Globe40 Leg 5 Update: On the road to the Horn, tough first days

Dolphins along for the ride during Globe40 Leg 5 © Globe40

After a superb start in Valparaiso Bay, the competitors in the 5th leg had to contend with very challenging conditions as soon as they passed the protective point of the bay; namely, a course to sail upwind in 25 to 30 knots of wind and choppy seas.

With a southerly wind preventing a direct route to the Horn, the skippers must first head southwest of the Chilean coast to find a high-pressure system that will allow them to find calmer winds and turn south towards the downwind conditions.

After three wonderful weeks exploring Chile, the wake-up call is abrupt and rather brutal for the skippers, who are now back to life on the water. This is especially true since the competitors in this second edition of the GLOBE40 have barely sailed upwind in a breeze since the start, with the exception of a brief passage around Cape Finisterre. The scows, constantly slamming with every wave, are particularly harsh in this respect, although life isn't easy for the traditional boats either. Everyone is patiently waiting to find favorable winds and the speeds of the previous legs. Both crew and equipment are suffering, but no damage has been reported so far. And while nearly 470 miles had been covered by the evening of Friday, February 21st, only less than half – 221 miles – had been covered on the direct route.

As expected, Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier on CREDIT MUTUEL immediately set the bar very high, capitalizing on their shared experience from several previous legs. Jonas Gerckens and Corentin Douguet on BELGIUM OCEAN RACING - CURIUM are currently showing a slight speed deficit and are 29 miles behind in the 10:00 PM French time (9:00 PM UTC) rankings today; the two skippers will need to find the right formula once this new crew has settled in, and there's a long way to go. Among the top-class boats, the fleet is very tightly packed, with BARCO BRASIL and FREEDOM within 15 miles of each other, having resumed their duel from the pre-Sydney legs, separated by only 0.5 miles. One can imagine FREE DOM's delight at finding themselves in the thick of the race after their solo crossing of the Pacific. JANGADA RACING, WHISKEY JACK, and WILSON are following each other a few miles behind.

Around 9:00 PM (8:00 PM UTC) this evening, February 20th, CREDIT MUTUEL was the first to tack and head south, still on the current course towards Cape Horn, approximately 1,300 miles away; routing forecasts predict the first arrivals at the legendary island will be in 5 days, on Thursday, February 26th.

VERBATIM: Jonas Gerckens - BELGIUM OCEAN RACING - CURIUM "The first few hours of racing on this Leg 5 of the GLOBE40 were intense and...heeled! 20-25 degrees of heel is always tiring, especially when it's slamming hard. In 3-4 meter seas and 25-35 knot winds, we're slowly heading towards the anticyclonic curve that will allow us to sail down towards Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. We're sailing well with Corentin Douguet and we've finally managed to stem the tide a bit with the bankers. The dolphins came to greet us in large numbers, as expected."

VERBATIM: Thibaut Lefevere - FREE DOM "The night is completely black, offering us a superb starry sky." We can't really enjoy it because life on board is hectic, with the boat heeling and slamming into the waves. We're just snacking for now, but haven't had a chance to make a proper freeze-dried meal yet. During my second watch, the carbonation system no longer indicates any wind, so I switch to starboard to continue sailing in wind mode on the autopilot. While working on the routing, we realize that Cape Horn will be here soon, so we think about how to approach it if certain conditions arise. I switch out of time trial mode and back into offshore racing mode with the other boats. We're still fine-tuning things and getting a bit of a rough ride.

Track the fleet here.