As the fleet begins its approach to the first ice gate, it is looking more and more likely that the gamble taken by ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) and Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) to stay to the north of the main bulk of the fleet, may well pay off. These two are nearest to the gate, approximately 500 miles to the north of them. Around the gate, the winds are light, but once they have passed above it, they may have the opportunity to reach off at greater speeds.

Although the rest of the fleet, positioned 100 nautical miles to the south has better breeze, they may have to sail to windward to reach the gate and this will slow them considerably. ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) is back in the lead, but for how long? The worse case scenario is struggling to get to the gate and, in the end, having to beat in an increasing northerly breeze.

“So who is right and who is wrong?” asks Knut Frostad from Brasil 1. “It’s just like playing poker. What cards to you guys hold? Or no cards at all and just showing up a brave face, trying to make everyone believe something? “

“It’s a bit hairy right now to hear the six hour scheds (position reports) and everyone onboard movistar is holding his breath when the positions come in,” wrote skipper of movistar, Bouwe Bekking, this morning. “We are trying to sail around the high and means we are nearly 50 degrees off course. It makes a huge difference if another boat sails a closer course to the waypoint,” he added.

Ericsson Racing Team (Neal McDonald) is the furthest north of the group trying to sail around the high pressure. She is 27 miles north of movistar. Movistar is just three miles north of Pirates of the Caribbean (Paul Cayard) and Cayard is 18 miles north of ABN AMRO ONE, a total north south divide of approximately 50 miles in this pack.

Share or bookmark this story: