18.01.2007
Day 69: A great escape?
After seeing its lead nearly cut in half over the past 10 days or so, Paprec-Virbac 2 has been sailing faster than its opposite number, Hugo Boss, for much of the day. And for the first time in days, the forecast finally appears to be favouring the race leader. Have they made a great escape?
"We've been working really hard to make sure it stays windy," co-skipper Damian Foxall told us today. "We had a bad day yesterday, but we've been lucky enough to ahead again of a front, which is good, because behind it's going to get very, very light. And on the other side of all that light stuff we have our mates on Hugo Boss! If we've got through this thing, we're back in more like 'oceanic' type scenario, with one high pressure that creates the trade winds."
Image
Paprec-Virbac 2 passing through Cook Strait, New Zealand
© Chris Cameron / DPPI / Barcelona World Race http://media.barcelonaworldrace.com
For both boats in the South Atlantic, the situation reindexs complicated with small low pressure systems bubbling off the South American coast. The resulting winds are variable in speed and direction and in the centre of these mini systems are minefields of calm winds. That's the situation that Hugo Boss faces today and likely well into the weekend as well.
Roaring in towards Cape Horn are Temenos II and Mutua Madrileña as they battle for third position in the Barcelona World Race. The Spanish pair on Mutua Madrileña has been closing fast over the past couple of days, working the gap down to less than 150 miles - about 10 or 12 hours at the pace at which the two are sailing. Temenos II should be first at the Horn, overnight tonight, with chasing Spanish due to arrive near noon (GMT) on Saturday.
"We are approaching the Cape and the wind is shifting and decreasing a lot so there are a lot of manoeuvres, some gybing, reefing, shaking out the reef," explained Dominique Wavre from on board Temenos this afternoon. "So we are spending a lot of time on deck, not really doing our regular watch pattern, as we're working a lot on our strategy with Mutua Madrileña closing so much."
Still four or five days from the famed Cape, Educación sin Fronteras has had a good 24 hours, racking up a solid 302 mile day as they spend their last days in the Southern Ocean. Already, co-skipper Servane Escoffier says she's seeing signs that their journey in the south is nearing its conclusion.
"It's great, it's nice and sunny today," Servane said. "But the weather is changing quickly here. We're already seeing less albatross these days but the temperature is dropping again as we head more south for Cape Horn. I think we're far from the risky area for ice though now. It should be okay."
Day 69 - January 18, 14:00 GMT - Position report with distance to leader
1. PAPREC-VIRBAC 2 - Jean Pierre DICK / Damian FOXALL - 4781 to finish
2. HUGO BOSS - Alex THOMSON / Andrew CAPE - 565
3. TEMENOS II - Dominique Wavre / Michele PARET- 2270
4. MUTUA MADRILENA - Javier SANSO / Pachi RIVERO - 2403
5. EDUCACION SIN FRONTERAS - Servane ESCOFFIER / Albert BARGUES - 3378
Abandoned - VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT - Roland JOURDAIN / Jean Luc NELIAS
Abandoned - ESTRELLA DAMM - Guillermo ALTADILL / Jonathan MCKEE
Abandoned - DELTA DORE - Jérémie BEYOU / Sidney GAVIGNET
Abandoned - PRB - Vincent Riou / Sebastien JOSSE
In Quotes - Javier Sanso, Mutua Madrileña: "Pachi is sleeping; just off his watch, and we are doing long watches now. After six hours on deck at the helm getting into the bunk where it is nice and warm is a real pleasure, it is still quite cold. I know this part of the world quite well, the last time I was here was ten years ago with some friends on an expedition, and I said I would be back in a race - and here I am, I am really happy about that. We are in a competition and having a great race, with a competitive boat and once we round we are going for the kill- full on like as if we were on a TP52!"
Channel 4 in the UK has announced it will broadcast the first of six weekly episodes of 'The Barcelona World Race' this Sunday, January 20th. Further screenings will be available on the digital service 'More4', so be sure to check local listings. A preview is available on the Barcelona World Race website.
See the multimedia section at www.barcelonaworldrace.org for all the latest photos, videos and audio clips from the race course.
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Lou Newlands
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