Around the World of Sailing
published today

Around Alone Report January 6

Balance Bar only 44 miles back of Magellan

Please consult The Around Alone Report Users Guide for an explanation of this report.

Josh Hall and Gartmore will be the next boat to finish. He is 134 miles from Auckland and will finish within 24 hours.  This will be a disappointing result.

Fleet Round Up:

Gartmore is 134 miles from Auckland. 

6th in Class I is Modern University for the Humanities. 

Magellan is 517 miles from Auckland.   Currently Magellan is sailing at 3.3 knots. This modest speed is faster than Balance Bar. 

Balance Bar is 557 from Auckland and 40 miles from Magellan.   Currently Balance Bar is sailing at 1.7 knots, while Magellan is at 3.3.  The light air sailing is wearing on Brad: "My brain and body want to shut down so badly."  Brad describes his recent sailing: "Yesterday's battle involved 2 spinnakers, 1 drifter, 1 jib, 1 main, at least 30 gybes and probably 10 tacks with multiple drifting 360's."

Wind of Change is 4th, 751 miles from Auckland and has an ETA of 10 January.

5th is now Shuten Dojhi II 2340 miles from finishing.

6th is www.no-barriers.com 2635 miles from the end of Leg 2.  Neal Petersen is making good progress, but "Because my transom (stern) is so narrow as a result of lengthening the boat, my vessel is not as directionally stable as the beamy 50 & 60 footers. Steering downwind is like following a meandering stream. I do not have a quadrant bellow deck, so I cannot fit a big autopilot which could steer in following seas."  This lack of beam is illustrated below.

No Barriers at Charleston Maritime Center

7th is Paladin 2 2825 miles from Auckland.  Neil Hunter says: "Rather short of good books to read at the moment and am slowly plowing through one at about a page a day."

South Carolina has 4247 miles left of Leg 2.  Robin Davie reports: "I can only describe the weather as totally unbelievable - here we are south of 50 degrees south and well and truly becalmed - no wind - not even a light air at the moment - 0.0kts on the log. In a sentence - we ain't going anywhere fast - and I've just been overtaken by this afternoons teabag."

What does it all mean ?

Tough sailing for the boats approaching Auckland.   After the physical terror of the Southern Ocean they are now experience the mental concentration anguish of light air sailing.

Cumulative Standings Table