A fascinating final scenario has been brewing in the final spurt of leg 40 in Globe40. Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink have seen their once huge gap of 660 nautical miles on 17 October melt away enormously in the last few days. After 29 days at sea, a thrilling three-way battle for the podium places is in the offing.
On the day before the expected decision on Saturday evening, the Next Generation Boating Around the World team has reduced its gap to the French leaders Ian Lipinski and Amélie Grassi on "Crédit Mutuel" to just 15 nautical miles! Seven nautical miles separated Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink on Friday morning from the Belgians Benoît Hantzperg and Renaud Dehareng in second place!
Click here for the Globe40 tracker, which is updated every four hours. From 50 nautical miles from the destination, the update frequency increases to every hour. From 20 nautical miles before the finish, updates are made every ten minutes. "More often if it gets very tight," organisation manager Manfred Ramspacher told YACHT on request.
Globe40: Saturday thriller ahead
On board their Pogo 40 S4, Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink continue to give their all in the final sprint. Ian Lipinski and Amélie Grassi had just under 320 nautical miles to sail to the finish line off La Réunion at around 10 o'clock on Friday morning. They had visibly shifted from their slightly more easterly position for the triathlon in the Indian Ocean to the west of the competition.
It could happen at any moment that we see them. So crazy!" Melwin Fink
"We suspect that Ian is lying down in front of us now. He was still quite far to the east. He will try to get the same wind conditions as us. He can defend both of us for the time being, because it's straight ahead at first and there are no big differences," explained Melwin Fink before the last big battle. The German chasers also know that if there really is a close three-way battle off La Réunion, this will open up new opportunities.
Melwin Fink explained on the morning of 31 October: "Of course, Lipinski can only defend one in front of the island. The other can then think of something. Let's see... Anything is possible. It depends on the situation. We have to react well, keep a cool head and then see what we make of it. Let's put it this way: we can't lose it."
The cards will be reshuffled in the final spurt
The fact that the youngest crew in this circumnavigation for Class40 two-handed crews was able to get so close to the dominators of the second leg of the Globe40 after the huge gap in the Atlantic is impressive. "The current situation is of course crazy," says Melwin Fink, "we had really, really good conditions and also a lot of luck. We've always pushed - and that's paying off right now. I think the cards have just been reshuffled."
We took our chances and never lost the belief that we could go forward." Melwin Fink
The current plan for this Friday was clear from Melwin Fink's point of view on Friday morning: "We are now heading for the island at full speed. Tactically, it's difficult to do anything now. We still have quite good wind and are travelling at twelve to 14 knots. The others will be doing the same. We are now too close together to have different weather situations."
The final battle is likely to take place off La Réunion. "It will definitely be decided on the island now," says Melwin Fink. His assessment: "We can expect a lot of coverage from the island. There will be a lot of calm there. There will be small wind fields. Then we'll see who wins the race there..."
Globe40 attack mode activated for days
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink "activated" their attack mode days ago. Melwin Fink said: "Now, towards the end, the motivation is increasing more and more. On the one hand to arrive quickly, on the other to make the best of the situation here. The opportunities are there. Especially now that it's all about who wins the pot race. Right now we can sail fast. And then we have to make good time on the island."
The sailing wardrobe for the Globe40 triathlon currently leaves nothing to be desired on the German Class40. Melwin Fink reported: "It is currently a constant change between our spinnaker and the Code Zero. Both sails are doing a very, very good job. It's all about being attentive, constantly readjusting the sails and making quick adjustments. There is a lot of action here at the moment. We've made four or five sail changes during the night. And they always have to go smoothly. Chilling sail changes, like we did in the doldrums, are no longer an option here. Instead: One sail is put into the other, the other is then taken down."
Will his crew now enjoy a psychological advantage in the final sprint of the second Globe40 stage in view of the gigantic race to catch up? Melwin Fink answers in the affirmative: "We certainly have a psychological advantage because we can watch the whole thing from behind. I think it will be particularly exciting on the island if we can catch up from behind. Because then we can see what the problems will be like."
Lipinski's message for Burke and Fink
The forecast for the decision promises a thrilling final thriller, as Melwin Fink outlines in words: "We will then slow down about 15 to 20 nautical miles off the island. Our latest ETA is probably tomorrow evening (Editor: 1 November) between 8 and midnight local time. So early evening UTC. If everything goes according to plan. Of course, it's also possible that we'll be parked there for hours and arrive in the middle of the night."
Class 40 heavyweight Ian Lipinski spices up the current situation with his well-known humour. He also sent a message to his young German challengers first thing in the morning on 31 October. Melwin Fink explains: "He wrote us a message this morning and said that it was great to watch our comeback, but that we should stop what we're doing right now. They're definitely tense and I think they're also looking forward to the final. But they would probably prefer a relaxed finish."
That's right. The "Crédit Mutuel" crew already knew on Thursday "that the war of nerves has begun and threatens to last until the finish". Lipinski had noted: "We're waiting for our friends who arrive with a strong wind until they also hit the calm wall." Lipinski noted: "The Germans will take part in the last battle that could be fought on the Réunion Front."
It could end in a penalty shoot-out." Ian Lipinski
