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Transat 650 • Leg 2

What’s up with Mc Kee ?

American solo sailor still leader

samedi 11 octobre 2003 – Information Transat 650

Jonathan Mc Kee (247 ˆ Team Mc Lube) woke the race management at 0240 GMT on
Saturday morning when he set off his Inmarsat D+ beacon. He then set off
another alert at 0310 GMT and a last call at 0340 GMT.


Three alerts in accordance with the rules, mean that « I have a problem, I am
on board and I‚m dealing with it myself. I am still racing ». The offspin of
that was that Jonathan was practically drifting at 0.5 to 1 knot… until 0700
GMT when the monohull got back some pace.

Of course, its progress was a lot more chaotic and three knots slower than
yesterday on average. Most significantly, McKee is on a heading of 213 that is
leading him straight towards the city of Natal, the most extreme east of
Brazil.

In addition, in just a few hours McKee has lost 55 of the 80 mile lead that he
had over new favourite, Samuel Manuard (431 - Tip Top Too-Le Grau du Roi- Port
Camargue) 24 hours ago. Manuard precedes Pierre Rolland (347 - Extrado) by 40
miles and Armel Tripon (151 - Moulin Rôty) by 57 miles. Manuard is on a course
of 192 degrees and Rolland, 183.

One thing is certain ; the former Olympic champion has had a big mechanical
problem. The race management still believes that he has dismasted and is making
5 knots under jury rig. This set up will prevent him from luffing however,
which would explain his current course and the difficulties he is likely to
have when the fleet are forced to leave the island of Fernando to starboard as
the second passage mark of the leg. Unless the wind backs, McKee will suffer
further problems as they dive south towards Salvador de Bahia.

The second possibility for McKee is that he may have broken a rudder blade that
would create less of a handicap. Whether this explains why he stopped for five
hours when the beacon was set off remains to be seen. The coming hours will
determine what has actually happened aboard « Team Mc Lube », officially still
racing and still leader.

Behind him though, the race has turned into a gallop and it looks as if McKee‚s
days in the driving seat are numbered.

Nothing new in the Series fleet on the other hand. David Raison (440- Rayon
Liquide) is a solid leader, with Manuel Castilla (167 - Vision Originale) 45
miles behind him, tailed by David Sineau (428 -France Fermetures), 53 miles
back, still visibly being plagued by automatic pilot problems.

Jean-Pierre Balmès (330 - Cecim), Yann Riou (318 -Thrane et Thrane) and Michel
Mirable (421 - Gwalarn) are still on the chase and putting pressure on the
leading pack, feeding off any drop off the pace. A slightly longer rest than
planned, a gybe a bit too quick or late and the data changes. The final is
shaping up to be as superb as it is uncertain, off the Brazilian coast.
Even in the worst conditions, the Mini sailors have a remarkable ability to
keep their good humour. Brit, Ian Munslow (326 ˆ Ishtar) sums up the feeling of
the fleet on the approach to the promised land. « My boat is good, it‚s making
good progress, but there‚s not much you can do in the doldrums. It‚s
infernal. »

Translation Kate Jennings

• Positions : 11 October 1500 (UT)

Pos Voile Skipper Bateau Type Lat Long Dist. à l’arrivée
– 1 247 Jonathan Mc Kee TEAM MC LUBE proto S013486 W0311908
0816.8
– 2 431 Samuel Manuard TIP TOP TOO - LE GRAU DU ROI PORT CAMARGUE
proto S005781 W0320546 0841.1
– 3 347 Pierre Rolland EXTRADO proto S001680 W0320828 0881.8
– 4 151 Armel Tripon MOULIN ROTY proto S003406 W0303975
0888.7
– 5 346 Sébastien Roubinet ADRENALINE proto N000673 W0294971
0949.0
– 6 240 Alex Pella AQUATEC - SANTIVERI - TEXKNIT proto N003365
W0300876 0963.1
– 7 260 Richard Mérigeaux BON PIED BON OEIL proto N011223
W0284953 1036.9
– 8 354 Bruno Garcia SALADINO proto N013826 W0285976
1053.1
– 9 353 Willy Garcia CEYLAN DIAMANTES proto N013965 W0285891
1054.8
– 10 312 Pascal Doin ASNQ proto N014398 W0284005 1068.5
– 11 303 Enrico Podesta DIABOLO-SLAM proto N015631 W0285338
1071.9
– 12 440 David Raison RAYON LIQUIDE serie N024176 W0303741
1073.4
– 13 139 François Cuinet REGLISSE proto N022535 W0293110
1080.2
– 14 385 Jaume Mumbru PORT DE BARCELONA proto N022225 W0290058
1090.9
– 15 167 Manuel Castilla VISION ORIGINALE serie N023211 W0284128
1108.9
– 16 428 David Sineau FRANCE FERMETURES serie N024598 W0282951
1126.8
– 17 330 Jean-Pierre Balmes CECIM serie N025523 W0284283
1128.3
– 18 326 Ian Munslow ISHTAR proto N025033 W0283008 1130.3
– 19 318 Yann Riou THRANE & THRANE serie N024538 W0281745
1132.5
– 20 421 Michel Mirabel GWALARN IV serie N022225 W0272938
1140.9
– 21 138 Eric Defert AMIRAL DE BRETAGNE proto N023531 W0274628
1141.3
– 22 258 Marc Gascons TIP-TOP proto N024220 W0272505 1159.3
– 23 426 Erwan Tymen POGO 2 NAVY LEST serie N023286 W0271091
1160.7
– 24 185 Thomas Valentin THOMAS HAWK proto N031688 W0275393
1171.6
– 25 269 Lionel Rubio de Teran GROUPE CIBF serie N034428 W0284013
1173.2
– 26 282 Erwan Abalain MARION NOEL CONSEILS serie N025537 W0271809
1174.1
– 27 322 Gilles Guillerm BLUE BOSSA serie N031251 W0274030
1175.3
– 28 227 Donald Wright RUSSE NOIR proto N031551 W0273323
1181.7
– 29 245 Patrick Bot FINIST’MER ECOLE NAVALE serie N041110 W0284900
1193.9
– 30 175 Adam Seamans SPIRIT OF AMERICA serie N032210 W0272113
1194.0
– 31 168 Fabrice Guillerm RAULT LE SERVICE ALIMENTAIRE serie
N041733 W0290326 1194.1
– 32 295 David Sautret MIKALOU SAILING serie N041628 W0284620
1199.7
– 33 352 Luis Irisarri DEVIAJE.COM proto N030228 W0264101
1202.4
– 34 209 Bertrand Lecharpentier NEC HONFLEUR serie N034396 W0273690
1203.6
– 35 316 Pia L’Obry EXPATRIA.FR proto N033083 W0270630
1209.6
– 36 321 Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty ARTECH - CAEN LA MER proto N042240
W0281800 1217.2
– 37 36 Peter de Smedt HUYSMAN proto N041260 W0275330 1219.9
– 38 345 Cécile Poujol INFORMATIQUE ET STATISTIQUES serie N035718
W0271141 1228.5
– 39 89 Rémy Malburet SOEUR MARIE THERESE DES BATIGNOLLES serie
N050410 W0291866 1232.5
– 40 388 Yves Niort DEMI-CLE SHIPCHANDLER serie N040730 W0271413
1235.5
– 41 250 Brieuc Maisoneuve PAYS GRANVILLAIS serie N033428
W0261886 1241.1
– 42 373 Christophe Dary SAGA MERCEDES BENZ serie N045345 W0282181
1243.6
– 43 340 Rémi Beauvais SPI CALL CENTER serie N045450 W0281765
1246.3
– 44 329 Laurent Jaunin TERRE-ET-FAUNE.ORG serie N041165 W0264905
1252.9
– 45 342 Alessandro Zamagna ARKE proto N051036 W0282425
1258.0
– 46 135 Stéphane Ayrault WYETH proto N045528 W0274605
1260.9
– 47 444 Isabelle Magois EDEN PARK proto N042306 W0265018
1261.7
– 48 277 François-Jacques Jauffrineau VENDEE PRISMA proto N052558
W0283633 1267.4
– 49 371 Juan Carlos Sanchis Mari SPASMOS serie N052635 W0283430
1268.9
– 50 416 Daniel Schaffer SENSIL proto N041975 W0263228 1269.2
– 51 262 Eric Schmitt LA LIMULE serie N053333 W0285118
1269.3
– 52 333 Arsène Ledertheil LA CIGOGNE DE L’OCEAN proto N050181
W0273716 1270.9
– 53 29 Arthur Barret UBAYE proto N050943 W0275173 1271.0
– 54 56 James Bird ATOMIC proto N041763 W0255906 1287.3
– 55 47 Bernard Morin JOGGING INTERNATIONAL serie N054968 W0281953
1296.0
– 56 34 Gustavo Pacheco EPSILON proto N045738 W0263565 1298.3
– 57 335 Barnabé Chivot FTH THIRARD proto N051426 W0270156
1299.1
– 58 381 Gonzalo Botin DON VITO serie N034613 W0244650
1311.7
– 59 360 Henri Gourmelon TOBABOOTS serie N052176 W0254721
1345.7
– 60 109 Gaspard Franeau AVOCATS SANS FRONTIERES proto N075811 W0264185
1453.0
– 61 355 Jacques Valente ACTION INNOCENCE serie N124528 W0251866
1748.3
– NC 121 David Lancry MENSURA FROST proto - -
– NC 393 Cian Mc Carthy THE TOM CREAN proto - -

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