Globe40 Leg 5 Update: Credit Mutuel at the Horn - a first for a Class40 Scow

Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier lead the 5th leg © Sirius Events

Today at 13:03:12 UTC (14:03:12 European time), the Class40 CREDIT MUTUEL No. 202 rounded Cape Horn and crossed the intermediate ranking line for this leg with a comfortable lead.

Cape Horn was, for once, welcoming, with winds of around ten knots and moderate seas, which was far from the case even 24 hours earlier. This is both a personal achievement for the two skippers, for whom it's a first, and a major step forward for the Class40, which is once again proving, two-thirds of the way through the second edition of the GLOBE40, its ability to compete on long ocean courses. But there are still 3,000 miles to go to reach Recife, Brazil, in a South Atlantic renowned for its treacherous conditions: brutal gusts of wind from the Andes, calm zones, unpredictable weather, numerous intensive fishing fleets, and oil platforms.

Access to the mythology of Cape Horn

Whatever the previous record of the two CREDIT MUTUEL team sailors, and it is filled with victories in the most prestigious races, rounding Cape Horn remains an accomplishment. It connects the two skippers to an ancient history, largely become a legend, and to a mythology: that of the great sailing narratives of the 19th century. A mythology that even the ultra-high performance of the latest foiling monohulls and multihulls hasn't been able to erase. And in the eyes of others, having rounded Cape Horn at least once makes you a sailor who commands respect. In the crews of this second edition, only Mélodie Schaeffer and Paul Stratford, sailing together on the Canadian project WHISKEY JACK, had this pedigree. After the trials and tribulations at the start of this fifth leg—technical damage to the Belgian competitor, the fleet of high-performance Class40s stuck in calms—CREDIT MUTUEL approached this final leg with complete serenity, holding a lead of nearly 600 miles over its direct competitor in the overall standings, BELGIUM OCEAN RACING-CURIUM, which officially remains in first place.

A major step forward for the Class40

Having sailed the entire Class40 fleet from Lorient to Valparaiso without any accidents or major incidents had already proven the ability of the latest generation "scow" Class40s to compete in major ocean races, previously dominated by larger monohull and multihull classes, and requiring significantly larger budgets. This is a new milestone for the Class40, and it's interesting to note that after the pioneering first scow, CREDIT MUTUEL - number 158 - in 2019, the same team is once again leading the way with this symbolic milestone of rounding Cape Horn; they will be followed in approximately 48 hours by the classic Class40s - which have already sailed around the world - and by the Belgian competitor. This race also brought the Class40 to the forefront by twice breaking the 24-hour distance record of 459 nautical miles during the GLOBE40 (stages 2 and 4). Beyond the technical feats, it also opens the door to all those who want to experience the exhilarating thrill of the Southern Ocean and the challenge of a demanding round-the-world race, completed in legs in an international environment, while maintaining an accessible budget.

A South Atlantic crossing fraught with challenges

Another 3,000 nautical miles await the skippers of CREDIT MUTUEL and all the other crews. The experience of other races in the region in recent years has clearly demonstrated the difficulties of this South Atlantic crossing. Moreover, it was on this route that the only accident of the first edition occurred: Japanese competitor Masa Suzuki, accompanied by Estelle Greck, struck a floating object, probably fishing gear, which forced him into a long, unplanned stopover in Argentina. The racers will have to avoid the numerous hazards of this Atlantic course before reaching the southeast trade winds coming from South Africa in the final part of the race.

Track the fleet here.