Globe40: Stage three started - Christmas in Sydney awaits at the finish line
They are on their way again: the starting signal for the third leg from La Réunion to Sydney was given on 22 November for the eight Class40 two-handed duos in the Globe40. With a short opening loop close to land, the Next Generation Boating Around the World team started the race over a theoretical 5120 nautical miles with great promise. The organisers are expecting the stage to take 20 to 25 days, with the fastest boats in the fleet possibly arriving in the former Australian Olympic metropolis as early as 12 December.
Stage three in Globe40: deep ice edge
The course takes the challengers back to the south, where they last came from when they headed for La Réunion after passing the Cape of Good Hope. For the first few days, the field will probably have to contend with rather light, unsettled winds. The teams assume that they will have to sail very carefully and not give away a single metre.
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink will once again be heading into unknown waters, where the youngest crew in the fleet will have to solve challenging navigational tasks. The race organisers have set the ice limit for this section of the race at 46 degrees south latitude at the start, and later at 48 degrees south latitude. Down there in the Southern Ocean, all crews have to reckon with metre-high waves, possibly extreme winds and cold temperatures.
At sea, it remains exciting between the three leading scow bow boats. Team Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium is leading the round the world race with 6.5 points ahead of the German team (10 points) and the French team Crédit Mutuel (10.5 points) after their recent victory on the triple scored second leg. The first top dog follows with 18 points: "Barco Brasil" in turn has a 5.5-point lead over the Austrian Lisa Berger and her co-skipper Jade Edwards-Leaney in the battle for fourth place.
Starting signal in the bay of Saint-Paul
For the Belgians, skipper Jonas Gerckens is back after a stage break and will be sailing the Indian Ocean passage with Benoît Hantzperg. Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink remain the only top three duo in which no crew changes are planned around the world. Skipper Ian Lipinski and his co-skipper Amélie Grassi will remain on board "Crédit Mutuel" for the time being.
The starting signal for leg three was given on Saturday at 10 a.m. German time off La Réunion in the bay of Saint Paul, where on 1 November the thrilling finish of the top three had provided for high tension. All three boats crossed the finish line within nine minutes. Three weeks ago, the high pressure area in the Mascarene Islands had already influenced the three-way battle at the top. It is currently doing so again. On Saturday afternoon, the three leading boats were still sailing south at speeds of twelve to 15 knots, by the evening it was only a handful of knots.
The sailors will be trying to shimmy south-eastwards along the upper edge of the high that will soon appear in front of them like a giant blockade. At the start of the leg, "Crédit Mutuel" was just ahead of the German duo. They were followed by the Belgians. Click here for the Glob40 tracking, which is updated every four hours. All 16 challengers in this third stage left La Réunion with duffel bags full of fond memories.
Globe40 fleet meets Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in Sydney
The island in the Indian Ocean hosted a circumnavigation such as Globe40 for the first time. In the village of Darse Titan in the municipality of Le Port and in the Territoires de l'Ouest association of municipalities, which supports the project, the quays were always busy with tens of thousands of visitors. Whether on the beaches of the western territory or exploring the wild beauty of the entire island with its three large volcanic craters, La Réunion offered its sailing visitors exceptional opportunities to recover from their exertions and start the third stage with renewed motivation. Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink also seized this opportunity.
The first major Southern Ocean leg of the Globe40 has now begun. The last forecasts before the start predicted a total of around ten days of racing under the influence of very active areas of low pressure. The crews and their Globe40 boats are expected to face a fast and sometimes tough leg. All the challengers are looking forward to their arrival in Sydney with excitement. They will reach the former Olympic metropolis when the participants meet at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race prepare for the Australian Christmas classic.
