The news came thursday : Hugo Boss dismasted shortly after 10pm last night, 370 nautical miles off the Brazilian coastline. This obviously comes as a huge disappointment for the Alex Thomson – Pepe Ribes duo, who were in the lead at the time of the incident and had set an incredibly fast pace from the very beginning; the 3rd edition of the Barcelona World Race as a whole has also felt the blow as it has lost one of its favourites.
Credit : Cheminées Poujoulat
On the 14th day of the race and whilst clearly in the lead, Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes were faced with a rigging issue, causing their mast to collapse. This incident unfortunately means they will be withdrawing from the race. "We were informed of what happened during the night by the Race's Management team. It's a great shame for the Barcelona World Race, as the duo was one of the favourites, as well as for us and most importantly for them. Alex and Pepe had made considerable headway since the start of the race, and I can only imagine how disappointed they must be to have to end their adventure like this", commented Bernard Stamm, who spoke to his team this morning. The Swiss skipper knows how hard it is to cope with such huge damage, but he is also aware that it's part of the game and is striving to remain focused on his own boat, especially as recent weather conditions are not making things easy.
An unstable horizon
"We've got enough air and are sailing along with the tradewinds, but the further South we go towards the Saint Helena high, the more unstable the wind is becoming, both in terms of strength and orientation. Last night, winds were changing from 6 to 24 knots, with huge turnarounds. Our present conditions aren't any better. It's really quite difficult, because at times we sail forward with ease and at others we struggle. We have to watch out not to make any wrong decisions regarding sail changes, but for now Jean and I are doing quite well, especially as things are easing up a bit", explained the skipper, undoubtedly pleased to note that the sea was gradually getting calmer the further South they sailed. "The winds are pushing us from behind now, so the further South we head, the less the boat will rock", stated Bernard, clearly rather satisfied with their route over the last few days. "In the doldrums, we were slightly unsettled while dealing with our halyard problems, but have got back on our feet and it feels really good to be in a close race situation", pointed out the skipper, currently stationed in the lead and about twenty nautical miles East from the next competitor: the Guillermo Altadill – José Munoz team, now 330 nautical miles off the coast of Ilhéus, just South of Bahia.
In search of the best possible angles
"We've all got our head in the game. The aim is to sail down the middle, along the coast of Brazil, and to gybe as late as we can to have the best angle possible for reaching the Cape of Good Hope. The trick is to not get trapped in the bubble, that's why we are currently trying to sail all the way around it. The good thing is that up until now, we have never been bothered by which way the wind was blowing and have therefore always been able to take the route we wanted to, which probably wasn't the case for those lagging behind a little", highlights Bernard Stamm, who is however unsure whether they will be able to catch the strong North-Eastern winds generated by cyclogenesis upon reaching Cape Frio, which would help them sail at a rate of knots towards the Indian Ocean. "Favourable winds are not systematic and the Saint Helena high seems stronger today than it was yesterday. We can't be sure yet whether or not we'll be able to catch it. You'll get your answer in three days, give or take", concluded the Cheminées Poujoulat skipper.
From Rivacom
