Skandia VG Day 73: High Speed Collision For Skandia

A slightly rested Nick Moloney was recording some great speeds around 15 knots overnight until he was brought to a very abrupt stop...

'I had a high speed collision with something really hard during the night, definitely not a fish, more like a log, but something very big. I was on deck taking a reef, as I've got between 25 and 38 knots of wind, and I was in cockpit we slammed in. It was like running aground, the bow went completely underwater, just a horrendous crash. Only thing I could inspect was the rudders and they were fine, but I’m sure it hit the rudders...it felt like we skipped over some rocks. Very heavy impact. Really slowed the boat up, when it gets daylight I’ll take a better look. The worst bit was that you suddenly become overpowered, the boats nose-dived, and you don’t know what to release first. You are knocked off your feet, its all a bit of a ********. I’m now sleeping with my feet forward again’

HEADING TOWARDS A NEW DEPRESSION: Nick has managed to pull himself back from the edge in terms of fatigue, after more stable conditions allowed him to get 5 to 6 hours of sleep yesterday. It will take more than that to get him fully back in shape, but Nick already has next weather system in his sights...‘Had been sailing really fast until then [the collision, at about 0215]...doing an average of 14 or 15 knots. Breeze is quite lifted, so my course is sometimes west of north, getting drawn in to the coast, which sets me up ok for this depression.’

DOM WAVRE THE PLUMBER! 4th place VMI has no water ballast at all due to lack of main engine power (that operates the pumps to load the tons of water required), but his rival Dominique Wavre also now has serious water ballast problems with increasing leaks coming from the plumbing in his system. He is having to constantly bail the boat out, and has been working at night when it is cooler, to try and fix all the leaking valves. Both of these boats have large water ballast tanks either side of the boat, rather than the swing keels of the most of the newer boats in the fleet.

NICK’s OC SAILING TEAM MATE ELLEN across the 1st of 3 big hurdles, now just to north of the ridge of high pressure, but still only doing 4 knots, lead dropping to 3 days http://www.teamellen.com

SKANDIA DATA LOG 1000 GMT: data brought to you by BT Business Broadband, transmitted via Thrane&Thrane
LAT/LONG: 45 53S / 54 06 W
WIND: 25 to 38 knots, SSW

POSITIONS 1000 GMT 18th JANUARY 2005

BOAT / LAT / LONG / distance to finish

1. PRB, 4 11.40' S / 29 24.48' W, 3426.0 distance to finish
2. BONDUELLE, 6 52.24' S / 26 40.44' W, 3531.9 distance to finish
3. ECOVER, 8 25.72' S / 29 05.12' W, 3662.1 distance to finish

7. SKANDIA, 45 53.32' S / 54 06.52' W, 6233.5 distance to finish
For full positions report go to http://www.nickmoloney.com and follow the positions link