To double the Cape Horn

Kojiro Shiraishi also passed the Cape Horn a pair of days after the brilliant Stamm.

By the way that the totality of the last photos on velux must thanks to the shipment by inmarsat of the photos that Kojiro processes and sends with its small digital camera. Kojiro thanks, and very badly by the other navigators who it have not currado nor a minute!

In the average night of yesterday, the leader of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, Bernard Stamm, doubled to Cape Horn after 23 days of regata of 2ª stage. Although it is the third time that Swiss skipper doubles the dangerous end, this legendary zone still him cause impression: “This time I have happened to only 2 miles of the Cabo” it commented to the organization this same morning, “and has been in the light of the day, at dusk. Much wind ago and there was much sea, but even so there was very many clarity I could see so it clearly”

For Stamm, this tip submerged in the South end of the mountain range of the $andes is an inhospitable zone: “While you take care to double Cape Horn, asegurándote of mantenerte out of danger, still you have time to admire that place. He is fantastic to descry a earth piece after 3 weeks whole in the sea. But the time was not very good and the Cape Horn does not seem great thing, a little dismal and inhospitable. But even so it is earth. I doubled the Cabo between 2 storms and when the clouds are so low, it does not seem tuna so”.

One of the most outstanding moments in a passage of return to the world is the passage by the Cape Horn. During centuries it has been a place feared between the sailors, and for a good reason. As there are saying, the meteorological systems of the Austral ocean become infuriated towards the east without being contained by no portion of mainland - until which they are with the Straits of Drake, the channel of 450 miles in width that separates the southern end of South America and the Antarctica peninsula. This zone not only represents a funnel for the meteorological conditionses, but also for the sea. In this point, the ocean floor happens in the space of only 15 miles of 4,000 meters to only 50, one of the most vertical walls of the natural world. When happening through this zone when the wind has been blowing with force, giant waves - of more can be developed than 30 meters able to take to resentment until the greatest boats.

Stamm describes the scene while it doubled the Cabo with 40 or 50 wind knots: “He was very hard and we could compare it with the conditions that we had in the Bay of Biscay. It has been a few hours to double it to you and once of return in the deep sea, it seems that you return to normality. It does not surprise to me that there are so many histories about shipwrecks in this place because is truly special. Now I am going to continue entering me in the South during 2 or 3 days and soon I will go to the east.”

The last position report of the VELUX 5 OCEANS locates to Stamm to 1,800 miles in front of Kojiro Shiraishi, but the Swiss navigator is not satisfied. “With the changing meteorological fronts, you are forced to push the boat to arrive at another front or to remain in which you are: this one is my motivation”.

Unai and the rest of the fleet is sailing in one of the most inhospitable zones of the world. As the same Unai commented “In last the 24 hours it has been plus a survival act that of navigation”. Even so the Basque navigator is satisfied and even something nervous and deluded reason why he supposes him to cross this so remote part of the world.
 
In the zone by which the Basoue sails, she is constant and daily the entrance of fronts.
Before the front, Unai is normally with winds of component NW. As the front is happening, as they pass very fast, the wind goes rolando to him to the W. The winds of WNW component are winds of intensity of 20-30 knots. As the front is passing the wind rola to the W and loss of intensity until about 10 or 15 knots. Those are the moments at which Unai is useful to take off the boots, to dry the boat and to do those works that in conditions of navigation but last cannot do.
 
This situation lasts little, because with the happened one of the front they begin to enter showers, accompanied of hail and winds of the SW. These showers, as the navigator commented, arrive easily at the 60 knots. “They do not last much but they are very strong. They go accompanied of that heladora rain or the uncomfortable hail that disables the visibility”.

This situation is complex for the navigators since the boat costs to trimar it for different winds. When sailing alone, to realize any maneuver requires time and effort to him. For 25-30 conditions NW knots sail with two curls in the major and great Genoa.
 
Once the wind is rolado and fallen of intensity, although it seems paradoxical, Unai is useful to remove solent, to flood great Genoa and to watch kindly the stern to see how in few minutes to him they are approached clouds with winds of the SW that comes with much force. With the entrance of these winds it even gets to flood the major to avoid to break it. Portugalujo commented to us that in one of these moments it behind schedule got to flood the major and the boat luffed abruptly weathercrocking itself and almost putting the wood in the water, with angles of roll of until 60º.
 
“First that I had to do so that the boat leaves this situation is to put the pendular keel to means, since but the boat does not recover its situation. Critics are moments very who get to last several minutes” These moments are crucial since the boat lists so much that without the keel to the center, the rudders would not react and they would not drop to him to course due.
 
What also Unai stands out to us is the so intense cold that the South whips in the 50 and although for him is summer, the wind comes clearing Antarctica and forces to put all the clothes of possible shelter. According to the sailor, the situation will improve at the moment at which it is able to reach the South Atlantic.

This early morning, Unai informed on rasgón in the prow candle, commenting that it would have to hope to that it was dried to make the repairs opportune. While it is entered more and more to the South, Unai commented that it has remained without wind instruments: as much the one of the end of the mast as the one of stern is had broken. These incidences have allowed to the navigator kiwi Graham Dalton, to rob a few miles to him to the PAKEA, locating to him to 94 miles of Basque skipper.
 
138 miles behind the position of Unai, Sir Robin related one night exhausting after undergoing the breakage of the car that holds the end of the greater candle to the mast. The British navigator has realized a temporary repair and can now sail with a small part of the major.