Globe40
On their way to Reunion Island, after leaving Cape Verde at 2:00 PM in magnificent conditions, the GLOBE40 participants find it hard not to compare this leg with the famous trail race on the Indian Ocean island.
It won’t be 170 km and 10,000 m of elevation gain, but 9,850 km on a direct route and at least 11,000 km planned for sailing. That’s 35 days at sea for the first-place finisher from the previous edition and probably around 30 this year for the latest-generation Class40s. No less than two Routes du Rhum, one after the other. The skippers of the second edition are preparing calmly for what will be the longest leg of the race, with a coefficient of 3, which will feature multiple geographical and meteorological scenarios. A true sailing challenge in the life of a sailor…
Mindelo: A battered but resilient Cape Verde
After setting sail from Cadiz, the skippers of the GLOBE40 encountered an island severely battered by Tropical Storm Erin, which later strengthened into a hurricane on the night of August 10-11. It dumped 193 mm of rain in five hours and left 14 dead on the archipelago. Uprooted trees, blocked roads, cars thrown into the sea, and torrents of mud: such was the bleak picture on the morning of August 11. But solidarity quickly emerged on the island, throughout Cape Verde, and internationally. A month and a half after the events, the island of Sao Vicente still bears some scars, but most of the infrastructure has been restored, and life has resumed. And the Mindelo stage, although obviously less festive than the first edition, still offers the same sumptuous seascapes of the archipelago and its islands, as well as the incredible resilience and kindness of the Cape Verdean people. GLOBE40 didn’t want to arrive empty-handed in this situation and participated in the operation launched by CREDIT MUTUEL, which will provide school supplies to more than a thousand children in devastated schools. Each team symbolically transported about ten kilos of this material, while the majority was transported by air. Cape Verde will always be an important stop for GLOBE40.
The first and longest stage of the race.
Christian Dumard, weather advisor for the race and many others (Ocean Race / Vendée Globe / Mini Transat), gives us his opinion on the course for the second leg: “The fleet is expected to depart from Mindelo with light easterly winds. The first obstacle will be the famous Doldrums, true to their reputation. They look set to be quite active at the end of the week, with stormy crossings, low pressure areas, and calm patches as we approach the equator. Once in the southern hemisphere, conditions should be more pleasant with a long, downwind leg to round the St. Helens high. Things will get serious as we approach kilometer 40. For many, this will be their first experience in the south. In addition to avoiding the depressions, we will also have to deal with the Agulhas Current, which arrives from the Mozambique Channel. This current, as strong as the Gulf Stream, can reach 5 knots in some sections. Therefore, it will be necessary to sail in Slalom through its meanders to find favorable currents and avoid the strong opposing currents that can generate giant waves. After the Cape of Good Hope, Cape 40, and the Agulhas Current, the competitors will head towards Reunion Island, passing through frontal passes and then the Mascarene Anticyclone, to overcome it before reaching the northwest of the island. They will then have to deal with the calm winds downwind of the island (3,600 meters above sea level) during the last 12 hours before crossing the finish line.
Each team has many opportunities to make good or bad moves, or both consecutively. After the prologue and the first stage, few points have been awarded and the gaps are small: CREDIT MUTUEL leads the general classification, but with only a 2-point advantage over BELGIUM OCEAN RACING – CURIUM, less than one place ahead in the next stage. In the general classification, 0.5 points separate BARCO BRASIL from FREEDOM. Needless to say, the fight will be sharpened in the water, just like the true cohesion that has been forged on land since the beginning in Lorient, everyone happy with the privilege of experiencing this adventure.
Unprecedented Public and Media Enthusiasm
With at least 100,000 people in the town of Cádiz, a farewell party with an audience that attended a rock concert, the GLOBE40 adventure is a success with the public. The media is not far behind, with 400 press coverages, articles, or photos (1/3 French, 2/3 international) recorded since the start of the prologue in Lorient on August 25 and nearly 3 million views on social media in the last month (419,000 on the website / 2,121,000 on the website).
