Entries by Paul Cayard

We Came to a Grinding Halt

Position: 25,30.60S , 44,13.59W Speed: 11 knots, Course: 40 deg. After the last sked we came to a grinding halt. It was depressing to see that Brasil1 and ABN AMRO Two had made big gains and were in the new wind while we were becalmed. Shortly thereafter we got hit with a squall. It was […]

Slogging Away

Position: 27,54.18S , 44,43.83W Speed: 10 knots, Course: 342 deg. Just slogging away upwind in 15 knots today. The good news is that there has been more wind than the forecast but still upwind which is slow going. Beautiful weather though – clear skies – sailing in our shorts and T-shirts. Fairly smooth sea. Nice […]

Slow going is the word.

Position: 32,34.83S , 47,11.37W Speed: 11 knots, Course: 26 deg. The fleet has had very light wind for the past 48 hours. We have gone through two transitions; one around a disintegrating low pressure cell and last night traversing a high pressure cell that moved across the course from west to east. The team onboard […]

Eco-nomerics

Numbers games are what we play out here. It’s all about numbers! Pressures, angles, days, grams, minutes, calories, codes, watches, deniers, millibars, legs, degrees….you name it we count it, graph it, record it, bag it, everything it. Didn’t really see that much in the way of wild life closing into the Horn. The last few […]

Pelloni Parmigiano Reggiano on board The Black Pearl

The adventures of Paul Cayard and the Pirates of the Caribbean in the Volvo Ocean Race continue with the upcoming finish of Leg 4 later this week. As the team races from Wellington to Rio de Janeiro, the Pirates have had an advantage over the other teams. Thanks to Pelloni Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), the team […]

Pelloni Parmigiano Reggiano on board The Black Pearl

The adventures of Paul Cayard and the Pirates of the Caribbean in the Volvo Ocean Race continue with the upcoming finish of Leg 4 later this week. As the team races from Wellington to Rio de Janeiro, the Pirates have had an advantage over the other teams. Thanks to Pelloni Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), the team […]

A Back and Forth Battle

Position: 38,41.73S , 47,12.70W Speed: 11 knots, Course: 27 deg It has been a back and forth battle with all the boats during the past 24 hours. Each has his moment depending on where he is positioned and the shift of the moment. We have improved out position a bit passing ABN2 and moving into […]

Headline News – WEEKEND EDITION

BREAKING NEWS Reports are trickling in that the Black Pearl has been carrying a serious mechanical calamity since Cape Horn. At this stage information is sketchy due to the sensitive stature that these grand prix crews have about the proprietary aspects of their technical systems.However it is understood that they have been dealing with a […]

A Piratey Puzzle

Today has been an interesting as well as frustrating day on the Black Pearl. We are sailing parallel to the Argentinean coast in a drag race with our competitors who are all within 50 miles of us. We are reaching with the wind from the north west all heading the same course as we speed […]

Just passing east of the Falklands

Position: 51,55.95S , 56,10.24W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 33 deg. We are slipping along at 7 knots in 4 knots of wind thanks to our Code 0. These powerful sails make light air incredibly less painful. We are just passing east of the Falklands. Our router has us staying quite east for the first two […]