As race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede closes on a very stormy Cape of Good Hope, Race organisers posted two navigation warnings to the fleet on Sunday, and today have raised the southern limit to 42°S from Longitude 40°E to keep the fleet clear of the worst conditions in the South Indian Ocean.
Loïc Lepage is running short of fresh water and praying for rain
Don McIntyre, the Race Chairman explains: “This is early Spring in the Southern Ocean and the fleet will be 2-weeks or more ahead of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston 50 years ago in rounding the Cape of Good Hope and entering the Roaring Forty latitudes.
From the satellite images, which of course were never available to the original Golden Globe Race skippers, it is clear that the remnants of the winter storms are still running through the 40 and 50 latitudes. Raising the exclusion line to 42°S now is a prudent measure to keep the 2018 GGR fleet from straying into the worst of this weather.”
Postions at 08:00 UTC today, showing new exclusion zone and storms raging south of the Cape of Good Hope
Van Den Heede and his followers still face some uncomfortable sailing. South of the Cape, the Agulhas Current is running in a clockwise cauldron at between 3-4knots, which when mixed with strong south westerly winds, is creating a vicious sea state for these small yachts to cross. Van Den Heede’s Rustler 36 Matmut will be the first to experience this during the latter part of this week followed by second placed Dutchman Mark Slats currently trailing the Frenchman 515 miles astern.
Behind them, the 10 other sailors within the GGR have been reporting mixed weather. Indian Abhilash Tomy (Suhaili replica Thuriya) has been dogged by light winds all last week as a high pressure system followed his every move. Britain’s Susie Goodall (DHL Starlight), currently 450 miles ENE of Tomy, has been facing strong head winds and rough cross seas all week – so much so that to tack would force her to head straight into them. That is why she is heading North Easterly today in search of a more favourable wind further east. She fears that to tack south right now, the sea state would stop her Rustler 36 in its tracks. More worryingly, Susie reported today that some of the chain plates connecting the yacht’s rigging to the hull have lifted some 2mm above the deck and are now letting in water. She is monitoring the problem.
Susie also reported that her yacht has been sailing through a large area of flotsam and jetsam in recent days some of which has been hitting the hull with quite a bang. Ireland’s Gregor McGuckin (Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance) has made most progress this past week, moving up from 8th to 5th, despite running into stray ropes, fishing nets and other debris. This worrying ecological state in mid South Atlantic was first underlined a week ago when Abhilash Tomy reported hitting an unknown object hard.
Two other skippers have reported bigger issues. Finland’s Tapio Lehtinen is suffering a power meltdown on his Gaia 36 Asteria. Her engine stopped working two weeks ago, the yacht’s solar panels, which should be providing a 300watt trickle charge are producing barely 5% that amount, and the connections to his water generator keep burning out. Tapio made an unscheduled call to the Race Organisers yesterday to discuss the possibilities of running ‘Dark Ship’ for the remainder of the circumnavigation. Bernard Moitessier did so in the first Golden Globe Race 50 years ago but this GGR requires at least one position report a day for safety reasons. Don McIntyre explained: “Tapio could turn off all power in the boat, including his satellite tracker. He is looking at the option of hot-wiring one or more of his solar panels direct to the ship’s batteries and that would allow him to send us one position update a day. Tapio is a ‘stayer’. He is not considering stopping to make repairs. He is determined to battle on regardless”
Frenchman Loïc Lepage (Nicholson 32 Laarland) may not have that option. His fresh water supplies are running low following a unusual lack of rain experienced in the Doldrums. He is now considering a stop in Cape Town which would demote him to the Chichester Class.
Fellow Frenchman Philippe Péché has remained silent over his intentions to stop in Cape Town to replace the broken wind vane self steering system and tiller on his Rustler 36 PRB but has been making remarkable progress in keeping pace with Van Den Heede while hand-steering all week. At the current rate, he is likely to reach Cape Town on Thursday or Friday.
One other man with worries is Dutchman Mark Slats. Now down to 32°S, the second-placed Dutchman is beginning to feel the cold, and reported last week that he forgot to pack gloves for the Southern Ocean stages. He has hanked headsails rather than roller furling on his Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick and it is going to be cold changing sails on that foredeck!
Click Here to view weather update
Invitations for the 2022 GGR open Today!
Applications for an invitation to compete in the 2022 Golden Globe Race are now available, four years ahead of the start. A new Class of strict One Design steel replicas of Bernard Moitessier’s famous Golden Globe yacht JOSHUA has been added for the next edition, joining the current traditional long-keeled yachts of between 32-36ft in the SUHAILI Class. There will be an overall line honours trophy and individual class winners.
Events start in a UK port on August 15th 2022 when GGR entrants assemble ahead of a SITraN Challenge Race bound for a port in France, starting on Sunday 21st August 2022. This date commemorates the anniversary of French legend Bernard Moitessier setting off in the original Sunday Times Golden Globe from Plymouth England on August 22nd 1968. The Golden Globe Race will start from a port in France on Sunday 11th Sept 2022.
The 2022 GGR course includes a new photo gate at Cape Town. The race will also feature two classes: The existing Suhaili Class for traditional long keeled yachts between 32-36ft, and a new class of 40ft Joshua one-design replica yachts
Don McIntyre, the GGR Race founder current Race Chairman says: “With hundreds of enquiries from sailors around the world interested in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, we need to give early notice of our plans. The 2018 Golden Globe has just begun and the Southern Ocean awaits, yet some 70 sailors are looking seriously at entering the 2022 Race already. These men and women from countries across the globe have been inspired by the core values of this very special adventure and recreation of the original GGR 50 years ago.”
“The addition of a JOSHUA Class sailed in new one-design steel replicas is an exciting prospect that may attract a new class of sailor who prefers to buy new, rather than go through the sometimes expensive and lengthy refit on an older boat.” Said Don McIntyre…”This is quite apart from the challenge of sailing in the footsteps of Bernard Moitessier. I am looking forward to sailing one in 2022!”
All JOSHUAS are built in Turkey by ASBOAT for McIntyre Adventure ltd. Details and full specifications and prices are at www.Joshuagg.com
Whilst the proven formula of the 2018 Notice of Race will remain substantially unchanged, there are some additions for this third running of the Golden Globe.
Sailors must have completed at least 4000 Ocean sailing miles before applying for an invitation to compete.
Click Here to download The 2022 Preliminary Notice of Race.
Email Hello@GoldenGlobeRace.com for an application form
Skipper | Distance to finish | Miles run last 24hrs | Distance behind leader | |
1 |
Jean- Luc VDH (FRA) Rustler 36 Matmut |
19245 | 116 | 0 |
2 |
Mark Slats (NED) Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick |
19760 | 118 | 515 |
3 |
Are Wiig (NOR) OE 32 Olleanna |
19952 | 95 | 707 |
4 |
Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All |
19954 | 98 | 709 |
5 | Gregor McGuckin (IRE) Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance | 19997 | 95 | 752 |
6 |
Susie Goodall GBR) Rustler 36 DHL Starlight |
20091 | 57 | 846 |
7 |
Igor Zaretskiy (RUS) Endurance 35 Esmeralda |
20272 | 78 | 1027 |
8 |
Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria |
20341 | 21 | 1096 |
9 |
Loïc Lepage (FRA) Nicholson 32 Laaland |
20362 |
26 | 1117 |
10 |
Abhilash Tomy (IND) Suhaili replica Thuriya |
20408 | 63 | 1154 |
11 |
Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin |
20819 | 5 | 1574 |
12 |
Mark Sinclair (Aus) Lello 34 Coconut |
21026 |
62 | 1772 |
CHICHESTER CLASS
1 Philippe Péché (FRA) Rustler 36 PRB
2 Antoine Cousot (FRA) Biscay 36 Métier Intérim
CAROZZO CLASS
1 Francesco Cappelletti (ITA) Endurance 35 007
RETIRED
Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter
Kevin Farebrother (AUS) Tradewind 35 Sagarmatha
Nabil Amra (PAL) Biscay 36 Liberty II
NEWS: goldengloberace.com/news/
FLEET TRACKING: goldengloberace.com/livetracker/
Mobile tracking APP: ybtracking.com/race-app.php
SOCIAL HUB
Facebook: facebook.com/goldengloberace
Skippers soundcloud: soundcloud.com/goldengloberace
Twitter: twitter.com/ggr2018official
Instagram: instagram.com/goldengloberace
YouTube: youtube.com/goldengloberace
Cover photo: No stopping! Tapio Lehtinen is determined to complete GGR circumnavigation without electricty if necessary
Ti Potrebbe Interessare Anche
Assarmatori: ispezioni a bordo nave, luce verde al Decreto per le deleghe
Assarmatori: “Importante passo avanti per la competitività della bandiera italiana” “Un concreto passo avanti nell’ottica...
Confindustria Nautica alla Camera dei deputati per un confronto tra Politica, Istituzioni...
Nautica da diporto: eccellenza produttiva, figure professionali e nuovi fabbisogni A Roma Politica, Istituzioni e filiera produttiva a confronto...
Honda Marine, con il nuovo BF350, si aggiudica il prestigioso Red Dot Design Award...
Dopo il successo riscosso al Salone di Genova 2023, il nuovo BF350 VS riceve un nuovo e prestigioso riconoscimento. La giuria del Red Dot Design...
Confindustria Nautica: la nautica da diporto italiana protagonista delle celebrazioni...
Un fitto programma di appuntamenti sul territorio per valorizzare l'eccellenza della produzione della filiera nautica nazionale, leader mondiale assoluta...
Il Salone Electric Boat Show dal 7 al 9 Giugno a Laveno Mombello
EBS - Electric Boat Show torna per la sua III edizione con la grande novità di un cambio di location: "vestiremo" di elettrico l'intera città...
Barcolana: al via la promozione della 56^ edizione
Aperta la possibilità per gli espositori di prenotare il proprio posto nel Villaggio Barcolana. Iscrizioni alla regata previste a partire...
Blue Forum – Rampelli e Bergamotto alle Blue Audition Investire sullo sviluppo...
Terminata ieri la terza giornata del Summit Nazionale sull’Economia del Mare Blue Forum in corso a Gaeta. Dopo l’intervento di Maria Grazia...
Blue Forum - I ministri Abodi e Urso chiudono le celebrazioni della ''Giornata Nazionale...
Obiettivo centrato al Summit Nazionale sull’Economia del Mare Blue Forum concluso ieri a Gaeta. A chiamata, il governo ha risposto con la sua presenza....
Blue Forum - Acampora inaugura la “Giornata Nazionale del Mare” con il Ministro...
Uno speciale Annullo Filatelico, in esclusiva nazionale per la Giornata Nazionale del Mare, a cura di Poste Italiane, ha dato il via alla seconda giornata...