DAY 19 - Balance Between Conservative and Agressive
News - Wednesday, 01/18/2001, 4:40 AM GMT

Position	01/18/2001 4:40 AM GMT
1st	Club Med (Leading The Race through the Southern Ocean, avg speed 22.8 knots)
2nd	Team Adventure (135 nm from the leader. Tailing leader in a 'conservative' manner, has gained back some ground, avg speed 24.8 knots)
3rd	Innovation Explorer (822 nm from the leader. Seeking to regain lost ground, avg speed 11.9 knots)
4th	Warta Polpharma (1842 nm from leader. Good progress in trades, avg speed 17.3 knots)
5th	Team Legato (2863 nm from the leader. Slowed up in doldrums, avg speed 5.2 knots)
6th	PlayStation (3693 nm from the leader. RETIRED, making good time to Miami, avg speed 21.6 knots)

Club Med and Team Adventure have finally broken clear of the South Atlantic High and are into the westerly breeze of the Southern Ocean. BUT Club Med has sailed into the back of the weather front ahead, this gives Team Adventure an opportunity to catch up. Club Med is in confused seas, and Team Adventure is experiencing calmer waves. They are heading for the southernmost tip of Africa.

Team Adventure has managed to catch the tail end of the same weather system and is making better ground now.

The weather is cooling now for the two forefront leaders.

Innovation Explorer is in the St. Helena High, and experiencing frustratingly slow speeds. Thankfully though it is a beautiful sunny day, the heat of the tropics has been left behind and a few great wandering albatross are taking wide loops around Explorer.

Weather
The forecast for Saturday (right) shows a steady stream of low pressure systems rolling round Antarctica.

The forecast for the next few days shows a string of polar low pressure systems running below 40 south, bringing a succession of strong to gale force winds, hence the name Roaring Forties.

The teams will aim to remain just above 40 South and avoid these strong winds and the waves associated with them, though over the next 48 hours waves are expected to remain below 3m/9.8ft.

The Race is not only of speed, but survival - staying upright is key. A capsize or pitchpole would likely eliminate one of the challengers.

Dalton on Club Med: "We stuck it in once last night, sailed into a wave and the boat stopped. I was in my bunk and ended up standing on the bulkhead at the front of my bunk," Dalton explained."Neil McDonald was on the mainsheet and went flying straight down the hatch. You have to watch it in this place, one bad wave and it is all over. It will bite you on the backside if you let it."

As of now there is no question of going out onto the bridge without a harness. The harness contains notably flares, personal beacon, a knife and goggles. Also every time anyone goes out on the trampoline, the driver must be advised so that they can double their vigilance at the helm. Any abrupt bury can cause major injuries, twisted ankles, torn ligaments as the maxi cats bows raise and lower through the waves.

Club Med has just broken the ‘record’ for the greatest distance travelled in 24 hours during The Race. Between 11.00 am GMT yesterday and today’s position update at the same hour, she travelled 593.4 miles.

From the NOW live tracker, www.now.com

Innovation Explorer is in turqoise Club Med in yellow Team Adventure is green

PlayStation is in red Warta is orange Team Legato is blue

Warta Polpharma is making good ground today on the three Ollier ships.

Warta Polpharma is our sailing ambassador in Poland. Crewman Jaroslaw Kaczorowski: "We are being closely followed in Poland. We have an audience rating of 19 and 21% on the sports programme of the leading TV station in Poland ... Before, this sport was not very well known by the general public."

From the NOW live tracker, www.now.com

Team Legato has now crossed the equator.

Aboard Team Legato they were also struggling with light air - back in the Doldrums, "It's hot and humid here, but we are within 50 miles of crossing the Equator and expect to escape the Doldrums very soon." commented Tony Bullimore, "Conditions have been very light at times, but we have kept going throughout at around 10 knots and we seem to be containing Warta Polpharma's lead." But their deficit to Club Med is now past 2,500 miles.

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