Normal Southern Ocean service is resumed
After a 30 hour break, with winds moderating to 20 knots, normal service has resumed. 40-plus knots, snow and building seas are challenging the sailors like never before...It didn't take long.
After getting a short break with more moderate conditions from Saturday evening through Sunday (UTC), the Southern Ocean has resumed its punishment of the Volvo Ocean Race sailors.
"30+ knots. 3-degree water temp. Snow/hail in the squalls. Questioning my life choices! Very important to keep banter and morale high right now!" was the way Henry Bomby on Turn the Tide on Plastic described it.
His skipper, Dee Caffari, agreed: "It is cold, bitterly cold on deck and down below. 3 degrees air temperature and 4 degrees sea temperature, makes for icy fingers and cheeks."
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It may get worse too. A front is coming through (Scallywag has already been through it), and snow, 40-45 knot winds, and building seas will feature.
Afterwards, the boats can expect near 30 knots until they get caught by one final system before Cape Horn. The forecast for the rounding of the famed Horn, on Thursday UTC) is currently heinous.
"For a Brazilian, this is very cold," said Olympic Gold medallist Martine Grael from team AkzoNobel. "I've never sailed in cold like this before. It's freezing on your hands and a bit uncomfortable but it's cool, we had a really good watch."
"We're gaining bearing down towards a gybe in a few hours. That's a big manoeuvre," said watch captain Chris Nicholson. "We just have to manage it pretty carefully now."
The entire fleet has gybed away from the southern race course boundary as at 0700 position report and are heading northeast.
Team Brunel maintains a 30-mile lead, but the chasing back includes five boats now, all within about 45 miles - at current speeds, that's well under two hours of sailing.
"We have been ticking the miles away and Capey, our navigator has done an excellent job positoning ourselves. Tonight is going to be the last gybe for our final approach to the Horn and then some big breeze...........and massive waves and probably more snow," wrote Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking.
One team happy to see the return of the wind is MAPFRE, who are limited to sailing with two reefs in the mainsail. In the stronger winds, this is the right sail configuration, but as the breeze moderates, they find themselves underpowered.
This is going to be one to watch over the coming days as the overall race leaders may be vulnerable on this leg if they are unable to find a solution to their damaged mast track.
With 1,400 miles to Cape Horn, there is still plenty of jeopardy to navigate before the turn to the north towards the finish in Itajaí.