Clipper 05-06: A Prickly Situation

As the fleet approaches the wonderfully named Porcupine Abyssal Plain to the west and south of Ireland, they are moving in a somewhat confused meteorological situation. As the weather chart (provided by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Centre in the USA) shows the fleet is spread out in the south eastern quadrant of a small low pressure system. This is providing them with reasonable breeze at the moment, but this could change over the next 24 hours. Looking at the chart the British Isles are in the middle of an area of very little pressure gradient, the remains of the high pressure system that is now moving east over central Europe.