Barcelona World Race, opportunities in Capo Verde?
Barcelona World RaceEnglishIMOCA 60In evidenzaOceanoVela 8 Gennaio 2015 Zerogradinord 0
Capo Verde – If there is cause for concern aboard Hugo Boss this morning it will be that Cheminees Pojoulat remain an every present threat, about 14 miles behind them, not that the Swiss-French duo Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam are computed to be ahead on the leader board.
The tracker system calculates the distance to the next waypoint and so in this case that seems to give Cheminees Poujoulat a lead on the water, but clearly they are still behind Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes.
Speeds are still high. The pace is relentless. Fatigue starts to set in today. The first 24 hours of fast trade winds sailing can be sustained on adrenalin, the fleet was very close. Now today the speeds are still high and the stakes are high. A small error when the leading pack are making 17 to 19 kts costs distance immediately.
GAES Centros Auditivos were first to gybe yesterday, their downwind pace was not quite matching the others and so the chose to go first.
When Neotrogena and Cheminees Poujoulat crossed last evening it was Stamm and Le Cam who were ahead of Guillermo Altadil and Jose Munoz. Maybe Le Cam will breathe a sigh of relief passing the Cape Verde islands today. Four years ago his race ended there with Bruno Garcia after their mast broke.
A more accurate picture will become clear this morning as the leaders all line up to pass through the Cape Verde Islands. There are ten of these volcanic islands, with the highest peak at 2500m. Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio – generally are fairly flat. Mountains higher than 1,280 metres are found on Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau. So picking the best route through can be key.
The route to the west does not seem to hold much appeal. There is more wind to the west but it requires many more miles to be sailed.
The breeze is forecast to drop after the leaders pass through the island group. The first should arrive at around 1800hrs this evening and be through by 0100hrs Friday morning .
And it is then that we should get the true picture of what’s what as they sprint on south towards the Doldrums and the Equator.
To follow the race on the tracker click here.
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