Once again, Team Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium and Team Crédit Mutuel gave each other no quarter in the Globe40 Class40 round the world race. Once again they fought to the finish line in almost no wind for a stage win. However, it has never been as close as before Valparaiso.
Globe40 stage final: why there is no official winner yet
Because Benoît Hantzperg/Djemila Tassin and Antoine Carpentier/Alan Roberts were separated by only seconds at the finish after almost 7000 nautical miles sailed, the organisers did not want to officially declare either boat the winner of the leg for the time being before an announced more detailed investigation, although the tracking showed the times for both boats. The Belgians were in first place, with 59 seconds less on the clock than "Crédit Mutuel" (21 days, 20 hours, 6 minutes, 20 seconds) at 20 hours, 5 minutes and 21 seconds.
Regarding the stage results, which have not yet been officially confirmed, the organisers explained: "As with all stages of the first edition of the Globe40, the finish lines of the second edition are virtual lines whose rankings are calculated using satellite trackers. Today, technology offers tools that modernise this part of the organisation. This was also the case in Valparaiso, where the positions were recorded every minute."
The Globe40 statement continued: "The finish line was defined by a line between a point on land near the southern entrance to Valparaiso and a point at sea. Arriving with 5 nautical miles to go, Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium entered a calm zone in Valparaiso Bay in the last mile of the race. Crédit Mutuel took advantage of this situation at full speed and caught up to within 500 metres before also getting stuck in windless zones."
Belgians and French cross the finish line almost bow to bow
The Globe40 organisers also described how thrilling the finish was: "With great effort, the two competitors managed to approach the finish line and sail almost side by side before passing it with a gap of just a few seconds. Given the small gap (59″) and the importance of this 4th leg with a coefficient of 3, the race organisers decided to consult and review all the elements before confirming the classification of the race."
The "thoroughness of this organisation", according to the statement, "is based on decades of experience of the French Sailing Federation FFV as a referee in ocean races and also testifies to the overall quality of the race". Regardless of the outcome of the subsequent review of the results based on pictures, photos and statements from the sailors, they were "two great teams that always treated each other with mutual respect".
Behind the two power players of this second Globe40 edition lies another breathless duel that led through the South Pacific over long phases along the ice edge at 50 degrees south latitude. At an average speed of 13.4 knots, the two snow-bug boats once again demonstrated their exceptional class. The third-placed "Barco Brasil" was more than 1100 nautical miles behind the closest pursuers at the finish.
Scow-Bug boat proves its worth on first circumnavigation
The starting signal for the fourth leg was given in Sydney on 1 January. The 8,000 nautical mile section from Cape Verde to the island of La Réunion had already been a mammoth stage, but the race that Team Belgium and "Crédit Mutuel" have now mastered so impressively is the first in which the Class40ies have completely crossed an entire ocean from west to east.
In the process, they had also passed Point Nemo, the legendary furthest point on earth from any civilisation. They had to parry a series of low-pressure areas south of New Zealand in the "Roaring Forties" latitudes, but also used them for sensational fast rides. Team Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium had the following at the beginning of the second week of January 459.78 nautical miles over 24 hours - class record! The Snow-Bug boats, which are taking part in a circumnavigation for the first time, have so far proved themselves in an impressive manner.
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink had also proven this up until their boomerang break and stage exit on the Sydney course. The young German Class 40 sailors are currently planning their comeback for the sixth and final leg and want to challenge the two leading scow bullets at least once more in the final from Recife in Brazil back to the start and finish harbour of Lorient. Here is an overview of the planned repairs on La Réunion, the transfer via Cape Town to Recife and the comeback for the Globe40 final.
Will the stragglers make it to the start of the next stage?
Meanwhile, the remaining fleet of pointed bow boats are still fighting in their own world for the best possible finish in Valparaiso on leg four. At 10 a.m. on 23 January, "Barco Brasil" still had around 970 nautical miles to go to the finish. Lisa Berger and Jade Edwards-Leaney in the grey Pacific. Their final lead over Richard Palmer and Rupert Holmes on "Jangada Racing" was almost 70 nautical miles. They were followed by Melodie Schaffer and Colin Campbell on "Whiskey Jack", a further 90 nautical miles behind.
The answer to the question of how the stragglers Thibaut Lefévère and Nicolas Guibal will make it through remains exciting. The "Free Dom" crew had to sail back to Sydney with a broken rudder as a result of a collision, make repairs and take up the chase. The French duo still had 5200 nautical miles to complete on 23 January. This should be completed by 18 February, when the starting signal for leg five is given off Valparaiso.
