Golden Globe Race: Simon Curwen arrives in Hobart - the leaders are closing ranks

He was glad to have escaped the doldrums in which he had parked while his pursuers came ever closer. This made the crossing of the Indian Ocean very different from what he had expected. Curwen had been prepared for storms, but in the end they all travelled south of the safety zone from which the Golden Globe sailors have to keep clear.

So he used the windless time on board for repairs, Curwen says cheerfully despite everything. Among other things, he crawled into the forecastle to reattach the bracket of his hydrovane - not an easy operation.

The former Mini-Transat skipper also has problems with the genoa halyard: It keeps chafing at a sharp point in the masthead that he can't seem to get rid of, so he regularly retrieves the furling genoa and shortens the halyard a bit. "It's time-consuming, but it's better than sailing without a genoa," says Curwen.

Although he had repeatedly set the gennaker in the light winds on the Indik leg, in rough seas and little wind it hardly stood up, so the unfurled genoa was much more practical. However, one of the two spinnaker poles used for this went overboard early on. "I really hope that I won't need it for an emergency rig," says Curwen.

He is well positioned in terms of power supply. So far, he has not needed the hydrogenerator on his stern, as the solar panels he has installed in the cockpit provide sufficient energy. But just in case, the unit is ready for use.

Curwen knows that the race will be close once again. Especially as Kirsten Neuschäfer, who is expected to be next in Hobart Rescue operation for Tapio Lethinen receives a time credit of 35 hours at the end. Abhilash Tomy also only has 280 nautical miles to Hobart and will receive a time credit of 12 hours.

But it is not only at the top of the retro regatta around the world that things remain exciting: Guy Waites has left Cape Town behind after his Stopover with hull cleaning and set course for Hobart. He is now the only one sailing in the Chichester class for skippers who make one stop. The 54-year-old Briton is therefore no longer taking part in the overall standings.

Above all, however, he has to hurry and cover the 5,300 nautical miles ahead of him by 31 January. That's when the time window for arriving off Hobart closes, according to the rules. The endeavour is not impossible, but it is very ambitious.

Golden Globe Race: more on the topic

• Start at the beginning of September, all race info here
• Last Golden Globe sailor to finish after almost four years
• Lutz Kohne, the German member of the Golden Globe team
• Kirsten Neuschäfer, the only female sailor in the Golden Globe Race
• A portrait of Rustler 36

Golden Globe Race: What has happened so far

• Golden Globe Update 10: Bowsprit breakage and vegetation slow down sailors
• Golden Globe Update 9: Why it sank " Asteria " ?
• Golden Globe Update 8: Neuschäfer rescues Lehtinen from distress at sea
• Golden Globe Update 7: Emotional moments off Cape Town
• Golden Globe Update 6: Cape Town in the wake, Neuschäfer in second place
• Golden Globe Update 5: New breach on board the "PRB"
• Golden Globe Update 4: Three new videos from the high seas
• Golden Globe Update 3: Sailors reach first media stop
• Golden Globe Update 2: Shipwreck at Guy de Boer in the Canary Islands
• Golden Globe Update 1: Break, comeback and the first task