Yachting: Becalmed and bored in world ocean race

By JULIE ASH

The toughest ocean race has become the most boring one for New Zealand's Grant Dalton.

Dalton, skipper of Amer Sports One, is becalmed and frustrated on the first leg of the round-the-world event.

Light winds of between two and seven knots have plagued the fleet.

The unwelcome conditions look set to continue over the next few days as the competitors head along the African coast towards the traditionally slow Doldrums.

Race leader illbruck heads Tyco, ASSA Abloy, Amer Sports One and News Corp, who are all facing light south-westerlies.

Dalton, competing in his sixth round-the-world race, said yesterday that he had never experienced such calm conditions on the first leg.

"Normally, there would be winds of between 20 and 25 knots in this area. But we have been becalmed for days. The toughest ocean race is right now the most boring ocean race as we struggle not with the conditions but with the mental boredom of simply being parked for hour after hour like we have been for the past four or five days."

Dalton said the fleet should be 1000 nautical miles further on and their arrival in Cape Town could be five to 10 days later than expected.

"When I look to the future, I still see the Doldrums, the South Atlantic high and the prospect of a time between 35 and 40 days rather than 30.

"For us this would be bad. There will be no time to recover before the start of the next leg and then it's straight into the Southern Ocean."

In choosing the heavier Frers-designed boat, Dalton's crew have the added pressure of keeping up with the lighter yachts.

"Our boat performs in moderate conditions. We have had very light conditions so we are trying to get this big boat going to keep up with the narrower boats."

The lack of progress has also meant crews have had to keep an eye on their food supplies.

"Food is not a problem for us, although we are running late. We have just been reducing our quantities," Dalton said.

While the leading group of boats continue to struggle in light winds, Lisa McDonald's last-placed, all-women Amer Sports Too crew have managed to shave more than 50 miles off their deficit.

By staying in stronger winds longer than their rivals to the south, the women are now in striking range of the leading pack.

Forty miles due east of Amer Sports Too are djuice dragons, who have also gained considerably.

"It is very close," Dalton said. "The weather has blown all the back boats in as well."

SEB, who had a pit stop at Porto Santo to collect a spare mainsail headboard, could well go into the lead.

"Illbruck seem to have done the nicest job tactically, but are only the same speed as the rest of us most of the time, which is very encouraging because before the start I was worried that they might have an edge in general, particularly over us," Dalton said.

He said opportunities to close the gap were limited at the moment.

"There is not much more that we can do other than try to keep the boat going as fast as possible.

"As they say, we have made our bed and now we must lie in it. But hopefully the wind will pick up.

"We have been parked here long enough."