Golden Globes 2022: Leaders approach (…)

Simon Curwen (UK) consolidates its lead over the rest of the fleet. However he lost the ensign from Genoa which would require Trinidad to stop for repairs, and the condition of the sea did not allow him to climb the mast. But the man of the week is Abhilash Tomy (IND) who gave the best performance of the week, and the best distance ever. 24 hours
24 hours
24 hour distance record
and the register
register
# sailing
Absolute distances fleet over 7 days, taking over 210 miles on Simon!

The top five will converge on Trindade over the weekend, but they won’t be able to immediately turn left, blocked by strong east winds, which promise a slow, arduous 2,600-mile crossing into Cape Town. On paper, the best route to the cape is to pass south of Sainte-Hlne High in windy conditions and push towards the Cape of Good Hope in the Indian Ocean.

A, in theory… Practically speaking, today the center of the summit is located about 10°W and 40°S, 1,200 miles south of Trinidad. It is pushed east leaving a trail of weak winds. A more southerly depression will move north by the middle of next week. In short, it is chaos, with unstable winds and a difficult outlook for sailors.

To get to the right side and ensure favorable conditions, they would have to push south towards the massive forties, 1,200 nautical miles or an additional 10 days. Weather information will be crucial. Weatherfax chart (if they get one off the Brazilian coast), atmospheric pressure and wind direction will be their best allies in determining when to turn left. Even so, they have no guarantee that they will find the conditions they are looking for.

Don McIntyre, founder and president Golden Globes race
Golden Globes race
Golden Globes
:

They all know the best solution is to go around Upper St. Helena, which is what we did in the BOC Challenge and what other races are doing around the world, but where is it? Conditions are very unstable and anticyclones are not well established. The Speed
Speed
# Speed
GGR sailboats do not allow rapid weather changes, and there will be many surprises and opportunities between Trindade and Cape Town.

Leaders will not be favored by these unstable conditions. This opens up an opportunity for Damien Guillou (FRA), who is making his way between the mid-fleet peloton and the top five. His strategy is to go south of the Highlands and set out for South Africa, but so far he has not been attracted to the conditions prevailing in the southern hemisphere:

Alizs du Sud didn’t keep his promise: I’m downwind in rough seas and in transit, so I try not to cover too much to keep a sturdy boat in the waves. I can’t open the lid because of the waves, and the heat inside is unbearable. I’m looking forward to sailing downwind, but I’ll settle for a ray of light!

Only Kirsten Neuschfer (SA) followed a coastal path to catch the current along the Brazilian coast and wasn’t planning on seeing Trindade up close. She’s spent more time in the South Atlantic alone aboard Skip Novak’s Pelagic than the rest of the fleet combined, which may make the difference on the way to Cape Town. She still has a few cards up her sleeve!

I’m a little further west than I would have liked, but I’m happy with my position, even if I’m sad not to see Trinidad. I did not receive weather information from the Canary Islands and saw very few boats. I’ll try to get a weather map on Weatherfax Rio to get the location of the South Atlantic high and try to get it!

Guy Waits (UK) leaves the Northern Hemisphere with barnacles, but celebrates his crossing of the equator with champagne given by his French friends, whom he thanked in a tweet. There are only three boats left in the northern hemisphere. Ian Herbert Jones (UK) on Puffin is in good spirits despite slow progress and failure of the mainsail cars. He accepted that his stagnant experience would be longer and more difficult than he had expected. Arnaud Gaist (FRA) manages the stasis perfectly, mentally and in his navigation, he closes the gap with the fleet and cannot be the last sailor to cross the equator. Follow !

Meanwhile, Elliot Smith (USA) is a hit in rank and morale after another week of lackluster progress in the eastern fleet, a big change from the fun and straightforward experience he had between France and the Canary Islands.

He shared his frustration during the weekly satellite call, and his desperation that his two spare compasses broke in their enclosures in transit, while his master compass no longer worked properly. He must now rely on a bearing compass for the next seven months!

Fortunately, Elliott is the first of three extremes to take advantage of a small low pressure system that crosses their east-west path before the weekend, bringing sustained southerly winds, and perhaps their chance to eventually cross the equator!

Changing conditions, whether it’s strong and headwinds in the Bay of Biscay, trade winds on the African Coast Route, or light and unstable winds in the stagnant zone, have shown that very different sailboats can have the same performance.