DAY 8 - Ollier ships Now in the Trade Winds
News - Sunday, 01/07/2001, 6:32 AM GMT

Position	01/07/2001 6:32 AM GMT
1st	Innovation Explorer (19.17GMT: Gybing out from the coast ... Still best speed at 25 knots, avg speed 18.4 knots)
2nd	Club Med (151 nm for leader. Good gains in the middle, but has dropped a bit, avg speed 18.4 knots)
3rd	Team Adventure 272 nm from the leader. Trying to get back to the east, heavier seas slow progress, avg speed 16.2 knots)
4th	PlayStation 404 nm from the leader. Fastest speed this afternoon at 29 knots, slowing through the Canary Islands, avg speed 18.3 knots)
5th	Warta Polpharma (582 nm from leader. Good progress, benefiting from following winds, avg speed 12.7 knots)
6th	Team Legato (1038 nm from the leader. Due to leave Gibraltar 2:25 PM GMT Sunday)

The 3 Ollier ships are sailing in a southerly direction downwind fast as they continue to enjoy the Trades. The trade winds blow east to west from Africa to the Caribbean.

Weather: The sun is intense, the wind from the north east force 4 to 5, the seas flat.
Excellent conditions.

Team Adventure has lost on the tactical decision to go west, they have accepted this well, and are trying to make up ground.

Skipper Cam Lewis, extraction from Cam Gram #7: 'We are flying maximum canvas, full main, quad (big gennaker - a roller furling downwind jib like sail with two sheet attachment points, nickname "the square sail" from the clipper ships that spead these waters at speed before us. We also have up the slotsail or staysail. Tactic is max VMG downwind to the equator to catch our sisters ahead and to the east'.

Last night during the passing of the Canaries there was very little wind, Team Adventure broke two battens, one last night when the main was flapping and the other when putting in a reef. They applied sleeves to join the two parts together.

Team Legato now to leave at 2:25 PM Sunday. The extra 1 hour 25 Minutes to the time posted yesterday is because, according to race officials, a 48 hour penalty period commences, not when the catamaran reached port, but when they tied up alongside.

PlayStation was reaching 30 knots of boat speed going through the Canaries around 9 PM GMT. Innovation Explorer experienced rougher seas and was making only 10 knots. Club Med has been gaining fast doing 23 knots. Team Adventure is speeding along at 24 knots. Warta Polpharma is losing ground, at a speed of 18 knots.
PlayStation has the speed record of the day at 454 miles in 24 hours.

PlayStation and Warta Polpharma will suffer light air through the Canaries as a result of a ridge of high pressure around the Canary Islands.

The next junction will be the Doldrums, which they should reach by about the 9th or 10th January, located just above the Equator. This intertropical convergence is an area of infuriating lulls.

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