Dodging Icebergs in Thick Fog Near the Titanic

May 11, 2012 16:40:00 UTC

47°12.37 N

050°40.88 W

Heading: 46°

Speed: 20.4 knots

DTF: 1,784.9 nm

It is indeed an eerie feeling to be dodging icebergs in thick fog near where the Titanic sank about 100 years ago.  There is a distinct advantage we have with the new technology that exists. It is in the form of a very good B & G radar.  The fog is very dense and Maserati (our little carbon sailing rocket ship) seems highly unnatural in the vicinity of such difficult to detect chunks of hard water.  A growler the size of a refrigerator would definitely make for a bad day as we skim across the water doing 20 plus knots and unfortunately, the technology to see those is really not practical or readily available for our application.  We have roughly 150 nautical miles left of this nail biting experience but there was no way to avoid the need to play this game of Russian Roulette and keep our record attempt anything more than a delivery to England.

On that note, we are doing well and we are happy to be ahead of Mari Cha IV’s record time at the moment. However, it is very much in the balance and Mother Nature has our destiny in her hands.  The low we anticipated is no longer the key feature to our final push over the weekend, which was intended to launch us toward England for an arrival early next week. The weather models have changed significantly and now we must tangle with a high pressure area that will set up a large windless region very far north and along our route.  We are not only in a race with Mari Cha IV’s legacy but very much also in a race to see if we can position ourselves for the formation of the high pressure area.  A little luck and a kind eye from Mother Nature will be needed.

Ciao for now from a very frigid Maserati,

Brad and the Maserati boys

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