrate with them in the club.

Fastnet 2009 - so near and yet so far...

I spoke to Peter on the phone late this morning and he said their speed had droped to 3.5 knots and the tide was about to turn against them. I couldnt offer any hope that the wind would improve (until tomorrow sometime) so they will just have to wait for the turn of the tide at 6 this evening to get them home.

Meanwhile all the faster boats in the class are safely in Plymouth and Nisida is slipping down the rankings - while the boats behind have caught up. It's just been one of those Fastnets - but that's offshore sailing for you.

On a positive note as I predicted they were indeed back next to Orca....but at least Orca has lots of other nearly matched Class 40s to race against without worrying too much about the vagaries of the handicap system. Rest assured though, we will not be swapping Nisida for a Class 40 - they only sleep about 4.

Fingers crossed they make it for closing time this eveing, but that Tesco curry is looking like it might have to be dinner.

Fastnet 2009 - past the Lizard

At 0900 this morning Nisida looks finally to have passed the Lizard on the home strait. Progress slowed overnight after reaching Bishops Rock just after midnight as the wind died and the out going tide held back speed over the ground.

They look to be in lots of company still - and I'm pretty sure that at first light today they will have seen they have caught Orca back up - indeed on the tracker they look pretty much on top of each other.

The wind is likely to stay fairly light all day but with luck there should be enough to see them home before dinner. It's going to be another tough day for those of us watching the tracker from the comfort of our desks.

.

Wednesday 12 August 2009

Fastnet 2009 - Nisida en fast route home

I spoke to Peter at lunchtime - his lap top isn't giving him weather so he has to rely on my rather more vague analysis (plenty of wind today, staying westerly and dropping overnight and less wind as you get towards Plymouth). They were romping along under the reaching spinnaker - but the bad news is theat Orca has been rompling much faster. Richard radioed Peter as they shot past on a Class 40's favourite point of sail

But it's not over yet. Once they round Bishop's Rock the wind will be pretty much dead astern and on that point of sailing Nisida is much faster than Orca, especially in lighter wind (after Cowes Week we are intimately acquainted with Orca's relative speed on every point of sail and in every wind strength). I'm still puting money on them being in sight of each other at the finish line

Peter reckons to round Bishop Rock sometime after midnight tonight. He's then got until 11.30am tomorrow to beat our 29 hour trip back of 2 years ago (Peter's fastest ever). Given the wind direction and forecast, and the tide liekly to turn against them by then, that's a long shot, but they will be aiming to be safely tied up in harbour by tomorrow night and to be saved moving onto the spare 5th dinner of tinned Tesco curry. Or more to the point they will hope to be enjoying a well earned beer.

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Fastnet 2009 - Nisida round the Rock

Nisida round the Fastnet Rock at 629 this morning - in fog and with the radar on. The north-westerly wind of early yesterday duly backed as forecast and they got round rather earlier than looked likely 24 hours ago.

I spoke to Peter on the mobile and he said they had c 15 knots of wind from the south west and were hoping to hold the reacher once they rounded the spreader mark. If they can hold this they will start to overhaul more boats. But those of you following the tracker dont believe they have suddenly shot up to 13th place on handicap - the tracker has got confused by a 180 degree turn and now puts those furthest past the rock as last. I reckon though they have gone up from 41st yesterday to about 30th.

Inevitably, for those of you who raced the Middle Sea Race or Cowes Week with us, one boat they saw on rounding the rock was Orca. Orca is a Class 40 boat owned by a member of Ranelagh, Richard Tolkein. Nisida won the race to the Rock - I bet it's still close at Plymouth

Two years ago the trip back from the Rock took us 29 hours. It wont be that fast this time, especially as the winds are now forecast to drop - especially tomorrow. But my gloomy forecasts of food rationing as discussed with our Commodore last night (he was musing as to which one of the crew you would eat first) shouldn't have to come to reality.

Back to tracker watching

Fastnet 2009 night 2

Email from Peter this morning :-

Came out between the Scillies and the Seven Stones having ended up a long way S of Runnelstone. We had tacked in towards Mounts Bay for a while then headed out and were looking to tack back but we just got lifted and lifted so we caried on until we were nearly aiming at the Fastnet so saw no need to tack. We seemed to lose Desperado in the night so I don't know how we're doing re the others. Currently nearly aiming at the rock in a NNW3.

All cheerful and happy on board. I am just about to log on to get some weather info. Talk this evening if not before.


Desperado seems to have got away from them and is well to the north west. Ditto Hydrocarbon, a First 50 who they had been just ahead of. Orca got to the north of them during the night and unless the wind shifts further is probably ahead of them for the first time. Cant quite see from their track where they lost out. Thy are now 37/58 in class - all will change once they finally get their spinnaker up but it does look like it's going to be a beat all the way to the Rock.