| First Night Dramas for Velux 5 Oceans Fleet |
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 For the VELUX 5 OCEANS fleet that left Bilbao, Spain yesterday afternoon it has been a tough first night at sea. With winds upwards of 45 knots and big seas the skippers were given no time to adjust to life at sea before being thrown into difficult and testing conditions. Alex Thomson on HUGO BOSS, who shot out of the starting blocks in pole position, had a particularly tough night having broken the top off the starboard runner winch and snagging his keel on a heavy fishing net. Fellow Brit Mike Golding also experienced difficulties when the lashing holding his main halyard to the mainsail broke, bringing his mainsail crashing down. Mike was forced to climb the mast in big swell to repair the halyard.After the emotional goodbyes on the dock the spectacular fleet of Open 60’s set off into the brutal conditions towards Cape Finistère, en route to Fremantle, Western Australia. The fleet is currently 104 miles from the first waypoint, in 25 knots of wind. Alex Thomson, who is the youngest skipper in the race, described the conditions this morning in a call with race organisers: “After the start yesterday I saw some pretty big gusts and one of them just laid me flat. When I tried to put the boat back down again a turn slipped off the runner winch sheeting the headsail and it has broken the top of the winch. I have made it vaguely usable at the moment, but I haven’t got a spare for it so I’ll have to find a solution over the next few days.” “Later on in the night I managed to get stuck in a net and it pretty much stopped the boat for a bit. I just used the boat hook to pull off whatever I could get and cut whatever I could. It was really difficult to see what was left and so I had to wait until daylight to see if there was anything left.” Mike Golding commented: “I don’t know what happened with the lashing on the mainsail. It’s a brand new lashing so we are scratching our heads a bit on that one, but it’s done now. I have seen 70 knots and it is 63 knots at the moment. The seas are pretty friggin’ enormous.” For all six skippers, who range from 32 to 67 years old, the first four days of the race are crucial. Having survived all that the first 24 hours can throw at them they will now be focusing on getting down to the business of sailing solo for the 12,000 mile first leg. Each of the skippers will be working on getting their sleep patterns in check, and becoming used to the extreme sleep deprivation that will be a big part of the next six weeks at sea. Having spent so much time working on the boat and getting it ready for the off, each of the six competitors will also get the chance to spend some time on their sail plan and seeing what works in which conditions as well as getting used to being at sea alone with thoughts of shore crews and family fast behind them. The first leg of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, the world’s toughest solo round-the-world yacht race started yesterday from Bilbao, Spain. Six international skippers crossed the startline in the Bay of Biscay bound for Fremantle, Western Australia. The leg is expected to take approximately 6 weeks with the first boat arriving in Australia around the first week in December. The VELUX 5 OCEANS is the longest race for any individual in any sport. Over the first few days, the fleet will make their way along the northern coast of Spain to Cape Finistère where they will turn south towards the Southern Ocean. However, all of the skippers know that this race is a marathon and not a sprint. During the 30,000 miles sailed in the VELUX 5 OCEANS race, the yachts will encounter some of the most extreme sea and weather conditions on the planet. Related Items:
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