Are we there yet ?
The wind is easing a little on the leading trio as excitement is growing at GGR Race Control, preparing for a group finish. Simon has passed through the commercial traffic, Kirsten is now entering it, and Abhilash is preparing for it, with the very much alive memory of his encounter with the Rotra Vente last August. So it’s not the end of watch for the trio, with fishing getting more intense on the approaches of the continental shelf, and a wind that looks unstable in the middle of the week. They are however in the last percent of their round the world voyage!
Good speeds with 164 miles/24h for Minnehaha and 154 for Bayanat, who are closing the gap on Clara/Howdens, the slowest in the trio at noon. Abhilash will be the first this afternoon to be slowed down by the light bubble coming from the west, but also the first to benefit from the return of the wind from the SW tomorrow Wednesday. Thursday and especially Friday look complicated with capricious, mostly light winds. They can’t, under the NOR, use the engine at least 250 miles from Les Sables d’Olonne.
Further south, Michael has altered course downwind towards the Azores, 800 miles away, a week’s sailing from his position, and will cross a low-pressure system on his path this weekend. The Atlantic is not a holiday! Jeremy didn’t forget to wish his mum a happy birthday and is finally on a more northerly and shorter course, with easing winds. He is only 700 miles from the Cape Verde Islands.
The routing models differ and the GGR boats’ polars are somewhat approximate, but the forecast is still 28th for Kirsten, 29th for Abhilash, arrival on 27th for Simon.
