Pauls Most Recent Sailing Reports
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350 Miles Southeast of Eclipse Island
Ocean RacePosition: 37,28.13S , 120,47.42E Speed: 14 knots, Course: 124 deg. The black Pearl is now about 350 miles southeast of Eclipse Island. We have nice 15 knot wind from the southwest, a beautiful moonlit night, and a great forecast for the next three days. This should allow us to make good progress toward Melbourne at […]
The Repairs Have Been Completed
Ocean RacePosition: 35,1.90S , 117,53.16E Speed: 0 knots, Course: 152 deg. The repairs to the Black Pearl have been completed and she will leave the dock in Albany within the hour. It will then take her 1 more hour to reach the point at which she suspended racing yesterday. From that point in time, she will […]
Best Regards to the world from the Black Pearl
Ocean RaceHEADLINE NEWS The Black Pearl had a wildlife rendezvous this afternoon with a well known predator of the sea, as a shark got caght on their rudder, whilst ‘smoking’ along nicely at 20-25kts. Helmsman Craig Satterthwaite reported “I felt a sharp thump on the rudder and then vibration through the steering, so I alerted the […]
Onboard The Black Pearl, 43S x 102E
Ocean RaceSeahorse January 2006 We are close to completing our first leg of this Volvo Ocean Race. It hasn’t been without incident. We have broken the vang off the mast, hit an object in the water which damaged our rudder, and incurred some damage to our keel support structure. At this point, some 4000 miles into […]
380 miles from Australia, and Racing Again
Ocean RacePosition: 40,24.5S , 113,11.98E Speed: 10 knots, Course: 347 deg. We are presently 380 miles from the southwestern tip of Australia. It seems a trivial feat now that the winds are light and we have gained more confidence in our situation but 72 hours ago we were in a “preservation of the yacht” mode and […]
Saturday the 14th and the Keel “Made It”
Ocean RaceWell, it is Saturday the 14th where we are and the crew are all talking about how the keel “made it”. Some of my guys are pretty concerned. I am starting to be more comfortable with the advice that we are receiving from our designers that our damage does not affect the critical elements of […]
Crew Noticed Cracks in the Keel Support Area
Ocean RaceLast evening at 1845 the crew of the Black Pearl noticed cracks in the area of it keel support structure. Water was coming into the boat from those cracks and still is. The rate of water flow is manageable at this time. Sail was immediately reduced. Photos and video of the cracks were recorded and […]
Another 12 Hours On
Ocean Race2300 UTC Another 12 hours on, we have had another round of phone calls and information exchange with the designers of our boat. We have damage to secondary support structure in the area of the keel. That means that the main structure is integral but the bits that bond it to the boat have been […]
Long Hard Day Pushing
Ocean RacePosition: 41,22.44S , 75,3.69E Speed: 25 knots, Course: 105 deg. Sorry for not writing a report yesterday. It was a long hard day pushing to get every ounce of speed out of the boat heading for the scorings gate. I started to write my report last night and then there was a very loud bang. […]
We Hit the wall
Ocean RacePosition: 39,14.15S , 59,24.9E Speed: 7 knots, Course: 32 deg. We hit the wall. We have hit light air and are watching the others sail up to us. We are still being tormented by the old cold front that we fell off the back of about 48 hours ago. This is the same front that […]
Interesting Day Today
Ocean RacePosition: 41,8.50S , 52,35.54E Speed: 17 knots, Course: 82 deg. Very interesting day today that produced a lot of work for skippers and navigators. Basically the weather systems that we had been sailing in and planning on sailing for a few more days changed and we had to scramble to understand a new picture. The […]
We have been Battling All Day
Ocean RacePosition: 42,30.94S , 46,56.79E Speed: 14 knots, Course: 59 deg. We have been battling with ABN 2 all day. They caught up to us and nearly passed us in 20 knots reaching conditions. They recorded the best runs of the four lead boats on the last two position reports. Their extra form stability was perfect […]
We Continue to March Along
Ocean RacePosition: 42,56.9S , 38,23.49E Speed: 18 knots, Course: 82 deg. We continue to march along to the east is 18-20 knots of wind from 020. All is well onboard the Pearl although we did have a small electrical fire. Juggy and Jules sorted out. It was a “two alarmer”. That means it was only severe […]
We Found the Wind, Finally
Ocean Race43 south 25 East / Boat speed: 25 knots, Course 100True We found the wind, finally. It has been a slow start to Leg 2 but now we are on the “highway” heading east and chewing up miles. We throttled back on the second night when things got rough and Ericsson and Brasil 1 broke. […]
A Rough 15 Hours
Ocean RaceIt has been a rough 15 hours out here. Yesterday afternoon the wind came up to 30 knots from the southeast and some rather large and steep waves built up. Port tack in particular was very rough. The Pearl was launching off the waves at 11 knots and slamming down hard making some awful sounds […]
That was a Crazy Start
Ocean RaceThat was a crazy start. I haven’t been on a boat without steerage for years. And it happened not just once but a few times in the first 2 hours of the race. Boat were backing down, gybing upwind, it was chaotic. The start itself wasn’t bad. We had about 5 knots of wind and […]
It is that time of the year again. Time to wish everyone all the best for 2006.
Ocean RaceIt is that time of the year again. Time to wish everyone all the best for 2006. For the Pirates, we are eagerly looking forward to getting out on the ocean and doing what we are here to do. The stay in Cape Town has been great, a lot of us have had our families […]
Tough Day for the Pirates
Ocean RaceTough day for the Pirates today. The day started off with some bad news in that our man Justin (Juggy) Clougher was not able to sail due to a violent case of the stomach flu. We were lucky to have a very good sailor working in our sail loft, Jeremy Smith, being able to fill […]
It is Christmas Eve and it doesn’t feel like it
Ocean RacePirate Update, Cape Town December 24, 2005 It is Christmas Eve and it doesn’t feel like it…at least not for all us Northern Hemisphere people. It is a bright sunny day and the sun came up at 0500 and will set around 2100. But it is really nice down here and Africa is a very […]
We are about 100 Miles West of Cape Town, Heading East
Ocean RaceWe are about 100 miles west of Cape Town, heading east. We will get back to the dock sometime early this afternoon. It has been good to get out here on the sea for a couple of days and run the boat and all its systems. Everything is working well. The first day we had […]
The Pearl Sails again!
Ocean RaceThe Pearl Sails again! All went well. Tomorrow we go to sea. Paul Cayard Pirates of the Caribbean
Very Good Couple of Days
Ocean RaceWe have had a very good last couple of days here in Cape Town and The Black Pearl is all back together. As per the plan she went in the water today and the team is set to go sailing tomorrow. Paul Cayard The Black Pearl Skipper
The 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race is Off and Running
Media ReportSeahorse December 2005 The 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race is off and running. Last weekend during the Sanxenxo In-Port race, we got our first glimpse at the differences between the boats. There are obviously some different designs out there but there are also some more subtle differences between boats of the same design philosophy. The most […]
Pirate Crew Arrived in Cape Town
Ocean RaceMost of the Pirate crew arrived in Cape Town yesterday to join the shore team, some of whom have been here since the 25th of November. We have a great set up here again thanks to the help of Pescanova. Our boat is inside a purpose built shed with all of our containers around it […]
The Black Pearl Arrived in Cape Town
Ocean RaceThe Black Pearl arrived in Cape Town yesterday, November 27 after an uneventful flight on the Antonov 124. She was then transported to “Pirate City”, in the harbor area, which will be our base of operations for the next four weeks. We again want to thank our partner Pescanova for their generous and useful support […]
The Damage to The Black Pearl-Cascais
Ocean RaceAfter properly inspecting the Black Pearl, we are now in a position to report on the damage. 1. Bulkhead C, midway from the bow to the mast, has broken. There was shearing of the frame along with compression of the – vertical beam. 2. The “bomber doors” which seal the Keel box at the hull, […]
Cascais, Portugal November 15, 2005
Ocean RaceWe have now been in port for 36 hours. I know there are a lot of stories, rumors and thoughts going on around the water cooler so I thought I would give you my perspective to add to your daily conversation. A couple of facts first: 1. This is a race on points not time. […]
The Black Pearl has safely arrived to Cascais
Ocean RaceThe Black Pearl has safely arrived to Cascais, and we are fully committed to returning to the Volvo Ocean Race as soon as possible.The shore team has arrived with our tools, clothes, containers and has set up an infrastructure so we are functional. Engineers from Farr International as well as boat builders from Green Marine […]
Trouble at Sea
Ocean RaceKimo Worthington, GM Pirates of the Caribbean. The communication systems on board are not yet functioning, but I am in contact with Paul via satellite phone continually. At 5am this morning, there was a strong vibration on the boat that lasted approximately 15 minutes. Erle Williams went off watch to do a boat check and […]
Pirate Joins the Sailing Fleet – International Herald Tribune
Media ReportWith the sports and entertainment industries increasingly in convergence, it was bound to happen, and the skull-and-cutlass logos on one of the 70-foot sloops in the marina here are high-flying proof that the era of cross-promotion has arrived at a new, not necessarily safer, place. Sports have spawned scores of Hollywood films, from the sublime […]
The Black Pearl Isla De Muerta PRESS RELEASE
Ocean Race10 November 2005, Vigo, Spain: Pirate fever is spreading! Just in time for the start of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006, the Pirates of the Caribbean team has announced a new sponsor. Pescanova, one of Spain
All set to Go- In Route to Vigo
Ocean RaceI am onboard the Black Pearl right now sailing to Vigo for tomorrow’s start. Both Justins’ are with me, Clougher and Ferris and about 15 guests. Also a few of the great Pirates shore team are with us to make some final checks. I am in the nav station downloading some weather with Rosco and […]
2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race Started Yesterday
Ocean RaceIn light winds on a beautiful sunny day in Bay of Sanxenxo, on the Spanish West Coast, the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race got started yesterday with the first In-Port Race. Not only was this the start of this epic yachting event, now in its 9th edition, but it was also the first time that this […]
Classification after In port Race 1
Ocean RaceSanxenxo, 5 November 2005 Classification after In port Race 1 1. Ericsson Racing Team (SWE), Skipper Neal McDonald (GBR): pts 3.5 2. Brasil 1 (BRA), Skipper Torben Grael (BRA): pts 3.0 3. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (USA), Skipper Paul Cayard (USA): pts 2.5 4. movistar (SPA), Skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED): pts 2.0 5. ABN Amro […]
Maybe There is a Theory…
Ocean RaceWe put the Black Pearl back in the water on Halloween but it was too windy today to take her out for a spin. The wind has been blowing 45 knots today with the waves crashing over the sea wall and spraying my portable office. It has been blowing 20 plus from the South to […]
Così batteremo il meteo e l’Oceano – L’ultima sfida dei miti della vela: Soldini nella Jacques Vabre, Cayard nella Volvo Race
Media ReportLA STORIA / Nel weekend salpano una transatlantica in coppia è il giro del mondo. Con il rischio di previsioni sempre più difficili da leggere Quando il gioco si fa duro, quando l’inverno arriccia il mare è gonfia le nuvole, quando il cielo diventa grigio e la vela trendy della Coppa America se ne va […]
The Children of Vigo
Ocean RaceToday we did a really nice thing with Disney and Pescanova for the children of Vigo. Pescanova, the Spanish fish company that had an entry in the 1993 Whitbread Round the World Race, organized a special day for the children of Vigo at their shipyard today. 500 children were invited to come and meet the […]
Learning to Sail all over again.
Ocean RaceIt has been a while since I got into a class of boat where handling it around the bouys was a complete learning experience. The VOR 70 is all new to me and to all the Pirates. Not often do Olympic medalists, America’s cup winners, past Volvo Ocean Race winners, find them on a boat […]
We had 15 Guys From all Over the World, All Fantastic Pirates
Ocean RaceIts been a while since I wrote a note. The team did a great job with all the work on the boat. We had 15 guys come in from all over the world and each and everyone of them was fantastic to have as part of Pirates. Thanks to everyone as they worked like champions […]
Code Name: Pimp My Ride
Ocean RaceWe are in the middle of a work week on the boat. The mast is down, the keel is off and the boat is in the shed. The later fact has been a great move as it has been raining a lot this week. Following the 2000 miler and the trip to Holland and back, […]