Globe40: Lipinski pulls out, Berger in top three, Burke and Fink are next

The Globe40 final leg has got off to an exciting start. In light winds, the eight double-handed crews are battling their way towards the equator off the east coast of Brazil at around the fourth parallel south. After the first two nights at sea, only 37 nautical miles separated the Belgian leaders and the last-placed "Whiskey Jack". Many eyes are focussed on the front of the field.

Team Belgium leads, "Crédit Mutuel" duo invests

Joans Gerckens and Benoît Hantzperg open up at the front their fast Lombard Lift V2 design as much pressure as the flat winds would allow. In the end, their bow continued to point northwards. Team Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium maintained a lead of 20 nautical miles over the best pointed bow boat to date, "Barco Brasil". With the same number of points The Belgians have started the sixth and final stage of the Globe40 like Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier on "Crédit Mutuel", demonstrating early determination.

And what do the in the duel for the Globe40 victory slightly in favour of the French? Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier are heading west again, orientating themselves with their Raison-Max 2 towards the winds that are expected to be somewhat stronger near the coast. The "Crédit Mutuel" duo are investing in the hope of overtaking - see pictures in the gallery. Click here for the Globe40 tracking for the current finanle.

Like "Barco Brasil", the other chasers have also been on the up recently. Lisa Berger and Jade Edwards-Leaney sailed almost on a par with the Brazilians and were able to reduce their gap to the Belgian leaders to 20 nautical miles. On the western outer flank of the field, "Crédit Mutuel", in fourth place with a calculated gap of just under 22 nautical miles to the Belgians, initially lost a few miles.

Berger fights for Spitzbug stage win - and complains about environmental problems in Recife

The Next Generation Boating Around the World team has also been on the up recently: Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink have repeatedly sailed within sight of Lisa Berger and Jade Edwards-Leaney on "Wilson". The Austrian-Welsh duo are aiming for a podium finish on their debut as participants in a circumnavigation. In of the overall ranking of the three scow bow boats and the five pointed bow boats, the 34-year-old from Attersee and her co-skipper were in fourth place before the start of the final leg, and in the pure pointed bow classification they are even fighting for victory from second place.

An illness of the skipper and food poisoning of her co-skipper had caused the "Wilson" team an unexpectedly difficult stopover in Recife. However, both were able to start the final with renewed vigour and optimism. However, Lisa Berger's last Globe40 stage start was not only characterised by her own health setbacks, but also by less pleasant views in Recife.

My stay here in Recife has made me very depressed because the environment is so polluted." Lisa Berger

Berger was not the only one to point out that "the harbour water is heavily polluted" and that "large quantities of unfiltered waste water and rubbish end up in the sea". However, this did not change their fighting spirit and ambitious sporting goals for the Globe40 showdown. The mixed crew have deliberately set themselves a high target, aiming for victory in the Spitzbug boats and opened the showdown with a correspondingly aggressive attitude.

Globe40 final serves up all the challenges of ocean sailing

The Globe40 organisers last estimated the final leg from Recife to Lorient at 3745 theoretical nautical miles. In reality, however, this could turn into up to 4500 nautical miles in view of the need to circumnavigate the Azores High, according to the start announcement. Before that, they will have to get through the notoriously light-winded squid belt. In the North Atlantic, lows and the moody Bay of Biscay will be the final challenges.

As a reminder, the strongest winds of the second Globe40 edition were measured in the North Atlantic at 65 knots at the start of the two-handed race around the world. The fastest boats are expected to arrive in Lorient at the end of the second and in the third week of April.

"Ready to go!" What the Globe40 sailors said before the final and how things went at the start of the sixth and final leg last Sunday (29 March):