Halfway Around – New Zealand to the UK |
| Wednesday, 18 February 2004 |
In the next couple of days, the final preparations will be made in Auckland for the departure of Kip Stone on his Open 50 ‘Artforms’. The boat has been buzzing recently with people servicing the systems, making final adjustments and alterations to ensure everything runs smoothly on the voyage.
After his 1000 mile solo qualifier last week, (see www.ksopen50.com for a full report), Kip is confident in the both the boat and his ability. Both him and Alan Nebauer are itching to leave the dock and are now just waiting for a good weather window to head East for Cape Horn. With 55 days of provisions on board, it should be a relatively comfortable trip, although there’s not much space for two down below.
On the first leg Kip will be accompanied by Alan Nebauer, project manager for Owen Clarke Design and experienced Around Alone sailor. They will sail 5000 miles together around Cape Horn to the Falkland Islands, where Alan will leave the boat. This will give Kip the opportunity for his first trans-oceanic solo voyage, travelling North past South America and crossing the Equator before arriving in the UK after 7500 miles on his own.
As solo ocean racing is such a demanding occupation, and time for sleep in between sailing, navigating and maintaining the boat is very short, Kip is working with Dr. Claudio Stampi, Founder and Director of the Chronobiology Research Institute in Boston, USA to optimize his sleep management. Most solo sailors sleep in short catnaps, which add up to only a few hours per day, so it’s important that the time is put to best use to improve his alertness.
Throughout the voyage, Kip’s sleep patterns will be monitored by a wrist activity monitor (a microcomputer the size of a wristwatch) which continuously collects data on the quality and duration of his sleeping and waking activities. This information will be downloaded at the end of the trip and along with data from his normal sleeping patterns will be analysed to assist in giving him the optimum sleep pattern whilst racing.
Kip is hoping to be in Plymouth, UK by the middle of April, to allow plenty of time for rest and preparation before the start of the Transat at the end of May. |
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