GUYOT environnement - Team Europe Leg 2 Day 7: Across the equator
by Offshore Team Germany 31 Jan 2023 05:34 PST
31 January 2023
GUYOT environnement - Team Europe celebrates the crossing of the equator © Charles Drapeau / GUYOT environnement - Team Europe
GUYOT environnement - Team Europe has crossed a major milestone on the second leg of The Ocean Race.
In the early hours of 31 January and after 5 days, 7 hours, 55 minutes and 11 seconds since the start in Mindelo/Cape Verde, skipper Robert Stanjek's black yacht crossed the equator. There are now 1269.4 nautical miles in the crew's wake and three times as many ahead of them before they can celebrate the arrival at the finish of this leg.
There is still a long way to go to Cape Town/South Africa and many difficulties await Stanjek, navigator Sébastien Simon, pit Anne-Claire Le Berre, bowman Phillip Kasüske and onboard reporter Charles Drapeau as they head southeast around the St Helena High. Still, it was a good reason to celebrate when the yacht glided into the southern hemisphere in the middle of the night. The choice of the furthest east route of the five IMOCAs had paid off so far. By sailing the shortest distance in the competition, GUYOT environnement - Team Europe was the first crew to pass latitude 0. It was a moment to high-five and congratulate each other for what they had achieved so far.
"We put a lot of concentration into the trim and only made small course corrections. It also looks very good on the tracker. For the last two days we have all been sleeping on the sails in the bow to make the stern light. The mood is good, although it's very hot on this black yacht," Robert Stanjek reports and continues: "The passage of the Doldrums is a real test of patience. And after that, there are still almost 4,000 miles ahead of us. So it's not a stone's throw. From a navigational point of view, this leg is really the king's leg."