Sharp conquers 'sailor's worst nightmare' to maintain lead in Transat

Sunday 19 November 2017

Jersey-born sailor Phil Sharp and his Spanish teammate Pablo Santurde have escaped the doldrums, known as a 'sailor's worst nightmare', as leaders and are now on the home stretch to reach Salvador de Bahia first in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

The duo managed to regain the lead by choosing a western course in the doldrums, confirming the Jersey age-old adage that "West is best."

The doldrums, where the trade winds from the Northern Hemisphere and from the Southern Hemisphere meet,  lived up to Phil and Pablo's expectations and provided challenging conditions. After being battered in winds of 45mph and sailing in ideal conditions, "five knots, downwind, spinnaker up, t-shirt sailing", the duo was confronted with "horrendously fickle wind." With an average speed of two knots, Pablo said "It’s like we have been cast adrift into the middle of the ocean."

Thursday, proved really difficult for the duo pushing them "right to the limits of theirpsychological stability." In an update, Phil wrote: "At one stage we averaged 1.5 knots over three hours, whilst boats to the east were sailing between 4 and 7.5 knots. We were then hit by a large squall with 35 knots of wind, the boat took off and we covered our previous three hour distance in just 20 minutes! The centre of the large squall passed right over us, with strong flashes of blinding lightening and rain so hard it was like someone pouring constant buckets of water over you. Half an hour later, we were back to 1.5 knots…”

Blisteringly hot  Suffering the sailors nightmare  Trapped in a no wind zone… with no access to weather files  #GoImerys #ImerysCleanEnergy   Current leaders  #GetTracking   https://t.co/4mQ54FdgAF pic.twitter.com/VJLBUbD7Pq

— Phil Sharp Racing (@PhilSharpRacing) November 16, 2017

There were lucky enough to find wind again on Friday as they entered a race to the south. They finally escaped the hellish doldrums in the early hours of Saturday and managed to regain the lead by opting for a western route. Team meteorologist Jure Jerman wrote: "Imerys Clean Energy was behind the leader by 15nm at one point, whilst V&B and Aina were hurtling towards the strong easterlies, created by a huge thunderstorm – they were reaching over 12 knots, whilst Imerys Clean Energy was hardly moving.

"Later on Phil and Pablo caught a long-term westerly system enabling them to recover a significant distance, whilst the easterly route shutdown, leaving their three rivals parked as they flew to the front to take the first puff of the southeast trades! This is how it goes in the doldrums – sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose!"

What is perhaps most impressive is the fact that the duo managed to regain the lead without satellite images or wind data, due to issues with their satellite phone.

With over 1,000 miles to cover before they reach Salvador de Bahia, the duo is not ready to let their guard down just yet. And they shouldn't. Jure Jerman said: "As they approach Brazil the wind will be backing, which means a lot of reaching. Phil and Pablo will have to continue to work hard to stay in the lead due to a deficiency in boat speed at this wind angle – compared to the latest generation boats. But we know they can do it!"

Pictured: Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde were joined by two colourful Dorados on their way to Brazil.

Luckily, amid the rapidly changing conditions and the fatigue they incur, Phil and Pablo have been able "to momentarily break from their testing reality through the distraction of local life." Phil said: “Imerys Clean Energy has attracted some amazing nature so far with huge shoals of flying fish rocketing past. Seemingly attracted to light, Pablo advised against wearing my head-torch too much having once been smacked in the face at night. I found this somewhat hard to believe until I became the next victim.

“(Thursday) we had an unforgettable experience with a very special visit from two stunningly colourful Dorados, perhaps using the boat to get some much needed shade… With the beauty of their purple fins and bright yellow tails it’s a reminder of how lucky we are to be out here – even if we are madly trying to get to that finish line first!”