The fleet has left the Strait of Hormuz and is sailing in the Arabian Sea, heading for Sri Lanka. The past three days have been extremely demanding tactically. Below the Pakistani coast, the wind picked up to 20 knots, shifted to a northerly direction and carried the boats out into the Arabian Sea. An area of high pressure slowed the fleet down again, reducing the distances to just a few nautical miles. The crucial question last night was who would find the fresh wind first and what the best course would be.
An early gybe, away from the southerly course, meant a return to the direct line to Sri Lanka, but also the risk of getting into the land cover and thus weaker winds - holding on to the south meant the opposite. In the messages from on board, all the crews emphasised how important it was to stay with the field in such situations. After all, the previous stages have taught us one thing: given the almost identical speed of the standard class boats, catching up is only possible with luck.
An example of this tactic are the two teams currently bringing up the rear. Team SCA made the first gybe to the east during the night, and Team Mapfre, which was in sight, followed immediately. When the positions of the other five boats were announced and they had not yet jibed, both immediately returned to the old course.
Shortly afterwards, the leaders stopped. In the meantime, everyone is sailing a south-easterly course towards Sri Lanka. As the wind analyses show, it is unlikely to be any easier tactically on the way there or on the ground. There is a calm zone under the west coast of India, while between India and Sri Lanka the wind is blowing through the gusts.
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Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
