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Around Alone Report December 27

Fila is the leader

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

Fila is still leading.  Her current ETA is 30 December in Auckland.  It looks like Fila could cut the deficit to race leader by around 1/3rd of the current 67 hour deficit.

Fleet Round Up:

Fila's still has a healthy lead, and Giovanni Soldini describes the Leg 2 end game this way: "Fila, like all of the 60' Opens," continues Giovanni, "is not built for sailing against the wind and is suffering because of it. Basically, this last part of the stage may be the most difficult of all so far".

Group 4 is still 2nd, 231 miles from Fila.  Mike Golding reports: "I have slept a lot in the past 24 hrs, conditions have been relatively settled and sleep seemed like the best pressy I could give myself."

Somewhere is now 3rd 404 miles back. Somewhere's speed is 13.3 knots fastest in the fleet.

PRB is sailing in 4th.   There has been no communications on how her pit stop in Tasmania went.  Still, her current speed of 13.3 knots would seem to indicate she is sailing well.

5th is Gartmore 1104miles out of 1st.  Her speed is 11.3 knots.

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

Cray Valley is the Class II leader, at this point by 319 miles over Magellan. J.P.  Cray Valley looks to increase this lead as she is sailing at 12.6 knot to Magellan's 11.0.

Magellan is 2nd in Class II.  

Balance Bar is 3rd, 783 miles back.   Brad Van Liew comments on his current situation: " I guess it is back to those frustrating Westerlies where I am constantly forced to play the gybe angles while I work my way to the East."

Wind of Change is 4th, 1008 miles from the lead. 

5th is now Shuten Dojhi II, which has a 49 mile lead over No Barriers.

6th is www.no-barriers.com.  No Barriers is sailing at 8.1 knots.

7th is Paladin 2, sailing along at 7.8 knots.  Neil Hunter says: "As I type this Paladin is rocking and rolling and crashing and banging but, having gone a bit north last night, it is not as bad as it was further south."

Rapscallion III has now officially dropped out and is returning to Cape Town.

South Carolina has now been racing for one week and Robin Davie reports: "I had hoped to be a little further down the line than this by now, and certainly much further south."

What does it all mean ?

Now we shall see if Mike Golding can pull off another end game victory.  According to Golding: "Clearly Gio is in trouble where he is, getting north seems to be the game at present and I am furthest south, so must work the hardest to climb north."  Clearly if Soldini is ill positioned then Golding in 2nd place Group 4 would be well positioned to capitalize.  This type of scenario paid off for him on Leg 1, we shall see in the next 3 or so days if he will score another comeback win.

Standings Table