Global gales subside

by Rachel Anning on 2 Jul 2005 There are just a final few days left before the Global Challenge yachts race into La Rochelle and the final stopover - before the homecoming in Portsmouth on around 16th July.

The latest ETA puts the lead boats arriving into the French city on Tuesday, as Team Stelmar continues her lead of the fleet, with a growing distance of 21 nautical miles in front of Imagine It. Done, just four miles in front of Me To You.

Yacht crews have been reporting boat speeds of up to 23 knots as they hurtle towards La Rochelle – now racing pros in their own right.

However, after two days of gale force conditions, it looks like these conditions are starting to subside, which could have an interesting effect on the leaderboard.

Imagine It. Done. Skipper, Dee Caffari, told Race HQ this afternoon: ‘With the wind easing it's back to the kites and trimming our way to France.’

Likewise Duggie Gillespie, skipper of Spirit of Sark, who says, ‘the wind is finally beginning to drop after two days of gale force downwind. We have just changed from poled out headsail to the spinnaker, making the boat more stable, in what are still quite rough seas.

‘We are continuing to take advantage of the squeeze and higher winds between a low and high pressure, but are looking to the high pressure system that is moving in from the south over the next day. This will make the jostling for positions more interesting, with very few miles between us and our main rivals.’

Teams will no doubt be nervously watching their rivals as tactical decision-making becomes critical in these final stages of the leg.

Race positions:

Team Stelmar 615 (miles to finish)

Imagine It. Done. 21 (miles to leader)

Me To You 25

BP Explorer 31

BG SPIRIT 33

VAIO 42

Spirit of Sark 43

SAIC La Jolla 46

Team Save the Children 48

Pindar 52

Samsung 88

www.globlchallenge2004.com