#DOLDRUMS OCEAN FULL#

The entire Doldrums Corridor is 10 degrees, within two chosen degrees of latitude, outlined in the course instructions, and within this, teams can elect to use their engine and motor-sail for six of those degrees to escape the no wind area.вЂќ So, we use the Doldrums Corridor rule, which allows yachts to motor over six degrees of latitude (360 Miles), should they need to. Therefore, in the past three editions the Clipper Race Committee has used a mechanism to remove the uncertainty of the Intertropical Convergence Zone or Doldrums, the Doldrums Corridor.Дeputy Race Director, Dale Smyth explains: вЂњHistorically, with the uncertainty of the fleet getting stuck in the Doldrums, it becomes very difficult for us to work out accurate arrival times, which has a huge knock on effect for supporters and the logistics of crew both leaving and joining for later legs of the race. It is possible for a yacht to be becalmed for days on end within the grasp of this windless area. This is a difficult and tactical phase of each Clipper Race circumnavigation. It can be very difficult to predict exactly where the Doldrums will occur with any meaningful accuracy until a few days before. This band of pressure moves North and South almost on a daily basis but also according to the seasons. The expected weather is usually variable, light or calm winds, alternating with squalls and thunderous showers. The Doldrums is a broad belt of low pressure and weak pressure gradients, towards which the trade wind air streams of the Northern and Southern hemispheres flow.

#DOLDRUMS OCEAN FULL#

A snippet of the poem reads: вЂњWhatвЂ™s that on the water/ A ripple in view/ Hope its some breeze to move us a knot or two.вЂќ For the full poem click here. Paul Widdowson, a circumnavigator on board WTC Logisticsduring the race from PortimГЈo to Punta del Este in the 2019-20 edition shared his feelings and experience in a poem titled, The Doldrums. On any ocean passage there can be periods of light weather however, during Legs 1, The Atlantic Trade Winds Leg and Leg 5, The Asia Pacific Challenge, when the route crosses the equator, the crew experience the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), or as it is better known, the Doldrums. The scorching sun and high temperatures which accompany these conditions are exhausting when spending days and weeks at sea without any respite. Whilst not necessarily as physical, light and variable wind conditions can be very mentally challenging, with every sail choice, manoeuvre, and movement of the helm affecting your yachts momentum. For many when they think of ocean racing it is all about the big waves, big winds and difficult sea states, but light wind sailing can be just as tough.

Doldrums ocean