Barcelona World Race 2007 www.barcelonaworldrace.com - Übersicht Tuesday 20th November 2007 HUGO BOSS POWERS INTO THIRD PLACE IN THE BARCELONA WORLD RACE Thomson and Cape climb from eight to third in just three days British yachtsman Alex Thomson and his Australian co-skipper Andrew Cape have moved into third place on day nine of the Barcelona World Race. It's been a frustrating start to the inaugural double-handed round the world yacht race, which sees nine teams race each other non-stop around the world. The race which started from Barcelona on 11th November, has seen the fleet battle it out so far in light and fluky Mediterranean conditions. Now powered up out in the Atlantic HUGO BOSS is intent on catching the leaders as she heads down the west coast of Africa, chasing second place. Thomson commented: "Capey [Andrew Cape] and I have had a very frustrating start to the Barcelona World Race. We have experienced really light winds all the way from Barcelona and are very much looking forward to reaching the trade winds in the next few days. We are both incredibly happy with the way things have gone so far, as we are not built to be fast in light airs; so to be in this position is a great feeling. We have both worked hard to keep the boat moving and all credit to Capey for navigating us round the wind holes and getting us back in the race." From eighth place on Friday, HUGO BOSS has stormed through the fleet to reach third place last night in the more consistent breeze. One of the more powerful boats in the IMOCA Open 60 class, she is now 95 miles behind leader Paprec Virbac and 69 miles behind second placed PRB. Thomson and Cape will be intent on reeling in the front runners who will soon reach the strong and favourable trade winds. With 23,000 nautical miles to go before the finish back in Barcelona and around 80 days at sea, there is still everything to play for. Veteran navigator Andrew Cape commented: "So far this race has been better for sunbathing than for sailing, but you have to do what you can with the conditions you are given. We have had a good time so far and are looking forward to seeing what HUGO BOSS can really do in the stronger breeze." The new generation of Open 60 racing yachts are considerably wider than the last generation, with HUGO BOSS being one of the widest. This means that in stronger, more consistent wind these boats are incredibly fast, however in the light winds they stick to the water like glue. Now that Thomson and Cape have broken out into the Atlantic and passed the Canary Islands they will soon start feeling the effects of the trade winds. The fleet will race across the South Atlantic, through the Doldrums, before heading into the Southern Ocean and on to New Zealand. The boats will then pass through the Cook Straits before heading south-east to Cape Horn and finally north up the Atlantic to the finish in Barcelona. The 25,000 mile course should take three months to complete, finishing in February 2008. - End - Vendée Globe - Around the world, single-handed, non-stop, without assistance Start: November 2008, Les Sables d'Olonne, France Finish: February 2009, Les Sables d'Olonne, France The blue riband event that launched Dame Ellen MacArthur to fame. 3 months around the world's oceanic wildernesses, alone, non-stop and without any outside assistance. Official supplier of legends since 1989 and run every 4 years since, this epic race has yet to be won by a non-Francophone. www.vendeeglobe.org Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE