Sailing Magazine
pic by Trevor Wilkins
Day_11_Wednesday_140800GMT_Daily_Position_Report_PRINT_EMAIL
We all really knew that Maserati would, bar any serious mishaps, take line honours in the Cape to Rio race. Few believed that she would break the record in such emphatic style though
Her official elapsed time was 10 days; 11 hours; 29 minutes and 57 seconds.
On the course there is still much to race for as the overall handicap honours are still up for grabs, although those wanting to win this race will have to buck up and get a move on as the clock simply keeps on ticking and they are sailing for time now. Scarlet Runner is the closest to Rio with under 700 nautical miles to go, and some 267 miles further back is Explora. Interestingly Explora passed Scarlet Runner’s transom by a few hundred miles when they crossed tacks yesterday.
The next boat in to Rio is only likely to arrive in 3 to 4 days time.
What is very interesting from the Xtra-Link tracker is that both Scarlet Runner and Explora are heading northwest again, obviously looking for more wind, while Privateer and Iskareen are making good progress west towards Rio.
What is plainly obvious is that this race has been difficult for the navigators who continue to battle to keep in the wind while making good progress towards Rio. I would hate to be the navigator of one of these boats as one incorrect interpretation of the weather, and one bad tactical call could easily compromise their position severely. These guys and girls (and yes, the navigator of Scarlet Runner is a highly competent young lady) will be tense and looking at every scrap of info they can get to plot the fastest course to the finish.
The overall handicap positions have not changed in the IRC fleet since yesterday, and now that Maserati has finished, the IRC Class 1 and Class 2 results are lumped into one – as this is where the overall winner will come from.
Myrtle of Bonnievale continues to lead the cats for another day.
Watch the Xtra-Link tracker closely for the next few days to see which navigator has done the best job. And keep an eye on the weather at: www.passageweather.com
