Marco Nannini - Ocean Racing

Wild ride through Figaro fleet

First of all a big thank you for all the messages sent through
www.marconannini.com/sms, i just downloaded them all, including some
long-time-no-see friends dropped a line which was cool...

This morning, shortly after i wrote my last update, the wind finally
turned further to the North West so i could ease off the sheets and go
for a ride, I cracked off a few degrees and UniCredit shot off at over
10 knots riding with joy and spraying water everywhere powering through
the seas.

I took the chance, after all the bashing of the night, to catch up with
some sleep, with little traffic

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I thought the Route du Rhum was downwind and so the qualifier

When i sailed OSTAR last year, singlehanded from Plymouth to Newport
against the seasonally prevailing winds, i thought i had paid my dues
when it comes to beating to windward, clearly not, i have now had the
wind on the nose for almost 36 hours and the bumping and crashing is
relentless, progress ok but far slower than i'd want it to be...

I'm about 40 miles west of bishop rock, 49 59N, 007 27W and am still shy
of having covered 300 miles.

I had winds of 15-18 kt true but with gusts well into the 20s, last
night i was sailing on UniCredit by bishop rock in zero visibility, 2
reef

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Horrible cross seas and unsettled wind

In the course of the afternoon the wind progressively shifted from the
west to the south west so at about 8pm i tacked UniCredit and now
we're heading for bishop rock on the southern part of the scillies, 30
miles to the north west of me.

On the paper this is a good idea, the wind is meant to swing to the
north west after a small front early tomorrow so i can enjoy sailing in
the fresh and sunny north westerlies after that... however i'm sailing
into the old sea which is making me crash into waves making it quite
uncomfortable...

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175 miles in first day of Route du Rhum qualifier on UniCredit

I left Haslar marina 24 hours ago and covered approximately 175 miles of
my qualifier, which isnt bad considering the light winds last night and
the fact that i have been beating since Portland or so...

The way out of the English Channel is typically the slow one but if the
forecast wind from the South West will fill later this week i could be
in for a very fast ride home.

The Thompson holidays picture perfect conditions of earlier have now
turned into a rather bumpy beat, i had to change down from big Solent to
the small Staysail and i put in a reef...

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UniCredit Class40 - Beating west towards Atlantic

It's half past 11 in the morning, i've had coffee, one egg and 4 rashers
of streaky bacon, the sun is shining and i'm beating my brains out
against the wind and tide.

Progress has nonetheless been good, 135 miles since leaving yesterday at
half four in the afternoon...

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Tracking the old fashioned way

It's midnight, tried to nap 10 minutes a few times but either the wind chang
es or I see another ship...

The wind has picked up so I'm sailing at nearly 10 knots but the tide is aga
inst me at 3knots for several more hour so my speed over ground is just over 6...

I'll be south of Portland bill in a couple of hours...

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I've setoff for 1000 miles route du rhum qualifier

Just about an hour ago I've setoff for my 1000 trip which will be observed b
y the race organisers to qualify me for the route du rhum this coming 31 st October.

I'm now sailing south to bembridge ledge on east of the isle of Wight where
I'll turn west towards the north Atlantic

I was due to leave tomorrow but it would have been a pity not to make full u
se of the northerly winds to make ground...

I won't be able to sleep more than a few snatches before I reach the open oc
ean so I'll try to make as much speed as possible now as it could take me 36 hours before I'll be able to

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I've set off for my 1000 miles route du rhum qualifier

Just after half past four I've cast off from Haslar marina in Gosport headed
west to the north Atlantic to complete my 1000 miles solo qualifier for the route du rhum.

The original plan was to set off tomorrow but there is a nice northerly wind
which would have been a pity not to ride...

I've left with a little apprehension in my throat, a qualifier like this is
a lonely business...

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Finally all the electronics are sorted

This week I finally got the mini-c working which is a requirement for the race and the qualifier, basically a satellite system that can be interrogated remotely as to its current position.

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Class40: UniCredit sea trials photos

Yesterday we went out for the first time with the new mainsail which had arrived on friday from Italy from Roberto Westermann's loft, Di-Tech Sailmakers. The new sail, built for my Route du Rhum, is considerably lighter and responds really nicely to trimming, really pleased so far.

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