Ticking Off the Miles Towards Brazil

Ticking Off the Miles Towards Brazil
 
15 April 2012
 
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand is steadily ticking off the miles towards Brazil with just over 500 nautical miles (nm) remaining to the finish line in Itajai.
 
Conditions have remained favourable for the team over the last 24 hours and are forecast to remain good all the way to Itajai. The estimated time of arrival for CAMPER in Brazil is late on April 17th.
 
With conditions improving and the end of the marathon leg in sight a month after leaving Auckland spirits are building aboard says CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson.
 
“It’s nice to be getting closer that’s for sure. The forecast is pretty good from here to Itajaí too. To be honest, we’ve had a pretty good run to here from Puerto Montt. We’ve only had two days of nasty stuff and at this time of year I can’t complain about that.
 
“From here on in we’re thinking 20 knots running most of the way, possibly a little bit light at the end. Our current ETA has us getting there on the afternoon on April 17. It could be very light at the finish but hopefully there will be a bit of a sea breeze blowing there to get us the last few miles. That’s something we’ll know more of in the days ahead.
 
“We’re racing ourselves to get there as soon as possible to prepare the best we can for the in-port race. We’ve been on the back foot now for a couple of weeks so we need to get there in good time to get the boat sorted and get back to in-port racing.
 
“As we head north and it gets a bit warmer, things are getting a lot easier. It’s amazing how quickly we can go from fairly horrible conditions to quite pleasant sailing. You forget about the bad, you’re looking at the good, and before you know it you’re ready to go racing again.
 
“We’re thinking we’ll get anything between a half and one day off in Itajai. Honestly it’ll just be enough time so we can sort out our personal belongings, get everything washed and cleaned and get ready for the in-port racing It’s going to be tough but all the guys are prepared for it and ready to make the sacrifice.
 
“I have to say that since we damaged the boat probably all of us at one stage or another have struggled. It’s been a very long leg. We couldn’t have damaged the boat in any worse a position on the race course than what we did. It’s been a very long journey to get to here but we’re going to get fourth, we’re going to earn points, and I think that’s quite a reward for the efforts of the team. I’m very proud of the whole team.”
 
CAMPER in the latest position report at 1400h 15 April NZT is sailing at 16.6 knots in a 19 knot southerly.  

ENDS

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