Ocean Globe Race: The "Spirit of Helsinki" is the first yacht to reach Cape Town
Kristina Müller
· 20.10.2023
Despite being at sea for over a month, the last few miles before the finish were exciting. The French yacht "Pen Duick VI", skippered by Marie Tabarly, had been in the lead until a few days earlier. Her father Éric Tabarly had already taken part in the 1973 Whitbread Race around the world with her famous boat. The Ocean Globe Race is currently being organised to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The organiser is Don McIntyre, who already launched the revival of the Golden Globe Race, which will see solo skippers compete for the second time in 2023. sailed non-stop around the globe.
The "Spirit of Helsinki", skippered by Jussi Paavoseppä, took the lead in the field just three days before the finish in Cape Town. The sailors still had 450 nautical miles to go to South Africa, and it seemed unclear who would win the first leg: the Finns, the French around Tabarly, the "Translated 9" from Italy, which was also within striking distance, or "Maiden" from Great Britain.
On "Pen Duick VI", the decision to turn east towards Cape Town earlier than on the traditional route, which involves travelling south to 40 degrees and then approaching from the south-west, proved to be tactically unwise. Nevertheless, the crew sent a motivated message from on board: "New speed record - 19.3 knots! At this speed, we'll be in Cape Town in time to watch the rugby final!"
Accident in the Ocean Globe Race:
Jussi, on the other hand, sailed the "Spirit of Helsinki" further south - a move that paid off. The potential of his ship is well known: in 1986 it took part in the Whitbread Race under the name "Fazer Finland" and came third.
Also a Sailor from Hamburg is taking part in this adventure race around the world: German-Turkish Ebru Yaral is part of the international crew on board the Swan 53 "Sterna". The yacht sails under the South African flag. When the "Spirit of Helsinki" crossed the finish line, she still had around 1,400 nautical miles to go.
While the fastest ships are currently arriving, the midfield has been battling with unstable winds over the past few days, including a lot of headwinds. And time is running out: On 5 November, the fleet will set off on the second leg to Auckland in New Zealand. From there, they will continue to Punta del Este in Uruguay before the yachts are expected back in the UK in April 2024.
