Eleven McIntyre Ocean Globe Race yachts started Leg 2 from Cape Town for Auckland in perfect south westerly 10 knot winds.
At 14:00 local time Sunday, the two naval vessels signalled the race start and the yachts set sail on the 7,250 miles to Auckland.
With Table Mountain providing a stunning backdrop, the 11 yachts provided a breathtaking spectacle for the many spectator boats on the water.
All the boats started on starboard tack with Pen Duick VI, skippered by Marie Tabarly, slightly ahead and to leeward of Translated 9.
Marie tried to protect her position on the line by forcing Translated 9 to incur a penalty for being on the course side of the start line at the gun.
Translated 9 managed the encounter well and at the gun was able to harden up and cross the line first with Pen Duick VI a few metres to leeward, crossing second.
By Sunday evening, just hours after race start, Leg 1 history had started to repeat itself.
There were clear leaders Pen Duick VI, Translated 9, Maiden, Spirit of Helsinki and L’Esprit d’équipe.
The rest of the fleet bunched in a pack tailing, but not as slow as the unfortunate yachts, White Shadow, Neptune, Evrika and Triana stuck in the shadow of Table Mountain.
Three yachts didn’t make the start line.
The South African entrant Sterna SA (42) will start Monday, once rigging work is completed. Explorer AU (28) only arrived the day before race start, after 55 days at sea and sadly Godspeed USA (01) are still over 400 miles from Cape Town.
The OGR, a retro race in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, means no computers, no GPS, and no high-tech materials. Sextants and paper charts will guide those about to take on the Southern Ocean.
Seven of the fleet are former Whitbread competitors, tradition and history runs deep in the OGR.
The fleet is divided in three classes for a total of 14 entries. Stopovers include Cape Town in South Africa, Auckland in New Zealand, and Punta del Este in Uruguay, before finishing back to the UK in April 2024.
RSS – Posts