ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest leader Charles Caudrelier should pass Cape Horn later today. Armel Le Cléac’h has a lead of just over 300 miles on Thomas Coville whilst Anthony Marchand passed Australia’s Cape Leeuwin yesterday evening.
This Tuesday morning, Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is just over 300 miles from Cape Horn. After having to pause for more than 48 hours due to a big storm at the Horn and only resuming his eastwards progress on Sunday, the deliverance for Caudrelier today will be immense. He was moving at more than 30 knots during the night but his passage of the Horn looks far from straightforward.
“He could pass it in around ten hours, at the end of our day” explains Fred Lepeutrec to the assistant race director. Caudrelier has around 35 knots of wind and heavy seas, although it should ease in the lee of Patagonia. The symbolic passage of Cape Horn marks the left turn, the turn northwards towards home and the release from the Southern Oceans although there are still big low pressure systems to negotiate.
“There will still be 7,000 miles to go,” recalls Fred Lepeuterc. “Charles will have to climb all the way north through the different latitudes, pass the Saint Helena anticyclone, the doldrums, the North-East trade wind and cross the depressions to Brest. He has a complex route therefore with many weather systems still to navigate.”
Behind, more than 2,700 miles away, Cape Horn is still at least four days away for them but the Le Cléac’h-Coville “match within the match” continues. The skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire XI repositioned himself by heading east after rounding New Zealand. “From now on, the two sailors are in the same weather system, with the same average speed (33 knots over the last 4 hours). They are pushing each other,” enthuses the assistant race director, “The conditions should allow them to go quickly. As they progress on a NW’ly wind, the duo takes a slightly more northerly route to avoid the strongest of the system evolving to their south”.
Anthony Marchand passed Cape Leeuwin at 2010hrs last night, Monday evening. It, too, is a symbolic passage for the skipper of Actual Ultim 3 who is staying with the same system and continues to sail east. Le Peutrec says. “He is heading along the edge of the AEZ (Antarctic Exclusion Zone) behind a good wind flow which should take him as far as Tasmania.”
Éric Péron (ULTIM ADAGIO) is now able to go south. “He is currently at the back of a depression and will find himself with a southwest wind. He has not suffered from the cold so far but has had particularly rough seas. There, Eric will find himself with a southwest wind and return to the cold.” Concludes Lepeutrec from Race HQ in Brest.
