Groundhog Day in Global Solo Challenge

(January 4, 2024) – As she pursues Global Solo Challenge leader Philippe Delamare (FRA), Cole Bruer (USA) today twice lived the same day, January 4th. On her Class40 First Light in second place, by the time she reached the antimeridian, it was already the 5th of January but then travelled back in time and it’s the 4th again. Both skippers are plotting their path toward Cape Horn.

Also on the move toward the final cape is Ronnie Simpson on his Open 50 Shipyard Brewing, having left Hobart following his pit stop for repairs. He has managed to restart without giving up his third place on water, now 1400 nm behind Brauer and around 350 nm ahead of Riccardo Tosetto’s Class40 Obportus.

It has been two weeks since Ari Känsäkoski’s Class40 ZEROchallenge was dismasted less than 300 miles north of the Crozet Islands in the Roaring Forties. Since then, Ari has managed to gain over 600 nm to the north toward Africa with a combination of slowly sailing under jury rig and motoring courtesy of the extra fuel he received from a Japanese fishing vessel.

However, as the Marine Gas Oil he received isn’t exactly the same stuff you pump out of the diesel column at the gas station. MGO is much thicker and lies various steps below diesel in the refinement process from Crude all the way up to Diesel, Kerosene, Light Gas Oil and Petrol (Gasoline). Also, coming out of the tanks of a high seas fishing vessel, it was unlikely to be pure and clean.

Therefore, he had to setup his own little “refinement” station in his cockpit, where MGO is first filtered through a plain and simple paper coffee filter to remove the dirt from the thick substance, then MGO is mixed in a jerry can with some Kerosene and or Light Oil at approximately 1-2% which was also requested from the fishing vessel for the purpose of thinning the MGO.

The fuel filter still requires regular rinsing, and Känsäkoski has two spares on board to swap over when clogged beyond hope. Still, he’s currently trying to make as many miles under jury rig, despite the slow speed, and only motors at low revs when charging the engine, sparing his fuel for when he’ll be closer to Africa, also in case he starts developing issues with the engine using MGO.

Race details – Entry list – Start times – Tracking

Attrition List:
DNS: Peter Bourke – Class40, Imagine
DNS: Ivan Dimov – Endur37, Blue Ibis
DNS: Curt Morlock – IMOCA, 6 Lazy K
DNS: Volkan Kaan Yemlihaoğlu – Open 70, Black Betty

RTD: Juan Merediz – Class40, Sorolla
RTD: Dafydd Hughes – S&S 34, Bendigedig
RTD: Ari Känsäkoski – Class40, ZEROchallenge

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge 2023-24 seeks to be a budget-friendly solo, non-stop race around the world. Using a pursuit format for the 2023-24 race, 20 entrants from 34 to 70 feet have start times between August 26 to January 6 from A Coruña, Spain, with the first boat to return deemed the winner.

Source: GSC