Getting spicy for Ocean Globe Race

The sailing conditions along the second stage of the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race could almost describe it as ‘too-perfect’ since the start on November 5 for the 7250 nm course from Cape Town, South Africa to Auckland, New Zealand. But now the Indian Ocean is finally baring its teeth and demanding serious strategic moves from the 13 competing yachts.

The last few days have proved challenging thanks to a dangerously unpredictable storm, wind holes, strong headwinds, and a pesky waypoint sitting at 45°S and 110°E to be kept to starboard. This “ice mark” (keeping yachts north of the iceberg zone) certainly gave the yachts something to aim for, though it would appear not all hit the target.

French sailing legend Pen Duick VI, skippered by Marie Tabarly, continues to lead the charge and is first on the leaderboard but lost ground blocked by a large high pressure. But the 73-foot Bermudian ketch, who has been trading places with Translated 9 for the coveted No. 1 spot in IRC ranking, has slipped to third.

Triana, a 53-foot Swan skippered by Jean d’Arthuys, is now 2nd in IRC. Triana, the winners of Adventure Class in Leg One, have continued to impress as they forge ahead against far bigger, more powerful yachts.

Unfortunately, it would appear the former Whitbread winner L’Esprit d’équipe passed south of the waypoint. If this is the case, a 72-hour time penalty will be applied to their finishing time. This will not be determined until a full investigation is carried out in Auckland when the charts of the Export 33 will be examined.

The 24-hour tracker plots four hourly waypoints and it is clear they missed the spot passing 3.7 miles south, but to be sure they did not dip north between the tracker plots, the log book and charts must be inspected.

Both Outlaw and Galiana WithSecure changed course dramatically, tacking north just in time to pass the waypoint.

Explorer and Sterna were both forced to divert south to avoid an unpredictable and dangerous storm. OGR headquarters advised both teams to remain south of 39°S and west of 41°E until at least 2300 UTC on the November 29. The storm track is being monitored and is moving easterly as predicted and no longer poses a risk.

However, both yachts are out of the rankings for Leg 2 after receiving outside assistance for maintenance work in Cape Town after Leg 2 race start. They’ll continue to Auckland and resume racing in Leg 3, with the latest estimates putting their arrival on January 10.

The first boats are expected into Auckland in the middle of December.

Event information – Race rules – Entry list – Tracker

No longer racing:
• Swan 51 Godspeed (USA) – quit after Leg 1

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is a fully crewed, retro race, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, marking the 50th Anniversary of the original event. Racing without computers, GPS, and high-tech materials, they navigate with sextants and paper charts. Seven of the fleet are former Whitbread competitors.

Starting in Southampton (UK) on September 10, the OGR is a 27,000-mile sprint around the Globe, divided into four legs that passes south of the three great Capes. The fleet is divided in three classes with stop-overs in Cape Town, South Africa; Auckland, New Zealand; and Punta del Este, Uruguay before returning to Southhampton in April 2024.

2023-24 Ocean Globe Race:
FIRST LEG: Start 10 September 2023. 7670 miles. First boats finish 9-21 October 2023.
SECOND LEG: Start 5 November 2023. 7250 miles. First boats finish 14-23 December 2023.
THIRD LEG: Start 14 January 2024. 4980 miles. First boats finish 9-18 February 2024.
FOURTH LEG: Start 5 March. 6550 miles. Finish 1-10 April 2024.

Source: OGR