tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22778880847743744232024-03-06T00:30:14.640+00:00Aksel MagdahlAksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-69010453873812355002012-01-20T05:59:00.000+00:002012-01-20T05:59:04.245+00:00The story about our northerly move on leg 2<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I wasn’t going to spend many thoughts on “what could have been” if we had not broken that rigging part on Leg 2 – rather try to make it happen on another leg later in the race. But then the other day a mate sent me links to a couple of quite shallow and factually incorrect articles citing our decision to head north towards the low pressure system off Madagascar as to the reason why the rigging piece broke. So I thought it was only right to tell the full story and get the facts right.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">During the 08-09 race when I sailed onboard “Ericsson 3”, we sailed for more than 10 days in conditions similar to those we sailed in the night before the D2 broke – fast reaching with the wind angle just aft of beam. And quite a few days in what I would call “much worse” conditions, conditions you would avoid if you could.<u1:p></u1:p></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The high boat speeds and the apparent wind angle makes it uncomfortable to be on deck in conditions like we encountered on Leg 2, particularly at night when you can’t see the waves that are trying to smack you. But these conditions aren’t normally what break the boat, as you are sailing with small sails, boat not very loaded up and generally taking the waves at a good angle without much slamming or nose-diving that loads the boat up.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While we are at this strategy, the “problem” of whether or not to go north was something that was haunting all of the skippers and navigators for days since leaving the African coast. Basically, the traditional route for this leg is to head due east to get a better angle in the trades when you head north later. Significantly more distance, but you will also be sailing much faster than you will do upwind along the rhumb line.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This time however, there was a slow-moving cold front to our East. On the weather models and computer simulations this wasn’t very significant, but as soon as I saw it I doubted we could ever get through it. But the computer thought we could, and the majority of the fleet were sailing due East, so we decided not to take the risk to go upwind for five days only for the rest of the fleet to reach around us if they got through the cold front area.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We kept bumping into the front, hoping to break through it, but as soon as the wind started lifting and going lighter, we became slower than it and got into the old breeze behind it again. This seemed to repeat itself over a couple of days which caused plenty of frustration in the fleet (Ken Read and others said the worst sailing ever) as we continuously changed sails and trim for the very changeable breeze. And the rain was pouring down all the time. Every day we felt more and more stupid for not having gone north the day before. </span>I assume this will have applied to the rest of the fleet as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">At the same time, the active zone we had to get through looked much bigger on the satellite pictures (up to 300 nautical miles, not 30-60 as in the weather models). The models aren’t any better than what info you put into them, i.e. the weather observations. And a quick look at the weather maps tells us that there are almost no observations in this part of the world, and as well it is not a very interesting area for the USA or EU – commercially or militarily. So the models aren’t “tuned” for these areas.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This time, the weather models were just quite wrong. And the fleet seemed very hesitant to accept it. I think all were happy to just keep doing what everyone else was doing. You want to be pretty sure before you turn around and sail the other way, which is why we waited so long before we did. By waiting we probably gave away one day or so, but we also reduced the risk significantly: We could watch the weather by Madagascar develop according to the weather models, which in the end made us turn around almost like at a top mark on an inshore course.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The biggest risk by sailing north was that the light air zone to the north of the cold front we were sailing along would cost us a lot of time. Then of course, if the low didn’t develop in the place we expected. There was also some risk of quite strong winds, but not huge given that some of the conditions the lows need to develop aren’t present southeast of Madagascar, and even if adding a good safety margin from what the models were showing, we wouldn’t have to sail for long in wind speeds or at angles we didn’t like.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">At the time we turned north, I expected us to make a gain of about 12 hours over the next 72 hours. If “worst case” light airs and westerly position of the low was present, I expected we could lose half of this, but still have a good margin – which we would need reaching against the newer boats! The Juan K boats were faster reaching than our boat already in the 08-09 race, and are even faster this time.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">As we didn’t trust the weather models much, we aimed to sail about 105 TWA (wind just aft of beam) to be sure to hit the low pressure system right, so that’s what we did overnight. After all, the winds are blowing around the low pressure, so if you have it just aft of beam you know you are aiming just for the center of it. And the center of an old, non-intensifying, low, contains weak winds. We were in a quite conservative mode and sailed under-rigged with two reefs and the storm jib for a long while until we were sure that the winds didn’t increase any more and unfurled the J4 and shook out a reef in the morning. Two reefs and the J4 would actually have been the right sail combo through the night, but we wanted to be prepared for the worst case, and were definitely not going to break the boat.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I was really happy to notice that our course was further east than expected, which meant that the low was further east and would allow us both to sail shorter, at a better angle and for longer on a good angle out on the other side of the low to presumably allow us to cross ahead of the rest of the fleet. But as we were getting close to the low and hoisting a bigger sail to skirt the north of it, Bert noticed the broken D2, so we will never know.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Like many have said, it felt quite weird to stop sailing without really haven broken anything while sailing. Normally you hit a wave and something breaks, something that stops the boat and you have to sort out immediately. Like a hole in the boat, rig falling down, tack line of the code zero breaking or a sail falling down. In this case, we were just sailing normally and slowly realizing that this was nothing we could repair offshore and we better stop sailing now rather than sail into the wind shift that would make us gybe over and load the side with the damaged D2.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For some, this story is probably a bit different than the impression they got from some media about us sailing into a tropical storm to “make it or break it”. Firstly, it’s not easy for the journalists to see what is going on from the outside, and secondly, I think the media and the event use these “big simplified stories” that everyone can understand to make an impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Sorry that I didn't post any graphics with this one, I just didn't want to spend any more time on it a few days before the leg 3 start.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><u1:p></u1:p>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-16057534163273283702011-11-21T12:31:00.001+00:002011-11-21T12:36:19.840+00:00Changing my mind...<div class="MsoNormal">I have never perceived ocean racing to be particularly risky. I don’t have a pull towards the risky aspect of it, I am purely in it for the boat-against-boat racing aspect. For sure things can happen, but as I am generally sailing with very skilled guys, I always feel quite safe. But I guess it is time to revisit the issue after two near-sinkings in just a bit more than one round the world race for me to date.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iF-lz_wNFq7xU35nAZqmmWhSsvUXd3cWl9JBMWAjDJeybaYMPnlugG1eEh4ti_oWoswdMyJfpE687Kk_L0TS62BFOuehxM_tOXWKZvBzT9k7IGsZaZ5Awe_c4wWX_zw7sVS-77-ZLXVG/s1600/photo+3-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iF-lz_wNFq7xU35nAZqmmWhSsvUXd3cWl9JBMWAjDJeybaYMPnlugG1eEh4ti_oWoswdMyJfpE687Kk_L0TS62BFOuehxM_tOXWKZvBzT9k7IGsZaZ5Awe_c4wWX_zw7sVS-77-ZLXVG/s640/photo+3-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The damage to Sanya Lan in the cradle in Motril, Spain</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It was only the first morning after the Leg 1 start when the room in front of our forward watertight compartment quickly filled up with water. Fortunately it happened while we were still in “civilized” waters. For sure it would have been harder to limit the damage and keep the boat afloat had it happened mid South Atlantic, in the strong westerlies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The carbon fiber boats are great – very light and stiff – until the carbon layers start delaminating / breaking. As we experienced in the 08-09 race when we almost sunk with “Ericsson 3” off Taiwan, a quite small puncture to the outer carbon fiber skin will quickly let water pressure explode the layers apart, especially in rough sea state / slamming conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXARTuGmc0Ib1eMR6XFJauGrk9kkEzlasOgjxzSpOpyWNZ00N87PQyvQW0YH1bgsVhUOUnqzvTyiLfW_7Vl9DnXb_FS49hTHDJSIixDJsykPoFu3dJO7ZNB962GmTWa4UxW1MqdNBqXee/s1600/Ericsson+3+Taiwan+damage+VOR13478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXARTuGmc0Ib1eMR6XFJauGrk9kkEzlasOgjxzSpOpyWNZ00N87PQyvQW0YH1bgsVhUOUnqzvTyiLfW_7Vl9DnXb_FS49hTHDJSIixDJsykPoFu3dJO7ZNB962GmTWa4UxW1MqdNBqXee/s640/Ericsson+3+Taiwan+damage+VOR13478.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ericsson 3 in Taiwan, with the damaged area marked out in blue tape</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Now it is a very uncommon occurrence that this was to happen to me (and Richard Mason) two times in as many races, but it makes for a bit of re-evaluation of the risk/danger aspect of what we're doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Anyway, I never felt physically in danger as we were sailing in the Mediterranean, in daylight, in breezy but manageable conditions, communication systems still working and most of the crew in one piece (Andy man down as he broke his ankle a few hours before). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Falling over board is still my one fear on these boats, as stopping the boat and finding a person in the water at night in rough conditions within reasonable time will always be hard. However, for the period between the two last Volvo Ocean Races I have cycled competitively on the road, and I still feel more vulnerable at the bike than on the boat. But it might of course be because I have done far more miles on the boat and feel more comfortable in that environment. I guess also we spend far more time on the boats..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But to reduce the risk when falling overboard, I will take lots of care to get the life jacket on when appropriate, and try to get into the survival more than I use to. To be honest, I only think I used it once in the last race. It is just a bit of hassle to take it on and off all the time when I go back and forth between the nav station and talking to the guys on deck. I am also using both the VOR supplied R10 AIS personal beacon, and a personal EPIRB just in case.. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHcWJSCV0w8o8MaRk2XSGN2UreoAFaTMme72D3iUZIr1hia42TRHqKod1tEFopTVXq_KVlSnEqYm-p5i80aJ7xcf4NETlnxg5HE07xT_JROPM5z0oxROClLvQNFNIi_4KCpnS-y1JvD6y/s1600/Kannad+R10+Safelink+EPI0150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHcWJSCV0w8o8MaRk2XSGN2UreoAFaTMme72D3iUZIr1hia42TRHqKod1tEFopTVXq_KVlSnEqYm-p5i80aJ7xcf4NETlnxg5HE07xT_JROPM5z0oxROClLvQNFNIi_4KCpnS-y1JvD6y/s200/Kannad+R10+Safelink+EPI0150.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j9KGPWOKY3MQvYWyI-sHdTqlDAXQ0xJkhXHhsNmUbe_ZyPFi3IMQGucdcxRTauJ_fiMbG9DljsVFVLK__WUzHv73Bkgt1N_-AvaGfZSNRfJ_whWGSYg5opNQLqDS_-cmXxs4OuHCOTb5/s1600/PLB+AQUASAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j9KGPWOKY3MQvYWyI-sHdTqlDAXQ0xJkhXHhsNmUbe_ZyPFi3IMQGucdcxRTauJ_fiMbG9DljsVFVLK__WUzHv73Bkgt1N_-AvaGfZSNRfJ_whWGSYg5opNQLqDS_-cmXxs4OuHCOTb5/s320/PLB+AQUASAT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-13113061580244744442011-10-17T18:49:00.000+01:002011-10-18T20:08:18.501+01:00VOR Leg Zero part 1/2<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRN57Oaxx9ft7SaJ6DD5hOugpPhXnIRDFC9twHr3FgHuWMABDKTk8WLVhNdO8DSrLauWup6XeeoxIQXN2RzLTQGS9-6tXo1FzQBunMsPdDuSDiuVlbO5ta5ZZzOP1KZGvQGJMP_-W2rG7/s1600/316076_10150396766797437_137241232436_9977879_1027547191_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRN57Oaxx9ft7SaJ6DD5hOugpPhXnIRDFC9twHr3FgHuWMABDKTk8WLVhNdO8DSrLauWup6XeeoxIQXN2RzLTQGS9-6tXo1FzQBunMsPdDuSDiuVlbO5ta5ZZzOP1KZGvQGJMP_-W2rG7/s640/316076_10150396766797437_137241232436_9977879_1027547191_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit late in the Leg Zero start - or a bit too early by the pin end of the line 2-3 minutes before the start to tack before the others. Credit: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My blogging isn’t going well – 5 weeks since the last post. It is just a function of the pace in a Volvo Ocean Race, will try to check in more often until the start.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
Last weekend we did the Qualifying Race, or Leg Zero, for this Volvo Ocean Race. This was the first time we lined up against the other boats – first in a couple of in-port laps, then “offshore” from Alicante to Palma de Mallorca and back. We didn’t get the best start, so chased around the first two laps. The breeze was very light and with the small race course we just had to do our best to keep clear air.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The new VO70 rule only allows for two masthead sails, so normally the boats will carry one code zero – upwind or reaching oriented – and one spinnaker type sail – downwind or reaching oriented. For this race at least Camper and Puma seemed to declare proper spinnakers while the rest of the fleet seemed to sail with more reaching oriented sails.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DqBOxE_8Kc86dE58Q7iOBpzTlC9Z74j_03CIbD__Sp9nr2qU8ztjBUQ6AEjWQVw5-3eU6cTQgYaT5r1JmibxKISXVK8C832UL3cjS0Svoc6K7Gzruu1f-NDsFN_WlxYr1nAMuSwAXUmI/s1600/298049_10150396985597437_137241232436_9979364_717450902_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DqBOxE_8Kc86dE58Q7iOBpzTlC9Z74j_03CIbD__Sp9nr2qU8ztjBUQ6AEjWQVw5-3eU6cTQgYaT5r1JmibxKISXVK8C832UL3cjS0Svoc6K7Gzruu1f-NDsFN_WlxYr1nAMuSwAXUmI/s1600/298049_10150396985597437_137241232436_9979364_717450902_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We were left a bit behind on the upwind up the coast to meet the expected northerly Mistral. During the race we had to do some safety drills for VOR Race Management, like Man Over Board drill, use the Emergency Steering System, sail with storm sails and deliver media content. Groupama seemed to have an issue locating or recovering their MOB, so we passed them and had a good fight up the coast where we slowly gained by sailing inside the gradual left shifting breeze.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZINC2-G75Jgu-4O6zo074RnkaAmAw7GxFpDQpNT8lC5lUj6wnAY8Nlsb3u0jH3_2A56xCgEPEHmWfmPKx31QB1DZqfAsk5Lje3NFxav1Q3p6wXQOgEHcOSZM_0Mu4K1OpH3xlL3IqZaw/s1600/Moose+MOB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZINC2-G75Jgu-4O6zo074RnkaAmAw7GxFpDQpNT8lC5lUj6wnAY8Nlsb3u0jH3_2A56xCgEPEHmWfmPKx31QB1DZqfAsk5Lje3NFxav1Q3p6wXQOgEHcOSZM_0Mu4K1OpH3xlL3IqZaw/s640/Moose+MOB.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We missed Moose on Leg Zero due to his appendicitis operation a few days before, but used him for the MOB drill to big amusement onboard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before the start we had a pretty clear picture that we wanted to sail south of Ibiza which lies on the rhumb line, so as soon as we thought we had “enough” north shift – we started in an easterly breeze – we shot off the coast towards Ibiza. Of course we wouldn’t like to split and loose a good chance of lining up against the opposition, but from our position slightly behind the fleet it was hard to cover them, so we sailed what we believed would be the fastest route.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">It soon became clear that Abu Dhabi and us were the only ones heading for the gap between Ibiza and Formentura, with the rest of the fleet sailing north of the islands. Abu Dhabi were leading the fleet and sailed high to get up to the others, while we pushed east in anticipation of the strong easterly shift just after Ibiza that would enable us to sail north towards Palma again. It was too late for us to get north anyway, as we would have to take a loss to get there at that time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">To be continued..</span></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-77109356124414814812011-10-17T07:00:00.001+01:002011-10-17T07:00:06.363+01:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbAfsgLsjEz2u7X19V4_czMKPDsU7hVZ0F6lmxV4F39u5lgvR4gswZz_urAKw3RK0ZW89FepppM53D5HG8u5h6-jBcOC2vq8e3n-Aded8G_0KDeLt0ICazij7QtzFn8Indm_6iqpOM3u9/s1600/podium+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbAfsgLsjEz2u7X19V4_czMKPDsU7hVZ0F6lmxV4F39u5lgvR4gswZz_urAKw3RK0ZW89FepppM53D5HG8u5h6-jBcOC2vq8e3n-Aded8G_0KDeLt0ICazij7QtzFn8Indm_6iqpOM3u9/s640/podium+small.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice to try out the podium as well, with our 3rd place finish</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Mistral is hard to forecast, at least west of Mallorca, and kicked in much later than forecast and stayed for a shorter time. None of the weather models we looked at for this race was close to the reality, and surely the other navigators will have scratched their heads as much as myself over this. So we chose to sail for the expected changes in the big picture (a high pressure system would move south over us), and what we could see. In the end one model seemed to resolve the situation better than the others, but I will keep that quiet in case the race start will be in similar conditions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After Ibiza the right shift arrived as expected – with force. In the black night we were auto-tacked by the sudden 90-degrees shift, and ended up with the keel and stack still on the old side, heeled over nicely to 90 degrees until we got it all sorted. A good thing to experience this now and not during the race, damaging one sail and having us limping for a good while afterwards. This probably cost us the miles we were lacking to get in touch with the fleet again by Palma, we were about five miles behind Groupama and Abu Dhabi by Palma.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnz7OTKds4Ip8u2zcYs7MigOZPqcIYdE2YX4AiIaU5OkahD55LIwO4e36N5OT-cqzVl8xX8cZ3iw035CyzJJ87VGFv8NpsdrtHaIUSD3WHS0sd17K2rIFtKf71YtcuBtqX3FFTqhpm9Zp/s1600/qual+race+deckman+track.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnz7OTKds4Ip8u2zcYs7MigOZPqcIYdE2YX4AiIaU5OkahD55LIwO4e36N5OT-cqzVl8xX8cZ3iw035CyzJJ87VGFv8NpsdrtHaIUSD3WHS0sd17K2rIFtKf71YtcuBtqX3FFTqhpm9Zp/s640/qual+race+deckman+track.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our track as displayed by Deckman software, with wind vectors representing wind speed and direction. Northerly breeze sailing to Palma and finally southerly sailing back to the finish in Alicante</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Leaving Palma and in the middle of the emergency steering drill, the breeze vanished and the fleet were parking randomly. Some boats seemed to have a clear strategy to sail north of Ibiza again, maybe due to one of the models predicting a northerly push there. We preferred to keep the boat moving in the right direction and keeping the options open for as long as possible, and ended up picking the gap between Ibiza and Formentura again. The more inshore oriented sailors onboard (no offence) complained about the sea state as we were really drifting for most the day in a funny swell, good practice for the race where we will see this several times.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Finally as we were south of Ibiza the breeze filled in from the south west where we were positioned behind Telefonica and Puma. From there on there were no real opportunities, we all sailed into the dying land breeze so the distances just increased. The northerly group finished several hours after us when the sea breeze filled in, except from Abu Dhabi who motored home and will have to complete their qualifier later! I heard a rumor that Puma never did their emergency rudder drill, so they might also have another go </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span>J</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">All in all good practice for us and a good result, nice for the team after all the hard work to get to where we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">**Mistral is a strong wind from the Alps that strike the Mediterranean quite often. It is normally started by a high pressure in the Bay of Biscay bringing cold air over the mountains. You can read more about it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind)">here</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">**Rhumb line is the direct line between two waypoints.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-8250803522395903162011-09-08T19:09:00.001+01:002011-09-08T19:11:28.231+01:00VOR Safety Course<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Had a couple of days “off” in Norway last weekend, then went straight to Newcastle to do the VOR Safety Training. Two very relevant days, made exactly for what we are doing. And even though our safety equipment is the best there is, what one are left with in the end is to not end up in a situation where you need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The first day was theory mostly on first aid, and a couple of hours of firefighting. I think most the VOR sailors have experienced some kind of fire onboard, particularly on the electrical system, which makes this quite relevant. But this course isn’t all about being taught what to do, after all the crews possess hands-on experience with most issues. Just as much as going through the syllabus, we discuss solutions to different scenarios and transfer experience between us. We didn’t have any fires during the last race, but a few ones in our preparation that we could sort out by turning the power off. However, Moose had a good one on ABN Amro where the batteries caught fire, which was hard to put out. We now have improved solutions for how to fight such fires.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPuSafZalXNAXVklIdKMUHtsqMG7ddlBr4VnaSAtSVQzYNWfl_PWkrKIxwOnwzJJBmzL-YkdbG81M05yr_PYLzHrCY6KJmxpzylF5KI8IN740KBiuQmIrz1MA7DeZyj4FWN0z6Qfc0-nu/s1600/30082011009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPuSafZalXNAXVklIdKMUHtsqMG7ddlBr4VnaSAtSVQzYNWfl_PWkrKIxwOnwzJJBmzL-YkdbG81M05yr_PYLzHrCY6KJmxpzylF5KI8IN740KBiuQmIrz1MA7DeZyj4FWN0z6Qfc0-nu/s640/30082011009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moose and Frankie getting their injuries sorted out</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The second day was mostly on the use of our safety equipment and life raft, ending up with a few hours in the “environmental” pool with waves, wind, tropical rain, noise and darkness. We did this before the last VOR as well, but it is very good with a refresher. Here we got familiar with setting up our life jackets, turning the life raft from upside down, getting into it, being inside it upside down and maintaining it. In reality, it is going to be quite rough when you have to get in it, so we train for that – getting rid of the water inside it, picking up and treating injured crew members and helicopter rescue.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The most uncomfortable I have been in life (I think!!) is swimming around backwards with the life jacket hood on. I just feel like I can’t breathe through the 6 or so tiny venting holes inside this completely fogged down hood of a tent. It is supposed to protect from breaking waves and heavy rain, but I just feel like I don’t have control of what’s going on around me. But got through it this time as well </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The final exercise this time around was to swim around in the pool with all the “environment” turned on, without the life jacket. Those who got in trouble was picked up by the divers, but we all seemed to be decent swimmers. Of course, it helped that we did this with survival suits on, not being dragged down by the wet weather gear being full of water. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Just sent this link to the instructors of the VOR Safety Course. It is one episode of the documentary on the Norwegian Rescue Services (330 squadron), a helicopter rescue of a Norwegian sailor in the North Sea at winter. Worth a look, but in Norwegian. Strong guy! </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/klipp/475709/">http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/klipp/475709/</a></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1891138641"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjY0oFLe3W440K_PC-bL4JnJ2-_VxOrskoNZzMH_sVSvLxwjjSnfdbsIQdZ5USPLzV5wQx9qUeqoXtYMw_FE52UV66nrMCzjScmnf4zEAsRblJ8lGL_PsT5rAq4dJK-V_eMF-d7pQV85u/s640/Peter+Jespersen+2+klippet.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/klipp/475709/">Unconscious in the life raft, EPIRB antenna jammed between teeth </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-78202174992923834082011-08-16T19:14:00.004+01:002011-08-18T06:20:33.412+01:00Fastnet Race ticked off<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN7k-_WX-T_bryvy5BOBazVeU-zRtj1Z3F0Gwo72t_LlSV_luVptvg-Mmh0MjbytQlvuimD7DFb_-Pl19brxiQXLEaug1_-2UrcOfPSdXHvAm__PNLa063WqK0p_w2Nw_Q2RVzGV16b4p/s1600/sanya+fastnet+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN7k-_WX-T_bryvy5BOBazVeU-zRtj1Z3F0Gwo72t_LlSV_luVptvg-Mmh0MjbytQlvuimD7DFb_-Pl19brxiQXLEaug1_-2UrcOfPSdXHvAm__PNLa063WqK0p_w2Nw_Q2RVzGV16b4p/s640/sanya+fastnet+rock.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So that was our first race, and actually my first Fastnet Race, came through with no real issues with the boat. Apparently we passed just by the 100-footer Rambler that had capsized just ahead of us in the rough conditions around Fastnet Rock. Given the conditions, no surprise that some boats had issues there, going from a fast reach into upwind to do the little 7 nautical mile beat in 30 solid knots of breeze and a bit of sea state.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had our own little drama just after the start, tacking out of the Solent, when a port tack Classe 40 did not see us. It looked like it was dipping us, but apparently they had not seen us, so we did a last second evasive crash tack which cost us a lot of speed for a few minutes while we got everything sorted again, and also pushed us over to the side of the Solent with unfavorable tide. On the other side it was running out at four knots.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But we quickly left that behind us and kept improving our stacking routines as we sailed along the coast in anticipation of the big right shift that would arrive early evening. It is a big job to short-tack these boats with all the sails and gear we move from side to side. And as so often happens in sailing, rich got richer and Abu Dhabi pulled out one mile on Groupama who did the same to us. And from there on it was pretty much a drag race out the English coast towards Land's End and the Scilly Islands.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So one of the few tactical options in this race would be how to deal with the high pressure system with a big left shift south east of UK. I thought the high wasn't really as far east as expected, so that we wouldn't get a big wind shift by going far into it, only extending the time sailing away from Fastnet Rock as well as staying for longer in the light breeze to the south. I worked with Mike on the possible options, and we both thought it would be a good idea to tack early to sail a shorter distance towards Fastnet. We had to sail on an unfavorable shift initially, but the shift arrived earlier further north so we quickly started making gains. Of course the others had a slight angle advantage later on to gain some back. Below the official tracks, our in black, Groupama green, Abu Dhabi red. We tacked just between two of the three-hourly VOR position reports. Note our better angle towards Land's End. The other set of tracks are from our way back towards the finish.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img align="baseline" alt="" border="0" hspace="0" src="cid:39531D23EB974C2D8FBD42B5B7FFF47F@userm6d68a48de" /></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Groupama decided to cash in on their Westerly position and reached right down to us, so we were neck and neck again before they pulled out a bit when the breeze increased closer to Fastnet Rock. Both because their boat will be good for that kind of reaching at high speeds, and because we did a quite conservative sail change before the rock.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We actually never saw the capsized Rambler when we passed them, but noticed the presence of rescue boats. From there on it was pretty much straight line sailing at high speeds through the night, our first time real blast reaching together. The boat didn't feel bad, but we sailed conservatively with two reefs and a no 4 jib. The guys on deck used the helmets for the first time, and it wasn't ideal with sun-shaded visors to see the instruments in the middle of the night.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We finished about an hour behind the other two Volvo boats, not bad given the time we have had together and in the boat. Just approaching Solent now on the delivery back to our base in Hamble, have been doing watches with a few guys on deck and most catching up sleep. So have to get on deck to navigate through the Needles.</span></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-73646719541325534172011-08-13T22:36:00.002+01:002011-08-13T22:39:40.576+01:00Fastnet ready?<div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fastnet Race is coming up quickly, and it still feels like we got together yesterday. Have been head down all the time since I got here to get my area sorted and ready to sail and measure performance, so strategy and weather work has had to wait. But Fastnet is a great deadline for us to have everything ready. We might not get it all done before the race, but it will become quite apparent during the race what we are missing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Richard Mason arrived today so it will even be his first time onboard, should be a good experience but he is really only a few sailing days behind the rest of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Mike “Lowlife” Quilter is keeping an eye on the weather for me while I am trying to make everything ready for the race, and he says that we will have a moderate upwind start and then reaching back and forth from Land’s End, the exit of the English Channel, to Fastnet Rock. It really looks like a bit of everything, even some heavy beam reaching in 30 knots breeze in a cold front, which will be a good test. We have no pressure on us, the other boats that have spent time sailing should look slick, but we will try to stay in touch.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6vbmsXNnXcOji1cZv0dCdrAksg4wIy7dNujPUOrflHRNUZX2LCg8xX2zdfdfiW-rD2EhD8d9kUx8mOrhuYX7ZPUQiO0_x2OcBzjElRjN8zakrTU7mn9WtSCrjCZ8sd6H7Fo99Ttl8W6D/s1600/pre+fastnet+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6vbmsXNnXcOji1cZv0dCdrAksg4wIy7dNujPUOrflHRNUZX2LCg8xX2zdfdfiW-rD2EhD8d9kUx8mOrhuYX7ZPUQiO0_x2OcBzjElRjN8zakrTU7mn9WtSCrjCZ8sd6H7Fo99Ttl8W6D/s640/pre+fastnet+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Tonight, the night before the start, I had a good incentive to improve my weather/strategy system, so I spent a few hours to do some really nice updates that we should benefit from in the early stages of the race. I should probably have been running routes instead, but the big picture looks quite settled and we will be boat on boat from the start, looking for favorable current and breeze on the water. When we put that system together with the performance data we will gather over the next month, we should have a system for navigation / weather / performance half a step further than what I used during the last VOR, and I doubt that anyone else will be any further. Really interesting work!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The race will of course be a good test for all systems, and I doubt we will get through it without issues. It is for example the first time I am running the satellite communications system on the water, we just got it all working together today.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Enough for now, time to pack my bag and get a decent sleep before tomorrow, even have a few jobs to do in the morning. Will try to keep you posted during the race, as much as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-61700382209462757892011-08-08T22:17:00.000+01:002011-08-08T22:17:07.641+01:00First sail on Sanya Lan!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So a busy period, particularly for the shore team that has been here much longer than the sailors, finally led to the launch of the boat, a full-team barbecue at the dock, and the first two days of sailing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v7hx0NWbbXXebnQeeDt9HuE9Ykve4xOr68ZomI0kd7I60J17na84aV50t5f5PIUKznt4dCba_TpIXiHSkCvByO6D7SyhUxWwgu6aX_ew_00X4OSz_awhrCYurLYD7OkMB2o78v6SVEnz/s1600/VOR20110808ts0678+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v7hx0NWbbXXebnQeeDt9HuE9Ykve4xOr68ZomI0kd7I60J17na84aV50t5f5PIUKznt4dCba_TpIXiHSkCvByO6D7SyhUxWwgu6aX_ew_00X4OSz_awhrCYurLYD7OkMB2o78v6SVEnz/s640/VOR20110808ts0678+sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In my area, Rachel Howe has been doing a great job to get the electrics and electronics up running, both in the navigation area with computer and instrument system and on the canting keel control system. Rachel is our ‘sparky’, which means that she works very close with me to make and maintain the navigation systems. Or, as I will be sailing most of the time, have to do a couple of hours in the gym in the mornings and do my small projects to get ready for the race, she is actually doing 95% of it. And being a racing navigator herself, she will also do some of the performance analysis, participate in calibrating instruments etc. An interesting job!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP63ZQiG6sCdSLFY5IvNHD9IavjsZHXi1JlbqV65QvUFstUDTIyoeBySNvZ-dLtmjuBmLrByrjtR4l5qlzbpcmUQsl5Cw2SW-CJWl08i7IORj6b_0ej58sVwaZi1XtDAWvSIy5KZ2EBTS_/s1600/080820111102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP63ZQiG6sCdSLFY5IvNHD9IavjsZHXi1JlbqV65QvUFstUDTIyoeBySNvZ-dLtmjuBmLrByrjtR4l5qlzbpcmUQsl5Cw2SW-CJWl08i7IORj6b_0ej58sVwaZi1XtDAWvSIy5KZ2EBTS_/s320/080820111102.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">She has, as most of the shore crew, put in very long days for a long time, so probably looking forward to us going away for a few days to sail the Fastnet Race from Sunday on. But until then, all is on to get the boat ready for the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We sailed the boat for the first time yesterday, in a bit more breeze than ideal for a test ride with 23-30 knots. So took it pretty easy and spent a while to test the technical systems before we sailed up and down the river to Southampton for a couple of hours while adjusting keel hydraulics and discovering small things that needed changing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Today however, conditions were great with 15 knots increasing to 23+ meaning we could go out in the Solent and have a look at most of our new sails, which looked good and very interesting! Have a look at the photos! Had time to enjoy it all and keep an eye on how the deck systems work – including making an override at one occasion. Rachel staying below deck to look after the systems while the legendary navigator Mike Quilter who is our “weather man” came out sailing and could cover my crew role while I navigated, calibrated and trial-run the data logging systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6VGLsWJEQsnHZmHNPq_vBzkAtpldnAC5NlzPZQzOZM9OeFzS6fVJctbaLRn7ID_H8RPtj-L2dL_qgPsWSQPGZLQvsJz2nkeBG2Vq_OjH0R940niaUm7O96Y9p-Z4OCUq5wZj6TkxH7DI/s1600/VOR20110808ts0665+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6VGLsWJEQsnHZmHNPq_vBzkAtpldnAC5NlzPZQzOZM9OeFzS6fVJctbaLRn7ID_H8RPtj-L2dL_qgPsWSQPGZLQvsJz2nkeBG2Vq_OjH0R940niaUm7O96Y9p-Z4OCUq5wZj6TkxH7DI/s640/VOR20110808ts0665+sm.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Tomorrow we’ll go for an overnighter as a qualifier for the Fastnet, and to get hours in the boat. Quite quick progress!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277888084774374423.post-51425736822327077492011-08-06T10:58:00.000+01:002011-08-06T10:58:32.467+01:00Team Sanya and new blog!<div class="MsoNormal">My involvement with Team Sanya for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race went public today, so it is a good time to get going with some blogging again. I hope to be able to keep updating, but any minute I can use to get us and myself better prepared for the race I’ll use for that, so I may be a bit on/off on the blogging consistency.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have been in Hamble, England with the team for 10 days now, and the feeling so far is really good. Of course we haven’t sailed the boat yet, and I haven’t sailed with most of the guys before, so the main impressions are still to come. Have to say though, that it would really surprise me if we don’t keep the good stuff going.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After the last Volvo finished a bit more than two years ago, I have been sort of half time sailing. I had a good break, caught up on the social side, got back in good physical shape again and did quite a bit of analysis work on weather and performance. One upside of being a navigator, is that for some projects one can work from everywhere these days, as long as the laptop is functioning. Then of course I have slowly gotten more and more into sailing again. Did a bit of sailing with Groupama the winter after the Volvo finish, then a maxi project in the Mediterranean with amongst others Bouwe Bekking and Jens Dolmer last summer, and a race on “Saudade”, the 148-foot Wally, this year. One month ago I did my first proper offshore race since the Volvo, Transatlantic Race 2011, which we won. I could go on and brag about how we did that, but the joy from that went away when one of the crew became seriously ill a couple of days after the race. But good know that I am still on decent form..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I came out of the last Volvo with a sort of crushed knee and right leg, and used road cycling a lot to recover from that. I had done some racing in 2007, and really enjoy the sport, with the fitness and tactical perspectives. It just rolled on, and last winter I cycled almost full-time to see what level I could get to, and did some elite races of the Norwegian road cycling circuit this spring before the sailing season kicked in. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After the Volvo, and particularly after the training with Groupama, I realized that to enjoy the sailing I needed to be more hungry than I was, and planned to sit this Volvo out and rather work on the weather with a team as well as doing some work on my own project. However when Mike S contacted me I gave it a serious think as I was already getting quite into full time sailing again, and after the Transatlantic Race I was convinced, so I am going 110% for it now.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There are some aspects to this project that are quite different from last time around (when I was a part of Ericsson’s two-boat campaign). Obviously Mike Sanderson puts weight to it, he is one of the most respected skippers around. I have done pretty much all of my sailing “on my own” in the navigation area, particularly E3 in the last VOR where Magnus Olsson, the final skipper, was part of the watch system and as such didn’t work with me in the nav station. I know that Mike is quite different there, and will get involved, which should keep developing my skills further. I actually really like to work with others, so it will be nice to have someone to play ideas with, or to get critique from. The rumor is also that Mike doesn’t sleep much, which would be good news for me! Fighting sleep deprivation is one challenge for navigators, and given that we will be alternating to use the same bunk, this can open up the opportunity to get a bit more sleep than last time. In my dreams<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Not to say that he is the only one onboard, but I will get back to that another time. For now, all the guys both on the sailing team and the shore team are really switched on, and want to make this a successful campaign.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I knew that this would turn into the longest blog post ever, so will try to start rounding it off..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Further, we are going to be sailing with a boat that sailed around before, and maybe didn't shine as much as some other boats in that race. I didn’t like this initially, but now that has turned more into a challenge of developing ourselves, the sails and the boat into challenging the other boats when opportunities arrive, and show what we are capable of doing with the starting package we are given.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But at the moment, the boat is not the real handicapping factor for us, as it is only 80 days or so until the start of the race, and we have never sailed together before. So we just have to get sailing, be super-efficient and try to be clever around the sails to get it right with little testing time. One thing is for sure, one are never going to be bored in this campaign! We will be learning every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’ll be back with more soon, now 6 hours till the rig goes in, so better get some sleep. Thanks for reading this far!! And now that I am official, I can start posting on twitter again. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/akselmagdahl">www.twitter.com/akselmagdahl</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Aksel Magdahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586792246908938103noreply@blogger.com0