Full-on
Yesterday, the trio was slowed down for a good part of the day by a light air area that caught them one by one from the west, but they came back to more consistent speeds in the morning, with a nice top speed of 8 knots for Kirsten at 0800 UTC. The distances over 24 hours are roughly similar now but it is Abhilash who gets the fleet’s best performance over 24 hours with 140 miles, taking back miles on both Minnehaha and Clara!
All three entered a zone of heavy traffic as they approached the ‘motorway of the sea’ between Ushant and Cape Finisterre TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme). There is no limit to the information coming from ships at sea, and maybe they could finally learn their respective positions and rankings on the VHF? Simon (CH) is first in the zone with a 70-mile lead and 360 to the finish, starting to feel like home!
It’s getting better and faster at the back. Michael, in third place, confirmed that the seas had flattened out and that he had – at last – dream conditions downwind. He is due to arrive about 15 days after the leaders. Jeremy (CH) at 7 knots at 0800, confirmed that he was out of the doldrums, which only lasted two days for him compared to several weeks for Kirsten. He left 25 days after the leaders, but will he arrive earlier?
