Trimaran Slows but Still on Record-Breaking Pace

Light winds at the Equator have failed to dim the enthusiasm of Georgs Kolesnikovs in his bid to break the record for sailing from New York to San Francisco in the Cape Horn Clipper Challenge.

As his 60-foot trimaran Great American slowed to only 6 knots--its slowest speed since rounding the horn April 19--he talked via radio telephone of “an absolutely gorgeous sunset,” of falling stars and flying fish and of cabbages and things.

Great American crossed the Equator at 2:58 p.m. (PDT) Wednesday, 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador, well out from the Galapagos Islands. At that point he had lost 43 statute miles’ distance to the pace set by Thursday’s Child when it broke the clipper ship Flying Cloud’s 135-year-old record earlier this year. But Kolesnikovs was still 1,083 miles ahead of Thursday Child’s position at the same time on the 61st day and 2,256 miles ahead of Flying Cloud.

Kolesnikovs’ 47th birthday is today. He is sailing with Steve Pettengill, who will be 37 on May 20.

Kolesnikovs calculated Great American to be six days ahead of Thursday’s Child’s pace and, based on a cumulative average speed of 7.76 knots over the first two months, projected that they would cross the finish line in San Francisco Bay on May 24.

“The record comes due at 7:23 a.m. May 30, San Francisco time,” Kolesnikovs said.

Thursday’s Child, a 60-foot monohull skippered by Warren Luhrs, completed the 16,000-mile sail in 80 days 20 hours. Flying Cloud’s time in 1854--long before the Panama Canal, when there was no choice but to sail around the Horn--was 89 days 8 hours.

Two other boats in the challenge failed to beat Thursday’s Child’s time and a fifth failed to finish. Great American is the final competitor.

Great American traveled only 165 statute miles the day it crossed the Equator, but found fresh southeast trade winds of 15-20 knots 100 miles north of it and stretched back out to 236 miles Thursday, the 62nd day, averaging 8.5 knots in speed.

Even so, Kolesnikovs hedged his optimism.

“One, we have 2,900 miles of ocean to go,” he said. “Two, we still have the doldrums to get through and, three, the Pacific high (high-pressure weather system) is settling into its summertime pattern, which is a dominant factor in creating light air conditions. We have a bunch of parking lots between here and San Francisco that we have to stay out of.

“The doldrums on the Pacific side start at about 5 or 6 (degrees latitude) North, or about 360 miles north of the Equator. At the moment, it’s the lightest we’ve seen it in three or four days. The meteorologists say the doldrums are very active at the moment, which means there are thunderstorms and squalls, which bodes well for a fairly decent passage.”

Kolesnikovs said he would prefer some white-knuckle sailing to light winds, in which the 12,000-pound trimaran does not perform well.

“Give me a 30- to 40-knot squall any day over something less than 10. In air under 10 (the boat) just is not very happy.”

There have been minor breakdowns--most repaired under way--but no sail problems.

“When we gave Hood Sails the order back in Marblehead (Mass.) we said, ‘Don’t make ‘em pretty. Make ‘em to last 100 days of continuous service,’ ” Kolesnikovs said. “Of all the things on the boat that have given or might give us trouble, the least of my worries is the sails.”

Once out of the doldrums, Kolesnikovs hopes to meet the northeast trades and planned to stay farther offshore than Thursday’s Child and Phillipe Monnet’s trimaran Elle & Vire, which missed the record by only 8 hours and 4 minutes after both had followed a course closer to the coast of Central America.

“With the very recent history of Thursday’s Child and Elle & Vire, I don’t think I’m going to come any closer than 500 miles,” Kolesnikovs said.

To lighten the boat for speed, the two sailors have been jettisoning provisions they don’t think they will need.

“There is no more spare peanut butter or extra honey aboard,” Kolesnikovs said. “Shortly after 50 South, I probably threw out 50 pounds.”

He said their physical condition is good.

“I’m looking at Steve. We’re both naked from the waist up now. It’s, oh, 86 degrees at the moment. I look at the sort of flab around my waist and Steve’s, so we’re not getting lean and mean, so we must be at least staying the same.

“We are eating well. It was part of the plan to keep our spirits high. A good way to get this feeling is through good food.”

Kolesnikovs’ parents, who are monitoring the voyage from Niagara Falls, Canada, selected most of the food.

“Every potato was turned over three times to make sure it was just right,” Kolesnikovs’ father Roman, 78, said. “Just the cabbage has gone bad.”

Even so, Kolesnikovs has salvaged some cabbage by peeling away the spoiled outside layers.

“The salad I made yesterday was phenomenal,” he said. “We still have lemons and grapefruit and some granny apples from Washington state.”

The boat has no refrigeration.

“We don’t have any amenities, no running water, no nothing,” Kolesnikovs said. “This is a race.”

RACING THE GHOST OF ‘FLYING CLOUD’

When Great American crossed the equator at 2:58 p.m. (PDT) Wednesday on the 61st day of the Cape Horn Challenge, it was 2,256 (statute) miles ahead of the pace of the clipper ship Flying Cloud in 1854 and 1,083 miles ahead of the pace of Thursday’s Child when it broke the record earlier this year.