Stealth strategy pays quick dividends

SAILING VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Week Two Diary Justin Slattery, on board Irish yacht Green Dragon, reports on how a clever choice helped them to grab the lead

WE'RE IN the lead! We're about 20 miles or so ahead of the next boat and it's a fantastic feeling.

We held our nerve and stayed out west when everyone else was heading south towards the infamous Doldrums, but so far it's paying off as we cross the Atlantic towards South America.

However, it's the second time this week we've thought west was best - and the first time resulted in us adopting clandestine tactics to get back into the game.

Stealth Play is a new element to the race. Every three hours, each boat gets a position report showing exactly where all the other teams are. By activating Stealth Play you effectively "disappear" off the radar for 12 hours and the other boats don't have a clue where you are.

As we headed towards the Canary Islands earlier in the week our weather information favoured taking a westerly route around Tenerife. However, very soon it became apparent that we'd made a mistake. Both Puma and Ericsson 4 had taken advantage of a heat low off the coast of Africa, which had paid off handsomely. They were in 10 knots more wind than us - like freight trains blasting south.

We knew we had to cut our losses and head south by sailing between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Telefonica Black were out west with us, so we decided to go into Stealth Play in the hope that they wouldn't follow us and would continue going west. It worked, and within 12 hours they had lost over 140 miles. We entered Stealth Play in fourth place and came out of it in fourth. Not great, but certainly not as bad as it could have been.

Sailing between the islands was pretty cool and we were quite close inshore. It must have been quite a sight for sunbathers on the beach seeing a huge VO70 yacht steam past in 30 knots of wind.

With the Canaries out of the way, the next tactical decision was how to tackle the Cape Verde Islands. Our navigator, Ian Moore, and skipper Ian Walker favoured going west again. It was a difficult call considering our experience in the Canaries, but our confidence grew onboard as we sailed into the lead on Sunday.

It's a real strategy game right now where a good decision can pay handsomely and a bad one can be disastrous.

At night it's been like sailing in daylight as the full moons have been so bright. It's been great to watch the flying fish hurtling towards the boat. They jump out of the water at great speed. I think it's the instruments that attract them as they try to escape our hull crashing through the waves. It caused much hilarity when Damian Foxall and Andrew McLean were hit straight in the face with a fish. I think our skipper Ian laughed solidly for about two days.

The atmosphere on board is great. It's been fantastic sailing in great weather, surfing along in 20 to 25 knots. We call it champagne sailing. We'd all be in shorts and T-shirts, but there's so much water coming over the deck that we have to protect our skin from the salt. Salt can lead to all sorts of skin complaints, so, despite the sunshine, we're all dressed up in foul weather gear. As you can imagine, it's getting a bit sweaty and will only get worse as we head further south.

We're gybing the boat every two hours or so. Every time we make the manoeuvre we have to move everything from one side of the boat to the other. That means heaving two to three tonnes worth of sails and equipment in our 70-foot sweat box.

Mealtimes are always the highlight of the day, but on Sunday it was extra special. It was my daughter Molly's first birthday and my wife had hidden some photos of her and a message in my food bag. I can't wait to give her a big birthday hug when I see her.

It hasn't been such a good week for our watch captain, Neal McDonald. He hurt his hand on a daggerboard and had to cut off his wedding ring with a hacksaw to save his swollen finger.

So, for now, we're out in front as we head into the Doldrums, but we're all aware that anything can happen over the next few days. Notorious for little or no wind, the Doldrums can prove to be the most expensive parking lot in the Atlantic. We're well positioned at the moment, so let's hope we have a little luck on our side.