Sal’s Ocean Globe Race Analysis: its never over until you hear the gun.
The Ocean Globe Race Fleet continues their relentless slog towards Cape Town.
The lead boats are approaching their last week at sea, for a few days at least. Pen Duick has been heading East, aiming at Cape Town, but have now slowed and are pointing South again, so appear to have got into the lighter airs around the centre of the High Pressure System.
Maiden and the other two lead boats are screaming along at the moment on a reach making good gains on the lead boat. There is a developing low out to the West. Lows spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and with any luck they may be able to get a ride over the top of it helping them to get a fast approach to Cape Town.
The spread within the rest of the fleet is huge. Esprit d’Equipe and Triana are behind the leaders. The Swan 53 Triana is being very well sailed and are pushing hard. Outlaw and Godspeed are over on the African Coast and have no choice but to battle on upwind. Explorer is still over on the other side of the Atlantic off the Brazilian Coast.
This leg is shaping up to be all about the leaders getting the weather breaks. That is not always the case. Often the race leaders slow up and the following pack catch up effectively restarting the race too far down the pitch for the leaders to pull out on handicap - we will see what happens with Pen Duick.
It's never over until you hear the gun.
As the Famous Last Words go: “We’re bound to win this race unless the mast falls down”.
- Sal
