French yacht Pen Duick VI FR, skippered by Marie Tabarly is due to arrive into Punta del Este in first on Tuesday 13 February, two days ahead of the rest of the McIntyre Ocean Globe fleet.
Maiden UK, Spirit of Helsinki FI and Neptune FR, all former Whitbread entrants, are due to arrive on the Thursday 15 February.
Maiden is leading Spirit of Helsinki by 10 miles so it’s anyone’s call – the friendly rivalry is obviously very intense between these two.
Strong SW winds along the Argentinian East coast are also providing decent speeds for the rest of the fleet who are due from the 17th onwards.
But it’s not only the leaderboard that is proving very interesting.
What has made the withdrawal of the Italian Swan 65 Translated 9 ITL from Leg 3 upon discovering two cracks in the hull so dramatic is the effect it’s had on the IRC rankings.
Triana FR a Swan 53, one of the smallest yachts in the fleet, is now leading the IRC rankings. The French yacht, skippered by Jean d’Arthuys, rounded Cape Horn at 21:30 UTC in 45-knot winds earlier in the week.
First mate Sébastien Audigane and crew have continually surprised many with their speeds, keeping up with the larger yachts in the fleet.
Sitting fifth on the leaderboard at present is impressive enough, but not nearly as jaw-dropping as their top IRC placing. It is without a doubt down to their consistent drive to succeed, and constant sail changes.
Galiana WithSecure FI, a Swan 55, is now second in IRC, another eyebrow-raising result for the oldest yacht in the race at 53 years.
Just hours separate Pen Duick VI, Neptune and Maiden on IRC rankings, again making it impossible to call who’ll triumph amongst these.
Times of Passing Cape Horn:
Triana – February 8th 21:30 UTC
L’Esprit d’équipe – February 9th 08:16 UTC
Galiana WithSecure – February 9th 14:52 UTC
White Shadow – February 9th 15:40 UTC
Outlaw – February 10th 00:03 UTC
Evrika – February 10th 11:50 UTC
