And then they were 5!
Jeremy (CH) rounded Cape Horn last night at midnight on local Ushuaia time in superb conditions: 20 knots and 3-metre sea. At a 14-miles distance he did not see the white every 5 seconds, the lighthouse having a range of 12 miles only but he celebrated his passage with the fleet’s best distance this morning: 186 miles! Tomorrow, the wind will come back stronger from the west to propel him towards the Falklands. Ian, 800 miles from the Horn, is also getting decent conditions, sometimes rough of course but eventually favourable considering the time of the year. Also his damaged mainsail is costing him a little time.
Capt Gugg is undertaking his most daring option to date, and defying the laws of physics by crossing at a good pace (3 knots average in very light winds, it’s remarkable) the centre of the high pressure that has been chasing him for days, in order to get to the right side. If he pulls it off, he will be in downwind conditions to catch up with the pack which is bound to hit the wall. With Kirsten virtually at a standstill, the timing is perfect for this kind of stunt. Hats off Michael!
It is a bit of a cruel morning for Kirsten, who only has 15% of the course to complete and got through the worst of the ridge, but has progressed 0 miles to the finish since midnight, while the map shows a light Zephyr on her position during the day. It is Abhilash, still downwind with SE winds who is making the best of the situation to take back 100 miles reducing the gap to 230 miles, but he too will have to cross the proverbial Rubicon! Simon’s Biscay (CH) is a whole 10% faster than the Rustler in the same conditions and gets the best 24/hour distance in the Atlantic: 157 miles!
