ITW / Barcelona World Race Winners, Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam

It was just at sunset, in the end, when Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam broke the finish line off Barcelona's iconic W-Hotel to complete their victory in the Barcelona World Race. They punched the air with delight as the gun sounded after 84 days and 5 hours of racing, a joyous release of elation and relief. Within seconds they had their technical team and family aboard on board Cheminées Poujoulat to share the moments.

Barcelona World Race / Come and meet the winners, Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam!

If everything goes as it should, race leaders Cheminées Poujoulat should finish in Barcelona tomorrow, Wednesday around noon. Swiss-French pair Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam are within a few miles of becoming the winners of the third edition of the Barcelona World Race and will set the reference time for the new route for this two handed round the world race. 

#BWR2015 / Cheminees Poujoulat exit the North Atlantic and head into the Mediterranean

Jean Le Cam and Bernard Stamm on board Cheminées Poujoulat have become the first team to return to the Mediterranean in the Barcelona World Race, crossing the longitude of Gibraltar this morning at 08.30 (UTC). The leaders kept a course close to the North African shore, before a rapid transit through the Straits in a 20-knot southerly.

Credit : Bernard Stamm

Barcelona World Race / Circle Time: 5000 Miles To Go

Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam passed under 5,000 miles to the Barcelona World Race finish line and today also crossed over their own outbound track. The leading duo are starting to feel like the worst of the course is very much behind them. Both skippers have, individually, suffered more than their fair share of ill luck over their careers. Now, if it is not good luck that is running with them it is certainly at least good timing.

Credit : Cheminées Poujoulat

Having been pressed east around the big high pressure system in the South Atlantic they have continued to have downwind and broad reaching conditions, making 16,3kts today. But as daytime temperatures rise to become much more acceptable Stamm and Le Cam seem set to gain steadily on their nearest rivals, Neutrogena and GAES Centros Auditivos.

Were it not that it proved to be stuck then there might have been some ceremony yesterday when the leaders tried to slide forwards the protective canopy which protects much of their cockpit space from the sluicing southern ocean waters and driving winds. After a little persuasion they can now enjoy the full 'al fresco' experience, rather than huddling under its shelter. And as the canopy rolls back, so too it seems like the weather door may close on their rivals. It is probable that as a new high pressure builds off the South American coast that Neutrogena and GAES Centros Auditivos will lo se more time agains the Swiss-French duo.

Neutrogena,Guillermo Altadill and José Munoz have actually been making distance on the leaders, reducing their deficit by a further 30 miles in the last 24 hours. They may now be 970 miles behind the leading duo, but their route north now appears blocked by a zone of high pressure and winds of just 5-8kts. In contrast Cheminées Poujoulat will be into slightly stronger, more settled E'lies allowing them a due north course to the Equator.

Predictably, the race statistics so far show in favour of Cheminées Poujoulat. Until today they have sailed 21,080 Nms on the water, averaging 14.6kts. They hold the highest 24hrs run at 482.8 Nms on 11th Feburary, the highest 4 hours speed gun average at 21.1kts on that same date. They have lead continuiously since 16th January. Their lead was biggest at 1249 Nms on 26th Feburary. And they are on course for the biggest win in the history of the race.

Rankings at 1400hrs UTC Tuesday 03/03/2015
1 Cheminées Poujoulat (B Stamm – J Le Cam) at 4938 miles to finish
2 Neutrogena (G Altadill – J Muñoz) + 970 miles to leader
3 GAES Centros Auditivos (A Corbella – G Marin) + 1237 miles to leader
4 We Are Water (B Garcia – W Garcia) + 3190 miles to leader
5 One Planet One Ocean & Pharmaton (A Gelabert – D Costa) + 3420 miles to leader
6 Renault Captur (J Riechers – S Audigane) + 3910 miles to leader
7 Spirit of Hungary (N Fa – C Colman) + 5430 miles to leader
ABD : Hugo Boss (A. Thomson - P. Ribes)

From Barcelona World Race

Barcelona World Race / Open Season For Second?

With second placed Neutrogena still slowed in a high pressure zone of light winds since Guillermo Altadill and José Munoz restarted from their New Zealand pitstop, both GAES Centros Auditivos and Renault Captur having continued to slash their deficit behind Altadil and Munoz. Second place on the podium of the Barcelona World Race is opening up with each mile that the two chasing IMOCA 60s gain.

Credit : Neutrogena

Barcelona World Race / Cheminées Poujoulat passes the Kerguelen Islands

Cheminées Poujoulat has passed the Kerguelen Islands as Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam continue to lead the Southern Ocean charge in the Barcelona World Race. The duo were just over 300 miles north of the largest island of Kerguelen at 1400hrs this afternoon.

Credit : Cheminées Poujoulat

Despite being in the very centre of the Indian Ocean at nearly 44°S, Cheminées Poujoulat was sailing at just 6-7 knots as the lead boat entered a zone of high pressure which will see the south-westerly winds they have been reaching in head and fade, becoming more easterly and unstable.

Barcelona World Race / Bernard Stamm : " Tomorrow we will have passed the front and the Antarctic air will hit us."

Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam are carrying on with their expedition across the southern Atlantic. Having benefited for the last few days from a 25-knot North-Westerly flow, the Cheminées Poujoulat skippers are still well in the lead, ahead of their competitors. Less than 48 hours away from reaching the Indian Ocean, the Franco-Swiss duo is making the most of its journey, and will soon be ready to cast the Argo sensor, used to gather scientific data.

Credit : Cheminées Poujoulat

Barcelona World Race / Saint Helena: not so simple #BWR2015

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

Barcelona World Race / Hugo Boss lined up with Neutrogena off Brazil

Regularity and routine, such as they want it, has kicked in for the leaders of the Barcelona World Race as they race past the latitude of Recife, Brazil. Leaders Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes were 260 miles east of the NE corner of Brazil and closest challengers Neutrogena, Guillermo Altadill and José Munoz are now about 80 miles further inshore.

Crédit : A Thomson / Hugo Boss

IMOCA / Sun and Sons Shine on Light Winds #Barcelona World Race Start (Video)

As if to underline their billing as pre-race favourites to win, Alex Thomson and Pepe Ribes on Hugo Boss led the eight-strong fleet of IMOCA 60s off the start line of the third edition of the Barcelona World Race, two handed race around the world. The British-Spanish duo made the best of the very light winds, setting up with speed at the gun, to eke out a small lead to the turning mark, 1.5 miles away from the line.

Credit : Martinez Studio