Calm for Globe40 Cape Horn winners

The 2022-23 Globe40 is an eight-leg doublehanded round the world race in Class40s. Seven teams were at the beginning on June 26, with five teams having started the fifth leg on November 26 from Papeete, Tahiti to Ushuaia, Argentina.

(December 16, 2022) – At 20H54 hours UTC, the Franco-Japanese crew of MILAI Around The World was first across the leg 5 finish line at the entrance to the Beagle Channel, which leads to the Argentinean town of Ushuaia. Hours earlier, Masa Suzuki and Estelle Greck were also first to reach the legendary Cape Horn at 09:36 UTC, where wind conditions were very calm.

MILAI utterly dominated the last two weeks of this 4,500-mile leg, with a long stretch of downwind sailing in an established breeze, punctuated by a series of low-pressure systems. Their final mileage total was 4682 miles which required a sea passage of 19 days and 19 hours at an average speed of 9.84 knots.

Setting sail from Papeete, the competitors initially had to contend with a week of light to medium winds as they dropped due south in search of the strong west winds reminiscent of the lower latitudes. Over the course of that first week, the hierarchy was constantly shifting according to the tactics in play, everyone alternating between first and last place.

The arrival of the strong breeze at around 35° South heralded the start of a new phase, which MILAI Around The World clearly excelled at, constantly posting higher speeds than their rivals. Quite the achievement in view of the multiple rips in their sails and the long days spent sewing them back together for a temporary fix.

While competitors in the Vendee Globe or The Ocean Race have occasionally had to be make a pit stop in Ushuaia after suffering damage, this is the first time that Tierra del Fuego has played host to a round the world yacht race as an official stopover. Once finished, there is a 70-mile passage to reach the port of Ushuaia.

Masa Suzuki and Estelle Greck with Cape Horn in the background.

Race details – Entries – Tracker

Note: The scoring format gives extra value to the longer legs.

Standings (after four of eight legs):

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 – October 29
Leg 5 start: Papeete, French Polynesia – November 26
Leg 6 start: Ushuaia, Argentina
Leg 7 start: Recife, Brazil
Leg 8 start: St Georges, Grenada

Finish:
Lorient, France

Source: Globe40