Rough Row To Hoe For Solo Global Racers Seeking The Conveyor Belt

The latest week in the Global Solo Challenge has seen the majority of the skippers at sea confront, some for the first time, the relentless and dynamic Southern Ocean. As the fleet that has reached the South spreads from Tristan da Cunha to South of Australia, each skipper faces unique trials, embodying the spirit of solo sailing.






Cole Brauer: A Sweet Surge in the Rankings

On ‘First Light’, Cole Brauer shared a touching story...

"I sit here on this superbly beautiful morning, I always try to sleep in. It is so hard to do. Something draws me to wake up at first light. I fought it this morning to no avail. I put my eye mask on, breathed deep and tried to relax. But then duty called and I had to go use the head anyways.

So why not get up and have a breakfast smoothie with granola while watching the sunrise? I go to sleep at dark anyways. I wake up at midnight UTC a couple hours later...

We have lift off……Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre IMOCA fleet off and flying



After an impressive start from Le Havre OT 0830HRS utc this morning in SW’ly winds of 20-25kts, the IMOCA fleet on the 16th Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre double handed race to Martinique were making great speeds westwards towards the entrance to the English Channel, led by one of the pre-race favourites Jeremie Beyou and Franck Cammas on Charal.



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November 6, 2023

40 IMOCAs which have been starving to start are ready to rumble!




At 9:30 tomorrow morning, the 40 IMOCAs will finally set off from Le Havre and the entire fleet of the four classes of the 16th Transat Jacques Vabre Normandy Le Havre will then point its bows towards Fort de France. With 25 knots of wind forecast, the conditions will be bracing but manageable and should deliver superb images broadcast live between the start line and a...

The trade winds, finally!




As expected, the trade winds are returning to the Atlantic. The first to reach them in the middle of last night, the supporters of the southern route flirted with an average of twelve knots for a while before slowing down slightly in the morning. However, they remain the fastest in the fleet in this 24th La Boulangere Mini Transat this Wednesday, and should therefore make up a large part of their gap in the coming hours. According to the...

The Grand Start of the GSC:

“Ladies and gentlemen, the show is on!

verbs by Margherita Pelaschier
30/10/2023




At noon on Sunday, October 29th, the creator and organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, Marco Nannini announced on the skippers’ chat: “Ladies and gentlemen, the show is on!” wishing good winds to the seven sailors who just departed from A Coruna.

From Saturday at 3:00 PM local time (1:00 PM...

Notes From Boats Day 4

Christophe Desage (via inReach)
End of D4 - ELMACH: Enfin du soleil ! Shorts, a bit of Gennaker, still catching-up on some sleep. Sea state much easier with .5 to 1m waves.

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Green Buffalo

The wind swung aft at 5am early this morning... AWA went from 70-90 to 100-120 degrees... 14k-16k... spinnaker weather! Watched the wind direction oscillate a bit over a few hours while prepping for...

GGR Day 232- Kirsten likely to break all records. ETA Les Sables d’Olonne Friday 28th!
25 APRIL, 2023

Kirsten is holding a strong lead in the GGR. If she is first home to Les Sables d’Olonne, she will create many firsts!
Lead trio slowed down by light winds on Sunday and will again on Wednesday!
How to welcome the three heroes in Les Sables d’Olonne?
The film of the GOLDEN GLOBE RACE 2018 is now available for pre-order...

Entrant UPDATE FR/ENG : Position @ 1842 UTC 46? 54.24S, 037? 12.604W Vessel GPS SOG 3.4 & Heading: @ 36.85
Weather: SW 50 knots, gusting 70 knots 6.5M SEA
SITUATION : PUFFIN ROLLED DISMASTED Skipper injured.
1842 UTC PUFFIN YB3 TEXT message received - Rolled Dismasted , injured Back, hard to move, 2ft water in boat.
1844 UTC PUFFIN YB3 TEXT Message received - Situation getting worse..need weather break to cut rig from PUFFIN.
MRCC Argentina...

Big week-end ahead.





In the un-aptly named Pacific, Ian isn’t slowed down too much by his torn mainsail, and Jeremy has resumed his course towards Cape Horn after the front yesterday. 600 miles from the rock, he is a little further east than he would like but keeps a good distance to the Chilean coastline: 250 miles, or 5 times more than Abhilash at the same latitude! Unlike his Atlantic mates, he can count on accurate weather information.
...

The 2023 Single Handed Sailing Society's 3 Bridge Fiasco will be remembered for a number of things, the cold weather,
the big ebb and very light winds at the start, the persistent Tule fog that hug the course in some very dense sections and the late clearing
and building breeze that finally appeared much later than many had hoped for. But also for the large number of DNC's and DNF's, more than 1/3 the fleet of 315 registered boats. But for those who managed to persevere and complete...

https://goldengloberace.com/live-tracker/


As expected, the GGR fleet has split into two as the wind kicked in: a group of five led by Damien Guillou and Tapio Lehtinen are heading west in 25-30 knots of south westerly and 3-4 metre waves, while the rest led by Pat Lawless, Simon Curwen and Kirsten Neuch?fer are heading towards the Galician coastline in confused seas and 15-20 knots of wind. Some electrical problems for Ertan Beskardes who has had a short circuit...

Today, Canadian Scott Shawyer launched Canada Ocean Racing, a new offshore sailing team. Shawyer will compete in the solo, non-stop round the world race, the Vendee Globe, aiming to become the first Canadian to complete the pinnacle event in offshore sailing, widely regarded as the toughest sporting challenge on the planet.







Backed by renowned British sailor Alex Thomson, Shawyer’s campaign aims to lead and inspire...