After the wind and swell had subsided a little in the meantime, the conditions are now back to those of this latitude in the Southern Ocean: Wind force 7+, wave height between 4 and 5 metres. Telefonica's skipper Iker Martinez has already hinted at it recently: take your foot off the accelerator to protect the ship. But with this tactic, the Spaniards have put themselves well over 200 miles behind in the last two days, so something is wrong.
They are still travelling with the handbrake on because their ship has suffered some unspecified damage. The team is deliberately keeping a low profile. Pepe Ribes, the boatswain, is rumoured to be working below deck to get Telefonica in shape. "We want to get to Brazil as quickly as possible, but we also have to get there," explains media man Diego Fructoso. "It's not serious yet, but it could be, so we have to keep a cool head." The Spaniards, for whom fortune smiled for so long, are going through tough times at the moment, as there is also a protest pending concerning the sails used on the fourth leg from China to New Zealand.
Speaking of New Zealand: Sanya is expected in the harbour of Tauranga today and will be shipped from there by freighter directly to the USA to be ready again in Miami for the Inport Race and the 7th leg. It would be impossible to ship the boat to Itajai in Brazil in time for the finish of leg 5. A heavy blow for Mike Sanderson and his team, but probably the most sensible solution given the fragility of the old boat.
Up ahead, Groupama and Puma continue to cruise along at a good 20 knots, heading for Cape Horn, which is still around 1600 miles ahead. Phil Harmer, one of the helmsmen on Groupama, is struggling with a shoulder injury that is severely hampering him and will require medical treatment in Brazil. On Puma, meanwhile, the two ailing Casey Smith and Thomas Johanson are reasonably fit again. However, Camper, the battered New Zealand boat that is travelling on towards Chile, is not fit at all. And she has come out of the frying pan into the fire, as the longitudinal stringer on the starboard side has now also come loose, further reducing the ship's rigidity. "Rob Salthouse should be knighted," says cameraman Hamish Hooper. "He's been working in the forecastle for four days, practically without sleep, but completely covered in carbon fibre dust." Well-deserved reward: calamari and fresh tuna from the galley.
Abu Dhabi continues to sail lonely behind, almost 1300 miles behind Groupama. They are slowly getting the wind and speeding up, which means they will soon take over 4th place from Camper and perhaps even close in on Telefonica if the Spaniards have to finish the stage in slow gear.
More on the Event page and about the Live stream and the YouTube channel.
Current positions and distances in the Tracker.
