Please consult The Around Alone Report Users Guide for an explanation of this report.
Fila has again closed on Somewhere. The gap should narrow as Somewhere will be stopping to make gooseneck repairs. The race for Class I is as competitive as ever even with only 2 boats racing.
Fleet Round Up:
Somewhere leads the race. The gap to 2nd place Fila is 227 miles. Marc Thiercelin will make his repair stop at Aguire Bay 75 miles north east of Cape Horn. At Aguire Bay he will repair his gooseneck, and also stitch up his genoa. It is essential that he make repairs to the gooseneck as in his current configuration he can't effectively sail upwind.
Fila is now 2nd 227 miles back. At last report Fila was sailing at 11.4 knots, 5.4 knots faster than Somewhere. Fila has not yet passed Cape Horn, but should round the landmark today.
Cray Valley is 1st in Class II by 138 miles, 23 less than yesterday.
Magellan Alpha is 2nd in Class by 138 miles, a
significant gain of 23 miles.. Mike Garside describes the huge Southern Ocean waves
and their affect on Magellan Alpha: "Those from astern give Alphie a hefty shove up
the bum to sending him flying forward from 8 knots to 24 in a couple of hundred yards. The
waves that pounce from the beam either deal us a mighty slap or, at worst, pick us up and
throw us downhill where we crash to a halt, winded and groaning." In the midst
of this storm, Mike Garside has finished reading 60's rock star Marianne Faithful's
autobiography and comments: "I don't suppose many copies of her book have been read
below fifty five degrees south!"
Balance Bar is 3rd in Class II by 273 miles 11 miles farther than yesterday. Brad Van Liew offers an alternative point of view on the Southern Ocean storm he is in: "These conditions are beautiful when you make a concerted effort to look at them from an objective point of view. The driving snow across the windswept sea scape is not something many people get to view from this vantage point."
Next is the first of the 40 foot Class II entries, Wind of Change. Wind of Change is 521 miles back, a 27 mile loss.
Next is Shuten Dojhi II. Shuten lies 1598 miles from 1st place.
Next is www.no-barriers.com. Neal Petersen is 1855 miles back. Neal comments: "I have NNE wind and progressing towards the Horn. Some time mid March I will get there. The sooner the better."
Paladin 2 comes next 2037 miles back. From Paladin Neil Hunter comments: "All's well and no dramas. Still hard on the breeze though. Bit of sun would be nice."
What does it all mean ?
The storm system currently ranges from 80 to 110 degrees west longitude. This puts the top 4 Class 2 boats in heavy weather, with the bottom 3 boats sailing towards it.