White Plains CitizeNetReporter - <i>The Sea Chase Week 7:</i> GREAT AMERICAN II LOGGING GOOD PACE IN SO. ATLANTIC

WPCNR ADVENTURER'S LOG. By Cynthia Goss. May 1, 2003 17°15'S 04°23'E / Atlantic Ocean: After seven weeks at sea Great American II, sailed by American adventurers Rich Wilson (Rockport, Mass.) and Rich du Moulin (Larchmont, N.Y.), is edging ahead of the Hong Kong-New York record pace set by the clipper ship Sea Witch.

Up until this week, the progress of both vessels was evenly matched; but if they were sailing side-by-side today, the comparison between them would be stark.

The legendary Sea Witch had a towering wall of sail: GAII has a rig that would be dwarfed in the Sea Witch shadow. Sea Witch had an army of crew: GAII has just two men. Sea Witch had the technology of the 19th century: GAII has the benefit of 154 years of technological development. And this week, she has been using a new weapon.

Spinnaker Gives GAII "the edge."

"This is week seven on the ocean for Great American II: it is also becoming the 'Week of the Spinnaker'," said "Captain Larchmont," du Moulin, of the 1,500-square-foot sail cut from red, white, and blue sailcloth. "We used this sail a few times in the South China Sea, but now it is becoming our primary speed weapon."

In the far Turn, It's GA II by a Day

Now approximately 1,800 miles northwest of Cape Town, GAII is sailing northwest through the South Atlantic, running with a spinnaker. In the past few days, winds have ranged 8 to 14 knots and GAII has cruised along, averaging speeds of 10 knots and opening a one-day lead on Sea Witch.

Grinding It Out

But the sail that has been a useful weapon in their 15,000-mile non-stop run to New York also has a double edge: Wilson and du Moulin have been forced to hand-steer while flying the spinnaker. While one crew is anchored at the helm to keep the sail full, the other is spending his off-watch hours doing boat maintenance. As a result, both men are fatigued.

"This is not as tough a life as on board Sea Witch, but we have to be aware of our limits as a two-man crew," said du Moulin. "Our plan is to keep flying our spinnaker until either we get seriously exhausted or the weather changes and no longer makes it our fastest sail."

Making for the Western Atlantic

Weather routers at Commanders Weather have directed Great American II to the western side of the South Atlantic. On this side of the ocean, the band of fickle winds called the doldrums is now at its narrowest, and Commanders has directed GAII to pass through the doldrums west of 30 West longitude.

On Friday, GAII was making its headway towards a western gateway across the equator, she was some 5,975 miles from New York.

Starry, Moonlit Nights at Sea

Out in the open ocean--far away from pollution and the light reflections of land--the sky has been so clear that heavenly bodies are not as easily recognized. "I was startled by the rise of the moon," wrote skipper Rich Wilson, after a nighttime watch. "It looked like an orange slice--the sky so clear, right to the horizon--that I thought it was a ship bearing down on us at my first glance...Amazing."

Little Adventurers Are Watching

Some 360,000 schoolchildren are following the adventure of Great American II on a daily basis through the sitesALIVE! educational program. Some of these students hope to be in New York when the vessel reaches its final destination. If GAII can beat Sea Witch's pace, the boat will arrive in New York sometime the week of May 26.

* * *Reaches

HOW THE PUBLIC CAN FOLLOW GREAT AMERICAN II: The website tracking the voyage of Great American II is http://www.sitesalive.com. Daily position reports and a Captain's Log are posted on the site so classrooms, students, and families who purchase licenses can follow the progress of the boat. For information, go to http://www.sitesalive.com/oceanchallengelive/.

The saga of GAII will also be published in a number of national, regional, and local papers, in the Newspaper In Education supplements, and tracked on the AOL@SCHOOL program (keyword: sitesalive).

Great American II's Newspaper In Education participation is supported by the sitesALIVE Foundation. Established in 2002, the Foundation addresses teacher training in computer technology and funding for budget-constrained schools. The mission of the foundation is to enhance K-12 education by promoting the use of technology with real-world, real-time content from around the globe.

Some 360,000 students are expected to follow the voyage of Great American II.

Note: For a chart showing the relative positions of Great American II and Sea Witch, go to http://www.sitesalive.com/ocl/private/03s/pos/ocl3position.html


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