Pirates Take 2nd Place!!

Paul Cayard, from San Francisco, USA, steered his black and red boat, The Black Pearl, over the finish line in the Hudson River to claim the second place for his Pirates of the Caribbean team in leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race in New York today. Finishing at 06:47:11 (local time, 10:47:11 GMT) this podium position brings the Pirates up to second place overall, with 47.5 points, just half a point ahead of movistar (Bouwe Bekking) who finished in a disappointing fifth place.

On reaching the dock, a visibly shattered Cayard said: “It has been a very tough 40 hours, there was really strong wind off New Jersey and the boat has been really slamming hard. We have had our fair share of problems, but the guys did a great job. Last night was really quite stressful as the wind died all together and the boats were very close and that is where we had little bit of luck on our side! I can’t recall anything much tougher on this race so far.

“New York is a really impressive city and I am really proud, as the only American skipper in the fleet, to be here. Second overall is an added bonus for us and we will certainly take it!”

Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) brought his largely Brazilian team home just nine minutes behind the Pirates to take the final podium place. Three minutes behind, in fourth place, was Ericsson Racing Team with Neal McDonald (UK) back in charge, while the Spanish team of movistar finished under a minute later in fifth place. Brunel (Grant Wharington) finished in sixth place, and ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) are expected shortly.

The Pirates of the Caribbean will use this pitstop to make a few repairs to The Black Pearl including the electronics that went out twice during this sprint, as well as the wind instruments. Paul and the crew will also make an appearance at New York Yacht Club tomorrow evening, the team’s host yacht club during their stay in New York, but the main order for the team will be to rest before the transatlantic crossing that starts on Thursday.

/by

Back At It

Position: 37,29.87N , 75,28.52W

Speed: 12 knots, Course: 5 deg.

We are back at it, racing up to New York. This will be the second stop in the USA for the Volvo Ocean Race. There were thousands of spectator craft out on the Bay once again to send us off. Great turn out Maryland!

We did not have a very good start after getting tangled up with Brunel. But we tacked to port to clear our air and shortly thereafter we began making gains on the right side of the 4 mile windward leg near the Annapolis Bay Bridge. WE got around the windward mark in third place behind Brasil1 and Movistar. On the run we made some nice gains on the eastern shore and within two hours the Pirates were in the lead.

We had two special guests onboard for the first three hours of leg 6: Dick Cook, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios, and Mark Zoradi, President of Buena Vista International. Both enjoyed the ride very much. For the rest of the ride to NY, we have Chris Museler of The New York Times with us.

The wind died completely as we got about half way down the bay. Movistar lost big and Brasil1 passed us and got a couple of miles ahead in that transition. Then we caught and passed Brasil1 about 20 miles from the opening of the Bay. The wind built to 25 knots and we had a problem, changing to our number 4 jib. We have a new system and a new sail and it did not work. So we sailed for a long time with just the mainsail while the guys got things sorted out in 25 knots of wind. One boat passed us at the entrance of the bay, presumably Ericsson, then three more got very close.

Our weather advice was to set up offshore about 8-10 miles. The three boats that we could see tacked before we did. Brasil1 and ABN Amro Two have “paid” to go even further offshore and will hope to recoup with better angle. We will see.

Between 0000 and 0500 the wind kicked up to 40 knots out here. We have two reefs in our mainsail and our old number 4 jib up. Luckily we brought both 4’s. With the wind up between 30-40 knots, it is a very rough ride. The boat is slamming violently and it is the condition where you wonder just how much the boat can take. The wind instruments have broken off the top of the mast so we don’t have any indications like True Wind Speed or Ttrue Wind Direction. Of course we have a compass and we can sail off heading for tactical decisions.

It was a tough night, not much sleep on the Pearl and I am sure not much sleep on any of the boats. We had to tack several times in the transitions inside the bay and that involves moving everything inside the boat from one side to the other each time you tack. A real workout.

Then this pounding makes it hard to stay in your bunk when you finally get a chance to go below. I was driving the boat between 0200 and 0400 and the rain was

stinging my face so hard I could hardly look forward.

We are still 100 miles south of the Delaware Bay. The boats are all still very close although ABN Amro One has marched through the fleet as usual. Our router thinks we will get to NY early in the morning Tuesday.

Paul Cayard

Pirates of the Caribbean

/by

The Boatyard Bar & Grill

Owners Dick and Susan Franyo rolled out the red carpet on 5 May at the sailors’ favourite watering hole in Annapolis. More than 200 fans and Pirate followers stopped by to meet the Pirates of the Caribbean team who were on hand to sign thousands of autographs and judge the Boatyard’s art contest for children. The crew of The Black Pearl enjoyed a team dinner at the Boatyard before being escorted by the County Sheriff to the Eastport Yacht Club party to celebrate the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Annapolis.

The Boatyard Bar & Grill was the official watering hole of the Pirates of the Caribbean during the Annapolis stopover and provided the team with valuable support, not to mention plenty of great food, before The Black Pearl set off for New York on 7 May.

/by

Baltimore In Port Race

It was another solid performance by the Pirates of the Caribbean today with a third place in the Baltimore import race. The result also moved the Pirates up to third place overall moving past ABN Amro Two.

The breeze was 9 knots at the start and dropped to 6 knots on the third downwind leg where the race was shortened as the prospects for making the final lap did not look good.

Pirates had a great start and the two boats who had bad starts, Movistar and Ericsson, were forced to tack right away and go right. This turned out to be a blessing for them as they were first and second to the first mark.

For the Pirates, a primary winch failure on the first tack of the race made things interesting as we had to sail the rest of the race with the mainsheet run off a pit winch and both jib sheets and both gennakers sheets running off the single mainsheet winch. The crew did an excellent job of managing this situation for the whole race and we were fortunate that the wind never blew over 9 knots.

The Pirates stayed in third place pretty much the whole race while Ericsson fell from first to fourth and Movistar, catching a big shift at the end of the first downwind leg, went from second to first and never looked back.

Brasil1 made a nice move also at the end of the first run and went from 5th to second on the same shift that benefited Movistar. Coming down the final run, the Pirates were closing in on Brasil1 but it was a little too late as Brasil1 crossed in second.

Overall it was a good day for the Pirates and the many fans out on the Chesapeake Bay. It was also a good day for the Farr boats as they dominated the race taking the first four places. This is not the first time we have seen the ABN Amro boats struggle in light air. The first inport race in Spain had the same result.

We had two special guests today on the Black Pearl. First; Roy Disney, a great sailor and big fan of the Pirates. Roy sailed the boat a bit before the race and really enjoyed the very light and sensitive feel that these VOR 70’s have. We also had Tara Conner, the newly crowned Miss USA onboard the Black Pearl. It was Tara’s first sail ever and she could not have picked a better day. She also enjoyed being on the only US boat in the fleet.

We are taking Sunday off, then on Monday we are hosting Disney for a sail in the afternoon and Tuesday we will have our Pescanova Kids day with 1800 kids from the Baltimore area. These Pescanova kids’ days have become trademark events of the Pirates of the Caribbean and something we are all very proud of.

The next leg of the raced is Annapolis to New York City starting Sunday May 7th. This will be a very tough leg as it will be an intense 40 hour sprint that wont allow for much rest for any of the crews.

The Pirates are hosting a party tonight for all the teams. Chef Mark Rehana has prepared this grand evening so it should be something special.

Paul Cayard

Pirates of the Caribbean

/by

Pirates of the Caribbean Appearance at West Marine

This afternoon Paul Cayard, Skipper of The Pirates of the Caribbean made an appearance at West Marine in Annapolis. On the eve of the Annapolis NOOD Regatta, interested sailors came from all over to learn more about Cayard’s experiences and adventures aboard The Black Pearl in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006. More than 200 people stopped by the store to meet Paul and see some of the incredible onboard footage from the last three legs of the race. Paul and Bowman Justin Clougher thanked West Marine and Charlie Petosa (VP West Marine MidAtlantic) for their support of the team in this challenging race.

/by

3/4ers the way up the Chesapeake Bay

Position: 38,44.29N , 76,24.97W

Speed: 8 knots, Course: 32 deg.

In the USA. We are currently 3/4ers the way up the Chesapeake Bay.

The last 48 hours have been trying. We have been slating in flat calms with huge left over seas, dodging intense electrical storms, and beating upwind in a 30 knot squall. The 120 miles up the Chesapeake was long and slow without much wind during the night. At one point we almost had to anchor to avoid going backwards with the current. The GRIB forecasts have been anything but accurate in these conditions. After two weeks and the last two days in particular, we are ready to get there. 30 miles to go as of now.

At the entrance to the Bay, we picked up Gary Jobson off a RIB. He is getting some material for his shows on PBS and ESPN. We have done a few interviews onboard and chatted about many things. His battle with Cancer is an amazing story. I am in awe of anyone who has had to face that challenge.

When I meet people like Gary or our own Rob Myles or my navigator on EF, Mark Rudiger, I often wonder how I would hold up if faced with Cancer or something similar. Suddenly sailing around the world doesn’t seem so tough.

It is nice to have Garry onboard. He and I first sailed together in the 1983 Cup with Tom Blackaller on Defender.

After getting Gary onboard, I was just sitting by myself in the back of the boat for a moment reflecting on the fact that we were in the safety of the Chesapeake and what a long journey it had been to get The Black Pearl to the USA. We had to sail her 25,000 miles and through a couple of scary moments to get her to her home country. But we are here now and it will be a great couple of weeks for all involved with Pirates of the Caribbean and The Black Pearl. We are all looking forward to our time in Baltimore, Annapolis and New York. The USA is the only country that has more than one stop in the Volvo Ocean Race.

The wind has gone very light in the Bay here tonight. We are making 10 knots at the moment so it will be several hours, probably day break before we get to Baltimore.

In reflecting on this leg, it was another solid performance for The Black Pearl. Our third place is keeps us on the podium for the third leg in a row. Movistar sailed very well and passed us in the standings and therefore we have slipped from 3rd to 4th. But we are just one point out of second place now due to ABN Amro Two doing poorly. So we are in very good shape for the race for second overall. Considering Movistar did not finish two out of the first five legs, they are doing very well. I think this is indicative of a fast boat. We will have a good battle on our hands to beat them overall in this race.

The crew will be off for 6 days while the shore team gives the boat a thorough inspection and maintenance. We don’t have any major issues that need attention.

I have asked Gary Jobson to write a guest editorial Pirate Update. He is snoozing right now after indulging in our freeze dried food. Hopefully he will regain consciousness. If he writes a piece we will send it out ASAP.

PC

Pirates of the Caribbean

/by

Very cool!

As Pirates of the Caribbean blasted through the mist off the entrance of Chesapeake Bay, I could hear that fabulous music from the Walt Disney movie in my head. Thanks to the immense help of Kimo Worthington, Mitch Brindley and Brian McCauley, we had arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel about 10 minutes before Pirates was about to pass through. Skipper Paul Cayard, who is a long time friend, was allowing me to race up the Chesapeake Bay on his Volvo Open 70. Very cool!

After 4,872 miles, Pirates was comfortably in third. But the vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay kept the final result in question. My transfer was made at the northeast end of the tunnel under the lee of the island there. Cayard slowed the boat from 20 knots down to about 8 and I hopped aboard off Brindley’s RIB. Whew, made it. I took a deep sigh of relief. That water looked cold.

Once on board I received a hearty welcome by Paul, Jerry Kirby, Justin Clougher and the rest of the Pirates crew. Within two boat lengths, we were back over 15 knots. Under the rules, I was not allowed to steer, hike out or give advice. But I did have my trusty Hi-Def camera to record the voyage.

It was drizzling and choppy but here is the best part: the crew of Pirates was just enjoying the moment just being aboard the boat, sailing fast. I was the first guest to be on the boat on a long distance leg.

In the back of my mind was the resourcefulness of this crew who had saved the boat when they had keel box problems soon after the start on November 12. Things were clearly better.

As we turned the corner up the Bay, the wind dropped. But still we were sailing at 11.8 knots. That wheel looked mighty inviting to me. Maybe, another day?

The onboard interviews I conducted with Paul, Jerry and some of the others can be seen at www.vssailing.com and the Maryland Public Television series that is airing on many PBS stations throughout the USA. I also collected material for ESPN.

The Pirates crew works with great efficiency. They work the boat through every wave and make adjustments for every puff. The watch system works perfectly. Down below, Cayard and navigator Jules Salter analyze several weather reports. The boat’s performance is calculated as a percentage of VPP. Not surprising the boat sails at 99% – 100% most of the time.

As the sun set everyone was in a reflective mood. I explained to Paul about my cancer battle and he made an analogy between life’s struggles and sailing. He said, “prepare for the lulls and enjoy the puffs.” What a nice way of looking at things.

After dark the wind turned light. The crew changed sails endlessly. This was one time being on a boat I was glad I didn’t have to help. Moving those sails around looked like hard work.

As the sun came up we were just south of the Annapolis Bay Bridge. We even hit bottom for about one minute. No problem. The sail was backed and we were free of the mud.

The boat crossed the line cleanly and there were heartfelt handshakes all around. For me, it was a real pleasure to be part of it for 18 hours.

Gary Jobson

/by

Fluky winds yesterday

Position: 30,31.26N , 69,44.24W

Speed: 19 knots, Course: 324 deg.

It was a long a tedious day yesterday as we crawled our way through the high pressure ridge. Fluky winds with maximum gusts of 5 knots were the norm for about 10 hours. We managed just 77 miles in 12 hours during the middle of the day. Everyone had to go through it and everyone took their turn losing miles on the way in (lighter winds in the high) then gaining them back on the way out.

Now we are enjoying 20 knots form the southwest which is helping us close in on Baltimore with a bit more pace. ABN Amro One and Movistar look pretty strong at this point. We have built a nicer lead on Ericsson and Brasil1. There is at least one more transition to go through and that will occur around 0400 local time on Monday when the wind will shift from the west to the north east just off Cape Hatteras. Then we will have the 120 mile sail up the Chesapeake which could bring anything. At this stage it looks like we will be sailing the final 120 miles Monday night and finishing early Tuesday.

For our trip up the Chesapeake we are scheduled to have a famous guest; Gary Jobson. Gary will get onboard just after the entrance of the Bay and ride all the way to Baltimore with us. He is making a TV show on the race for ESPN and will be filming from onboard The Black Pearl. He did the same thing 8 years ago with us on EF Language.

Everyone is well onboard and the sailing is not too difficult at the moment.

Very wet as we are ripping along at 20 knots with the wind forward of the beam. It is a bit bouncy down below but not too bad. We did have to do two sail changes tonight as the breeze has built and those are 7 man operations;

4 on the foredeck, two in the cockpit and one driving.

Looking foreword to the arrival in the USA on Tuesday!

Paul Cayard

Pirates of the Caribbean

/by

Cayard Cruise Lines

Position: 34,3.94N , 71,56.33W

Speed: 6 knots, Course: 341 deg.

Cayard Cruise Lines

May 05

When Paul and Kimo called last May and told me Paul was starting a Pirates themed division of Disney Cruise lines I didn’t hesitate to sign on. Paul said it would be great. Exotic locations, skull and cross bones and a bigger faster boat with less guys, wine steward and wheel chair accessible foredeck. This will be great!

You will only have to show up in Rio spend some time at the beach then cruise through the West Indies on your way to beautiful Baltimore. Stop in New York for quick retail fix then finish the cruise in Sweden.

Cayard Cruise Lines

On board the Black Pearl April 16, 2006

Wrong brochure! Dammit you really have to watch out for telemarketers. We just restacked every sail and piece of gear for the second time this watch. The boats rock and food and accommodations are average. No showers, everything is soaked we don’t sleep much but it is awesome. Last night we were ripping at 20+ with the fire hose on.

Sailing with old legends Paul, Erle Williams and Juggy has been a privilege. The young stars Cheese, Craig, Antoine and Justin continue to show how good they are. Jules keeps us laughing with his stand up routine every six hours and newcomer Ian Budgen is still trying to convince us he not Austin Powers brother.

If a guy named Paul calls you at home around dinner time trying to sell a cruise don’t hang up. It may be the best ride Disney has to offer.

Jerry Kirby, onboard The Black Pearl

/by

A Day of Change

Position: 26,28.80 N , 65,2.90 W

Speed: 18 knots, Course: 326 deg.

It has been a day of change. We have sailed through a large mass of cloud that is the remnant of a decaying cold front. It was probably 200 miles wide as seen from the satellite pictures. Under this clouds deck, the winds were variable. One minute we were sailing upwind in light wind and ten minutes later we were planning downwind with 25 knots of wind in a torrential downpour of rain.

When we finally stepped out of that “room” and into the next, we stepped into strong northeasterly winds. In a matter of five minutes the wind went from a 14 knot run to a 25 knots tight reach. That was at about 1600 local time today and ever since then we have been blasting along at 20 knots of boats peed on a tight reach. These are the conditions we term “fire hosing” as the water that fly’s off the bow and hits you in the face, does so with the force of a fire hose. This is a constant fire hose – hours of it.

There have been some gains and losses through all these changes. Of course we hope to stay closer to the lead two but they seemed to get away just a bit better than we did. We did manage a bit of a gain on Ericsson and Brasil1. Tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, we will transition a high pressure ridge. This will compress the fleet as we all slow down while going through the ridge. As the lead boats exit the ridge, they will stretch their lead back out. The winds on the other side of the ridge are the same as what we have now just on the opposite tack. So, more fire hosing.

Getting constantly hit by the fire hose is quite tiring, but it is indicative of good speed being made. At this stage of any leg, everyone is pretty much able to put up with anything that gets you to the dock fast.

Life onboard is a bit more difficult in these conditions. The motions are violent, the boat is very heeled, and now the temperature has dropped to 21C. The tropical cruise is definitely over and tomorrow night, when we are ripping along in the north westerly breeze it will be real cold. I am thinking about getting my thermal layer on already tonight. I just don’t want to get it soaked too soon. I am trying to dry out the clothes I had on today, that got soaked. I do that by sleeping with the wet clothes on.

That is the best way to dry things out.body heat. Makes sleeping kind of uncomfortable. We are not using the heaters on this leg.

We have 810 miles to go to the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay and then 120 miles to sail up to Baltimore. We should get to the entrance some time Monday afternoon. Hopefully there will be some breeze to get up the bay when we get there.

We did some media work today for the Volvo Ocean Race television producers.

In 1998, EF Language (the boat I skippered) and Swedish Match (the boat Erle Williams sailed on) had an epic duel up the Chesapeake that culminated in Swedish Match winning by 17 seconds. The lead changed several times that day and even though we lost that battle, I have to say it was a great race.

So Erle and I were asked to recount that battle today and some of that footage will be part of the TV show that Volvo airs next week.

PC

Pirates of the Caribbean

/by