Globe40 2025/26 Stage 2 Update - Credit Mutuel regains the race lead
by Sirius Events 23 Oct 01:59 PDT
23 October 2025
Ian Lipinski and Amélie Grassi on Credit Mutuel © Jean-Marie Liot /
www.jmliot.com
Ian Lipinski and Amélie Grassi reclaimed the lead this morning, at the 10.00 ranking; they had relinquished it on October 15th, 7 days and 8 hours earlier.
Once they had crossed the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean at Cape Agulhas, the two Class 40 leaders took separate courses. CREDIT MUTUEL continued on the same route eastward along the 42 degreesS limit, apparently with more wind, while BELGIUM OCEAN RACING - CURIUM took a more direct route to Reunion Island, heading northeast. For the first time in a long time, the two duellists were no longer in contact, even though the gap had never exceeded 42 miles since leaving Cape Verde. The reasons? In a message this morning (see next post), the Belgian crew explained that their energy problems, including complete breakdowns, forced them to take a route that wasn't necessarily the one they had intended. But the goal remains to arrive safely and in first place at the finish line in St. Paul's Bay.
NEXT GENERATION BOATING AROUND THE WORLD, for its part, has made a spectacular comeback in recent days; up to 660 miles behind the leaders, it is now only about 200 miles behind the leaders; 400 miles made up in just a few days, with just one day where it too entered the 400-mile-in-24-hours club! Taking advantage of a windy westerly system, Lennart Burke and Melvin are also putting all their energy—and it's great in their discovery of the southern seas—into catching up with the leaders; given the complexity of the weather systems over the next few days, the task doesn't seem impossible.
This marks the 20th change of leader for this 2nd edition of the GLOBE40, which is definitely not lacking in twists and turns. And there are still 1,860 miles of direct route to cover before arriving at Reunion Island.
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