Volvo Ocean Race/VOR
on Thursday March 30, 2006 08:47AM
VOR: CHESAPEAKE CHALLENGES
Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race brings many challenges. Skippers and
navigators must negotiate the southeast and northeast tradewinds, cross
through the dreaded doldrums and Bermuda Triangle then play the strong
currents of the Gulf Stream. There are many decisions to be made during the
5,000-nautical mile leg from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore, but it's the
final 120 miles that concern skippers and navigators the most. "There could
be some serious reshuffling in the Chesapeake Bay," Pirates of the
Caribbean skipper Paul Cayard said yesterday. "Anything can happen in the
Bay, and that's good for fans. The leader could get parked for 12 hours."
Stan Honey, navigator aboard ABN AMRO ONE, the overall race leader, admitted the trip up the Chesapeake to the finish at Baltimore Light could be the most tricky aspect of Leg 5. "The Chesapeake can be very variable and it's anybody's guess what will happen," he said. It can be frustrating to sail a strong leg for 4,880 miles on the open ocean then have any advantage gained wiped out within a matter of hours in the relatively tight confines of the Chesapeake. That is what happened in 1998 and 2002 when the Volvo Ocean Race visited Baltimore and Annapolis. Wide separations between boats were reduced as the fleet compressed in the Chesapeake.
John Kostecki, newly named skipper of Ericsson Racing, knows all about the vagaries of the bay. He was aboard Chessie Racing in 1997-98 and skippered illbruck Challenge to overall victory in 2001-2002. "It's going to be a challenge. There are lots of shoals, crab pots and variable winds because you are surrounded by land on both sides," Kostecki said. "I've sailed up the Chesapeake three or four times and I've struggled with it. It's hard to make sense of it as a total package." - by Bill Wagner, The Capital, full story: http://tinyurl.com/elml6