Sal's Ocean Globe Race: Very Fast Sailing in South Westerly Winds
It has been a busy time for the leaders of the Ocean Globe Race on their way to Cape Horn.
They have had some very fast sailing in strong South Westerly winds for the last couple of days over a large low pressure system. Lead boats got away from the mid pack who didn’t get into the breeze until later. The middle boats are still in the big breeze and gaining precious miles on the leaders, who are now in lighter airs; it will give the slower boats a better chance of doing well in the IRC handicaps as there is now a shorter distance for the faster boats to regain their time.
The next target for the fleet is the 3rd waypoint at 53 degrees South.There is some tricky weather between Maiden and that invisible mark on the course. The lighter airs are set to continue for the next few days making the approach to the waypoint difficult, with the possibility of upwind sailing if they drop too far South. It will all depend on whether they are getting good forecasts.
The main feature of the last few days will have been the cold. The South Westerly blowing from Antarctica is a bitter wind, it goes straight through you rather than round you, chilling you to the bone if you are not properly dressed.
Although the boats in this race are “Sailing Like it’s 1973” one big difference is their clothing. Breathable foul weather gear was not available until the 90’s so the waterproofs were waterproof inside and out. Helming in the Southern Ocean is hard physical work, as are the sail changes and gybes and working up a sweat happens almost every watch and without breathable foulies that sweat had nowhere to go! The constant damp was sore on the skin and especially with no washing facilities. We always made a point of making extra water on the day of arrival to have a good wash and saved a set of clothes that were kept “for best”.
It made vast improvement, but I do remember that the Customs Officers who invariably came on board at the end of a leg never hung around very long! -SalSally (Sal) Hunter was part of the original Maiden crew to sail around the world in the 89/90 Whitbread Race. Sal has joined the Maiden Shore Team for the duration of the Ocean Globe Race, tracking Maiden and keeping us updated with sailing analysis updates!
