Globe40: Match race at the front

Seven teams were at the beginning of the 2022-23 Globe40 on June 26, a multi-leg doublehanded round the world race in Class40s. With five duos having started the third leg from Mauritius to Auckland, New Zealand on September 11, here’s an update on October 8, 2022:

It is an incredible duel at the head of this first edition of the GLOBE40. After 5495 miles covered from Mauritius, only 48 short minutes separated the first two competitors yesterday during their passage through the Baas Strait and their official entry into the Pacific Ocean.

And barely 300 miles are to be counted between the first and the last competitor. The crossing of the Great Bay of Australia after the mark of Eclipse Island near Cape Leeuwin was a test for the skippers alternating phases of calm and periods of strong winds with headwinds.

For this 7000 mile leg, there are 5.7 miles this morning separating the leader SEC HAYAI and MILAI Around The World. SEC HAYAI is the oldest boat in the fleet which was the first to reach Cape Leeuwin. After 3,500 miles covered since leaving Mauritius on September 11, the competitors had to cross the gate of Eclipse Island at the southwestern tip of Australia.

“We’re really happy so far! we have the oldest boat in the fleet and have been in the lead for several days now,” reports SEC HAYAI. “It’s a close battle with MILAI, and we know that basically MILAI is a faster boat (all others are but, specially Milai).

“We have to fight for every mile and we have to push SEC HAYAI hard, but now it’s a very strong boat and it helps to go further than the others. We also have to make good tactical decisions to stay ahead of the others.

“We still have a long way to go! so we are still far from any victory. But we are proud to be where we are now, taking every step to the number one boat in the fleet. Entering the Pacific will be the next point, still 15 miles ahead (by hitting hard). We are therefore happy and full of energy to make the crossing to New Zealand and arrive in Auckland.”

Bringing the competitors close to land after the equivalent of a transatlantic passage, this passage allowed the event to remain in the spirit in category 1 (navigation category fixed by the International Federation) which is both the rule and the concept of the test, rather than diving south.

The Great Australian Bight is a huge bay in southern Australia stretching over 1000 miles before entering the Baas Strait which separates the island mainland from Tasmania. This crossing was a difficult time for the crews, most of the time sailing close-hauled with a succession of calm areas and depressions generating winds of 30 to 40 knots on the fleet, all in very heavy seas.

The Dutch team SEC HAYAI perfectly expresses the values ​​of the GLOBE40: a mixed team with skipper Frans Budel, an experienced amateur with many offshore races to his credit, and Ysbrand Endt, a professional skipper from the world of the Volvo Ocean Race. And while their boat is old (#44), it is perfectly prepared, flawless strategy, and great team cohesion.

These are the recipes for success which demonstrates that the fierceness of the competition does not only depend on the age of the boats; and that a world tour is apprehended on many other factors than the pure performance of a support, such as the quality of the technical preparation, the endurance of the crew, the lucidity to lower the foot when it you have to, but never let go with the inevitable drop in morale.

For its part, MILAI Around The World, with its Japanese skipper Masa Suzuki and its Italian co-skipper Luca Rosetti, is a high-level project on a more recent boat (#101); Masa Suzuki, coming from the world of the mini 6.50, has also had a remarkable career for a few years and we remember his performance at the last Transat Jacques Vabre where he regularly moved around 10th place against a pack of new boats.

The two competitors crossed the Baas Strait on October 7: a narrow passage with a strong current, an accelerator corridor for depressions, the Baas Strait is a difficult navigation area with many islands; it is often associated in the minds of the mythical Sydney Hobart Race, a particularly demanding event of world renown. And it was during the crossing of the Baas Strait that the first two competitors officially entered the Pacific Ocean reaching the longitude of 146°49.00 East.

There will still be the Tasman Sea to cross over 1000 miles, with a new strong depression awaiting the competitors on October 9, before reaching Auckland for the first around October 14, and finally knowing the winner of this legendary leg.

Race details – Entries – Tracker

Note: As the scoring format gives extra value to the longer legs, Leg 3 is similar to Leg 2 as it is worth a coefficient 3. The leg is approximately 7,000 miles in distance and will take between 30 and 35 days.

Leg Two Results:

Leg One Results:

The inaugural Globe40 is an eight leg round the world race for doublehanded Class40 teams. As all legs count toward the cumulative score, the longer distances more heavily weighted. The first leg, which took seven to eight days to complete, had a coefficient 1 while the second leg is ranked as a coefficient 3 leg. The race is expected to finish March 2023. Seven teams were ready to compete, but a Leg 1 start line collision eliminated The Globe En Solidaire with Eric and Léo Grosclaude (FRA) while the Moroccan team of Simon and Omar Bensenddik on IBN BATTOUTA retired before the Leg 2 start.

Start:
Tangier, Morocco – June 26

Stopovers:
Leg 2 start: Sao Vincente, Cape Verde Islands – July 17
Leg 3 start: Port Louis, Mauritius – September 11
Leg 4 start: Auckland, New Zealand
Leg 5 start: Papeete, French Polynesia
Leg 6 start: Ushuaia, Argentina
Leg 7 start: Recife, Brazil
Leg 8 start: St Georges, Grenada

Finish:
Lorient, France

Source: Globe40