26 February 2012
GOR leader closes in on Punta del Este
After 28 days at sea, the leading Global Ocean Race (GOR) Class40 is closing in on the Leg 3 finish line in Punta del Este, Uruguay, following a week when tough decisions were made in the final approach to Cape Horn. Having taken the lead in the GOR, the period at the front of the fleet was short but very sweet for Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon on Class40 Financial Crisis and by the start of Week 4 (20-26 February) of Leg 3, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel were back in the lead on Cessna Citation with 450 miles reindexing to the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate.
While progress through the Southern Ocean for the South African duo on Phesheya-Racing was momentarily stalled by a high pressure system producing exceptionally calm but frigid conditions in the Furious Fifties, a low pressure system forming off Antarctica forced hard strategic decisions on Cessna Citation and Financial Crisis. Colman and Kuttel opted to outrun the storm with Cessna Citation and reached at full-pace towards Drake Passage while Nannini and Ramon wisely chose a hove-to manoeuvre south-west of the cape, riding out 50-55 knots gusts with Financial Crisis.
As Cessna Citation crossed the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate at 16:25 GMT on Wednesday winning the trophy for the first GOR Class40 around the cape, Nannini and Ramon were gearing back-up on Financial Crisis as the low pressure chased Cessna Citation out of the Southern Ocean and into the South Atlantic. Late on Thursday, Financial Crisis rounded the cape and with light airs forecast, Nannini and Ramon sailed through the Le Maire Strait with a favourable current and emerged into the South Atlantic late on Friday.
With Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire finally shaking off the light winds south-west of Cape Horn with Phesheya-Racing, the South Africans reindexed the only GOR Class40 in the Pacific as Cessna Citation and Financial Crisis left the Falkland Islands to starboard and raced north off the coast of Patagonia. Throughout Saturday, Colman and Kuttel increased their lead on Cessna Citation, digging into strong, 35-45 knots of south-easterly wind spinning off the back of a deep low pressure system and hitting 13-knots averages. By 15:00 GMT on Sunday afternoon, Colman and Kuttel were averaging the best speed in the fleet at 10.4 knots with 538 miles reindexing to the finish line.
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