In Alicante, they are working like Apaches so that "Kazzam", the currently wingless falcon from Abu Dhabi, can get back on the track on Thursday to chase the field. Things won't go so quickly at Sanya, where major carbon fibre surgery is due. Skipper Mike Sanderson is trying to give himself and his crew hope of rejoining the field in Cape Town, but experts estimate that the repairs could take two to three weeks. It's a balancing act between the ambition to carry on and concern for safety. What happens if the crate leaks again, possibly in the Southern Ocean, hundreds of miles from the nearest land? "We can't and won't afford to pinch ourselves, be reckless or behave unprofessionally," explained the New Zealander.
In the meantime, we are still sailing. Slowly, because the wind has paused, but nonetheless focussed. The remaining four teams have squeezed their way through the Strait of Gibraltar, and Franck Cammas, the French fox, has outdone everyone with Groupama. With his choice of route, which was orientated more towards the African coast, he occasionally took the lead, but according to today's position report at 05:00 he had to give it back to the Spaniards from Telefonica, who, like Puma further west, had got the wind earlier.
However, the cruise towards the Canary Islands will soon turn into a rollercoaster ride again, because the forecast predicts two cold fronts with winds of up to 30 knots, which will force the boats to turn up, for which they are not particularly well suited.
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