At Lands End

I am very much enjoying following the Fastnet on the web. If you haven't played around with the fab-tastic fleet tracker go on over and check it out by clicking here.

Partly its thrill the overwelming flood of little boat symbols as they pop out of the Solent like a cork. Then of course they ground to a halt, most just before Portland Bill, as the wind died last night.

The tracker means you can try to fathom the various tactics used. For example in the IRC 1 class one of the leading boats is Philippe Falle's Puma Logic, who was one of our class rivals when I did it and who gave tactics talk at a local sailing club. He went offshore after Portland and then back in for Start Head. Aha! thinks I, there was a plan there. But then the boats either side went right close in by Portland so its not a clear picture. Some seem to have gone all over the place - Quokka VII headed 90 degrees to the rhumb line for half the night.

But now they are getting on their way again and the big crush is about to get to Land's End which is where the picture above was taken. Actually its just before looking along the coast by Penzance, and in the distance you can see St. Michael's Mount emerging from the mist.