Ocean Globe Race: Jan 21 - Into the Forties - Brian Hancock Daily Blog #109

Spirit of Helsinki - Leg 3 - Ocean Globe Race - January 2023 © OGR2023

The Ocean Globe Race is a no technology crewed race around the world sailing the the traditional four leg Whitbread Round the World Race course. The Ocean Globe Race celebrates 50 years of Whitbread Round the World race, boats and sailors. Brian Hancock, a noted Round the World sailor and writer is providing a daily blog for the Ocean Globe Race. Here's the January 10 edition - #109 in the series:

OK, now we have some juice flowing, and by juice I mean some good old fashioned Southern Ocean wind. Much of the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race fleet are back into the Roaring Forties and it looks like they are going to get their as*es kicked. That smirky little High Pressure that messed with their minds has buggered off to better places to mess with someone else. Here is when the real racing begins.

Sterna and Outlaw look like they are about to bump into each other and share a beer or two. Just 19 miles separate them and they are on the same glide path. They can exchange gifts. Outlaw, being Australian will probably have some Billabong Beef that they can exchange that for some warthog biltong, something all of us South African's love. That, and a slice of hippo steak. Believe me, when you need a steak for dinner, go for hippo. I have, and I shot the hippo myself (back when I was young and dumb) but you can get a fairly decent sized steak off the rump side of a hippo, but I digress. True story by the way.

Translated 9 is legging it out. White Shadow (love that name) is not that far behind and cooking with their own gas. They are leading the Sayula Class. Spirit of Helsinki seem to be missing the boat, so to speak, but they will get the full on force of the westerlies soon enough. It looks like Neptune and Triana are having a love fest. Just three miles separate them and they are running right down the rhumb line (rhumb not rum).

It looks like things are going to get interesting in the days ahead. Most of the boats are going to enjoy a magic carpet ride but then it looks, to me at least, following Windy (not my uncle Windy) on the YB Tracker, that the pesky little High Pressure is going slip slide to the south of them and bugger up (technical term) their Monday morning. We will have to wait and see.

"It's good to make tracks while you can make tracks," as my lovely late father used to say. Get those miles in but stay safe all you great sailors participating in this great adventure. I know that I say that a lot, but what could be a greater adventure that racing a sailboat around the world? Around the whole world.

Oh, and one last shoutout to Tracy Edwards and the Maiden crew. I should have started with this but I didn't know about it until just now. As part of their educating women they have a charity that provides sanitary napkins to girls/women in countries where they don't have them readily available. Also to install private women-only bathrooms so that they can have some privacy. It used to be that girls would miss school because of the shame of it. I have a daughter so I get it. Go and support The Maiden Factor if you can. Good on you Tracy and good on the OGR for proving a global platform to bring awareness to so many issues. And FFS stop spending money on bombs and take care of your people that just need some basic health care.

About the author: Brian Hancock (RSA) is a sailmaker, racing yacht sailor and writer. He has sailed more than 250,000nm; competed in many transoceanic events including three Whitbread Round the World Races - 1981 Alaska Eagle (U.S.A.); 1985 Drum (United Kingdom); and 1989, Fazisi (Soviet Union); he is a writer on sailing topics. For The Ocean Globe Race Ocean Globe Race Brian is writing a day by day account based on his previous experiences in the Whitbread Round the World Race and other events, often related to the current position of the lead competitors on the Ocean Globe Race course.

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