Please consult The Around Alone Report Users Guide for an explanation of this report. Please click on the Leg 3 updates to for information on Giovanni Soldini's rescue of Isabelle Autissier.
Now Class I has two boats remaining. As race leader Marc Thierceli says, "little by little the Class 1 is drowning in drop-outs."
Fleet Round Up:
Somewhere did not participate in the search and rescue incident. Marc Thiercelin comments on his situation: "because it was impossible for me to turn around and go back, with my boom that no longer holds, and above all being against the winds (which I had done to go look for Gerry and which ended in breaking the front of my boat)." Furhter, Somewhere will sail reefed all the way to Cape Horn due to gooseneck problems.
So, Somewhere is 365 miles ahead of PRB. Somewhere is now at 53 degrees north latitude. Thiercelin comments, "And then yesterday evening, as I approached the way point, being on the 55's, the wind getting worse and worse, I had a flash, and I pulled back from there."
Fila is now 2nd and back in the race with skipper Giovanni Soldini and Isabelle Autissier on board. Looks like Fila is back in race mode as she's moving at 13.2 knots the same as Somewhere. Keep in mind that Fila will be given around 24 hours of redress for backtracking to rescue Isabelle.
, Cray Valley is 1st in Class II by 49 miles. Upon learning of PRB's situation, J.P. Mouligne said: "To imagine that Isabelle had capsized seemed unthinkable, but it is obviously what has happen."
Magellan Alpha is 2nd in Class II. Mike Garside had this wish for Isabell Autissier: "With all my heart I hope that before Tuesday 16 February is over we all know Isabelle is safe." Wish granted.
Balance Bar is 3rd in Class II by 130 miles.
Next is the first of the 40 foot Class II entries, Wind of Change. Wind of Change is 308 miles back.
Next is Shuten Dojhi II. Shuten lies 1168 miles from 1st place.
Next is www.no-barriers.com. Neal Petersen is 1262 miles back. Neal's reaction to Autissier's rescue: "After watching a beautiful sunrise this morning, I breathed a sigh of relief when the news reached us that Issabele was safe on FILA with Giovani." More so than most Neal talks of the worries the Southern Ocean brings. Here he sums up the essential dilema of Southern Ocean sailing: "My winds are still light as we go east. I am in no hurry to go to 56 degrees South, yet I am in a hurry to get back to Charleston."
Paladin 2 comes next 1386 miles back. Up where Neil Hunter is: "Looks like we are about to get caught up in another high pressure system."
What does it all mean ?
Perhaps the best steament made is from race leader Marc Thiercelin: "What a strange race this is, perhaps the craziest and fastest that has ever been done around the planet." Seemingly the pace always picks up, and in one way or another fleet is reduced and emboldened at the same time.