
pic by Trevor Wilkins
Day 5 – Thursday
Day 5 Thursday 060800GMT Daily Position Report PRINT EMAIL
My view looking at the Xtra-Link tracker is that the fleet is too far south.
Giovanni Soldini alluded to this yesterday as he tried to get north, and he now appears to be the most northern boat of the fleet with Privateer the next most northern boat.
It begs the question: “What does the rest of the fleet know that these two do not?”
Iskareen appears to be making a concerted effort to head north as her track shows this quite clearly. She is also climbing the ladder in terms of overall handicap position (now 4th), and with a good crew which includes Phillippa Hutton-Squire, better known for her shorthanded sailing ability, this may be a boat to keep an eye on.
The Robinson family continue on a steady path, having obviously decided on a course which they are sticking to at the moment. They are 5th overall on handicap, and have been for much of the race.
Maserati was at the time of reporting 351 miles ahead of Explora, and 395 miles ahead of Scarlet Runner.
At just 40-foot, and being sailed 2-up, Privateer is 565 miles behind Maserati, and just 170 miles behind Explora. She is sailing fast and wisely, and being some 20-foot or more shorter than those ahead of her, is doing remarkably well.
I mentioned yesterday that the Wits guys looked as if they were seeking some R&R aboard the cat Nomad Yacht Charters – and since then she moved even closer. Interesting stuff!
Yolo continues to head class 2 and has a healthy lead in terms of miles head of her rivals. This class 2 fleet is spread widely across the South Atlantic, so there is lots to gain for the boat that hooks into the best weather system first.
Amongst the cats, Tranquillo is the furthest south of all the boats in the fleet, but is handily placed 2nd overall on handicap with just Tranquillo ahead of her.
Top 5 closest to Rio, with miles to go are:
1 Maserati – 1849
2 Explora – 2134
3 Scarlet Runner – 2153
4 Iskareen – 2486
5 Privateer – 2505
6 Yolo – 2548
7 Tulliana – 2579
8 Investec Ciao Bella – 2581
9 Mussulo III – 2619
10 Vulcan 44 – 2711