ROD’S UPDATE ON TEAM ACADIA

La Rochelle, France
Wednesday, 12 September 20077

I have been here in La Rochelle working with Clay for exactly a week now to help get ready for the big race which starts in three-and-a-half days. Ron and Karen Lewis, and Jennifer Langille are also here working hard helping to get the boat ready. We are all staying in the same apartment downtown about a five minute walk from the boat.

Thanks to this effort by many hands, it looks like the boat and all the equipment are ready to go to sea. The safety checks are done. All the equipment is aboard. We have checked the boat from stem to stern, torqued all the loose nuts, spliced all the line ends, and filled the water jugs. Camera equipment is now being installed, the repaired #2 spinnaker is due to arrive today, and Clay is checking out all the electronics and radios one more time. This is in marked contrast to most of the 89 skippers of this race who are still scrambling around and working late hours to make the start on Sunday. As you can guess, Clay always has time to help other sailors with their problems whenever they need him to do so, which is frequently.

Most importantly, Clay himself is ready to go. I have never seen him so focused, self-assured, and in such good physical shape, and seemingly happy. He drank his last beer on Sunday and is in bed by 10 p.m. most nights. Early every morning, Clay and I go out running together about 3-4 miles (if Clay’s sisters and Mother can believe it). Well, we actually wind up walking because I cannot keep up the pace for very long. After that Clay usually jumps rope for a while and lifts weights.

The weather has been great for the last week. The old fortress town of La Rochelle is beautiful, for all its tightly spaced buildings mostly dating back from the 16th to 18th century, especially with the rising sun shining on the ancient stone structures. It is appropriate that Clay is leaving from this place from which I believe some of our family’s ancestors were evicted several hundred years ago. We vary our early morning running route to take in new sights. We have not been able to go sailing, because the boat is required to stay at the dock until it is towed out on Sunday morning through the harbor gate. The gate is like an ancient canal lock which keeps the water level from falling twenty feet when the tide ebbs.

It looks like there will be time to address any unforeseen developments between now and the start on Sunday, so the last days before the start should be relatively stressless. I really feel good about the prospects for Clay’s success on this trip, because he has done such a fantastic job preparing for it. The weather for the trip to Madeira looks like light, following winds the first couple of days. Weather routing for the trip to Madeira will take up much of Clay’s final preparation time over the next couple of days. I will be helping him review and analyze his course options.

I plan to sail out to the starting line with Clay on Sunday, but must be taken off Acadia an hour before the 11 a.m. start. If the race authorities, at the last minute, decided to make this a double-handed race, I would go with Clay in an instant.

-- Rod

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RACE POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER

A cold front is approaching the Gascoigne Gulf, generating during Monday to Tuesday night a strong west wind with FORCE 9 winds and rain.
Read more >>

TO FOLLOW THE RACE:

After the start you will all be able to chart Clay’s progress on the first leg of the Transat Race to Madeira, Portugal. On www.teamacadia.org, we have a Race Data Center. In the “race center”, there will be direct links to the interactive map on the Transat website that is due to be updated via satellite GPS positioning about twice per day as well as weather links and current competitor standings. Links will not be live until the race starts.

As you may recall, Clay and the others have no contact with the outside world during the race, however, the race committee can check on the progress of the fleet by the tracking beacons that are mounted on the stern of every boat. In addition, there is approximately one safety boat for every 5-6 minis and these boats will sail the entire length of the race course with the fleet to provide assistance if needed. If you are having difficulties, call the Team Coordinator, Susan Green 774-248-4415, and she can guide you through the best way to follow the race.)

MORE RACE NEWS:

On Tuesday the 11th, the race committee decided to allow five additional competitors to compete in the race. The total boats expected on the starting line now number 89. Yves le Blevec a famous French mini sailor and past competitor in the Transat is one of the five final boats. You might remember Yves from the races this summer. He and Clay had been close together in most of the races and he is prepared for a tough challenge to all of the top boats.

BON VOYAGE TO CLAY AND ACADIA.
Next stop will be Madeira, Portugal, around October 22nd where Clay will be met by more Team volunteers to prepare Acadia for the final 3,200 mile leg. Messages for Clay can be sent via email to info@teamacadia.org and we will print them out and give them to him in Madeira!
May he have favorable winds and following seas.

Good luck Clay!