Kleinjans nears the end of his Portimão Global Ocean Race

by Oliver Dewar on 25 Jun 2009
After 21 days crossing the North Atlantic, the final competitor in the Portimão Global Ocean Race, solo sailor Michel Kleinjans, will cross the Leg 5 finish line shortly after midday UTC today (25/06).

In the latest position poll at 0620 UTC on Thursday morning, Kleinjans and Open 40, Roaring Forty, are 25 miles off Cape Saint Vincent on the south-western tip of Portugal with a further 19 miles of racing along the country’s southern coast to the finish line at the mouth of Portimão’s River Arade.

At dawn this morning, a heavy layer of cloud is beginning to break up as Roaring Forty closes in on the finish line with around eight knots of north-westerly breeze and an average speed of seven knots. The wind should pick up slightly throughout the morning and it is hoped that Belgium’s premier solo sailor will not suffer the lack of breeze that has greeted the double-handed fleet as they rounded the final headland of Punta da Piedade just west of Portimão.

For Kleinjans, the Portimão Global Ocean Race has provided almost 160 days of non-stop, offshore action and the solo sailor has never failed to impress the double-handed teams in the fleet with his ability to keep pace with the Class 40s. Leg 5 has been unique in that Roaring Forty soon fell behind the main fleet as Kleinjans battled with exhaustion after his boat’s refit in Charleston, South Carolina, following the collision with a container ship east of Grand Bahama. There is no doubt the Roaring Forty will receive a massive welcome from the teams already moored in Portimão.

http://www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com