Please consult The Around Alone Report Users Guide for an explanation of this report.
The 11 boat Around Alone fleet started Leg 3 in Auckland New Zealand. Wind were east-northeasterly at 12 knots. Firing the starting cannon was Sir Edmund Hillary. Hillary is one New Zealand's own and was the first man to stand atop Mt. Everest. About Around Alone Sir Edmund said: "...looking back at when I was 65, maybe I would've liked to have joined them." Note: Hillary will turn 80 this July 20th.
Less than 5 hours after the start Fila skipper Giovanni Soldini reported that a small plane circling the fleet crashed within a half mile of Fila. The plane hit the ocean just off Balance Bar's bow. Skipper Brad Van Liew sailed Balance Bar to the sight, but the plane had sunk and was out of sight. 45 minutes after the accident there was no trace of the plane.
Fleet Round Up:
Class II boats led the fleet across the line. In order they were: www.no-barriers.com, Cray Valley and Magellan. Josh Hall and Gartmore were the first Class I boat to hit the line.
The current position report sees the fleet still tightly bunched. Somewhere leads PRB by 4.8 miles in class I. The 4 class I boats are steering courses from 111 degrees (Gartmore) to 116 degrees (Fila) and sailing at speeds of 5.4 knots 9 (Gartmore) to 6.0 knots (Somewhere).
Class II is led by Cray Valley. A mere .3 miles back is Magellan. In fact the first 5 boats in Class II are within 16 miles of each other. Courses range from 041 (Paladin 2) to 113 degrees steered by Magellan. The top speed is posted by Paladin at 5.5 knots.
Currently the fleet is sailing in light air upwind conditions. Winds are expected in a North Easterly Slant. Isabelle Autissier expects that the fleet will have to sail as far south as 60 degrees latitude to avoid high pressure systems.
Check back Sunday as Torresen Sailing Site resumes daily reports on all 11 boats sailing Around Alone's Leg 3.