Around Alone Report for November 7

Magellan Pips Balance Bar for 2nd

In the closest finish yet of this leg Britain Mike Garside has sailed Magellan Alpha to a Class 2 2nd place.  1 hour and 27 minutes later Brad Van Liew and Balance Bar finished to wrap up 3rd.

Magellan Alpha completed Leg 1 in 41 days 11 hours 1 minute and 21 seconds for an average speed of 6.83 knots.  Balance Bar's time was 41 days 12 hours 28 minutes and 27 seconds, for an identical 6.83 knot average.

Upon reaching Cape Town both skippers said the biggest problems with their boats are in the area of steering.  Magellan's Mike Garside had autopilot trouble: "The pilots were a real problem. It meant that I could never just press a button to alter course. Every time I had to come out and alter course and then click it back on." Making even small maneuvers a chore." 

Balance Bar's steering problem was rudder bearings.  Around two weeks ago the rudder bearings let go.  Brad Van Liew has sailed the last two weeks steering with the sails !  Van Liew described it this way:  "It was nearly impossible to steer the boat with the rudder, I have to get this fixed here in Cape Town because there is no way I am taking this boat into the Southern Ocean with that rudder."

So, 8 boats have reached Cape Town.  It can be said that these are the 8 boats with the chance for overall victory.  In Class I from 1st Place Group 4 to 5th place Fila, the time spread is 67 hours, just under 3 days.  Stands to reason if Group 4 can beat Fila by 67 hours, Fila can return the favor.  Although Group 4 is in a better position, Class I is still competitively wide open. 

The top 3 class boats have a 23 hour spread.  This means that one day of slow sailing due to a torn mainsail can decide this class.   Certainly after 1 leg of the race the dash for 1st place is still all on.

Still on the course are 6 Class II yachts, and 1 from Class I.  Leader of these is Rapscallion III, 1246 miles from Cape Town. Rapscallion's ETA is November 16th.  Next comes South Carolina without rudder, 1405 miles from the finish.  South Carolina continues to make good progress: "The 150 miles of  the last 24 hours is great, passing Tristan is   one of those marks on the chart we have  now reached and passed, and  the Greenwich Zero meridian is the next "point" to aim for."

The next boat is now Wind of Change.  This quick 40 footer has passed www.no-barriers.com and now leads by 17 miles.  No Barriers has been sailing in gail conditions.

Shuten Dojhi II is next 1777 miles from Cape Town and then Paladin 2 2385 miles back.

The remaining Class I yacht the Torresen Sailing Site sponsored Modern University for the Humanities is 2572 miles from Cape Town.  MUH is still having keel problems.  Skipper Fedor Konioukhov reports: "2 bolts on the keel let 50 liters of water get in side of the boat(each day)."