Around Alone Report for November 3

Fila is 5th into Cape Town, Davie celebrates birthday

At 0629 Cape Town time Fila finished Leg 1 of Around Alone.  Fila now has a 2 day 18 hour 9 minute and 58 second deficit from leg 1 winner Group 4.

Fila skipper Giovanni Soldini's northern gambit made him the race leader early. Soldini talked about his northern move: ""Going so far north at the start turned out to be a big mistake, but who could know.: But, as soon as the north stopped paying Soldini moved down the ranks.   Despite a hard push which saw him set the 24 hour record for a single handed monohull, he never could move out of 5th place.  With 3 legs and most of the world left Soldini maintains optimism: ""I will do better on the next leg," Soldini said. "I think we will see us break the 400-mile mark."This means all of the Class I yachts have finished, except for Modern University for the Humanities. 

Class II leader Cray Valley is now 599 miles from Cape Town, and is expected to arrive Saturday.  J.P. Mouligne says: "I am sailing very conservatively with a double reefed main and staysail but it is hard to get Cray Valley to slow down!"  2nd is Balance Bar 786 miles from Cape Town.  On board Balance Bar Brad Van Liew notes that : "There are many different types of birds that range from small active ones to the medium and huge gliders."  3rd place is held by Magellan Alpha 842 miles from Cape Town. 

South Carolina's Robin Davie celebrated his 47th birthday yesterday.  What does Robin want for his birthday ? Well, "a  new rudder would do for starters, and  South Carolina really needs a proper job autopilot and we really need a good hot  air diesel heater to be fitted in Capetown  for the 2 southern ocean legs to keep  cabin and bunk dry and warm - its freezing down there."  Robin has launched a fundraising drive to help get South Carolina ready for leg 2.  For further information please click here to visit his website.

Next is Rapscallion III 2037 miles from the finish.  2263 miles from his home land is Neal Petersen on www.no-barriers.com. Neal is readying No Barriers for a gale, but feels ready "We are bouncing, but I have my desired course for the gale, so the seas will increase, but become more comfortable."  Next is Wind of Change 1817 miles from Cape Town, followed by Shuten Dojhi II (1855) and Paladin 2 2361 miles from the finish.