Home in Fourth : A warm Barcelona Welcome Home for Pella and Ribes

Their finish, back into their home city was one which mirrored their race, rich with emotion.

Fourth place in their first attempt at the Barcelona World Race, the conclusion of a two year programme is a result which Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes can be justly proud of, but it comes after a 25,200 miles circumnavigation over which the duo experienced many more highs and lows than the three teams which finished ahead of them.

© María Muiña

For Pella, who learned on and has sailed his whole life on the waters off his native Barcelona, today was an emotional finale to a lifelong dream.

Barcelona World Race / Venomous Doorstep Challenge is the toughest yet for Estrella Damm.

In training, training races and deliveries to and from races on Estrella Damm, Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes sailed more than 30,000 miles and must have passed through the Straits of Gibraltar a dozen times.

 © Estrella Damm

Even across those accumulated preparatory miles, plus all of the 28,500 or so racing miles that they will have sailed on this Barcelona World Race course itself over the last three months, it has been some of the final miles, passing through the notorious Straits of Gibraltar in into the Alboran Sea, 520 miles from the finish that have been their biggest test.

Barcelona World Race / Attack…the best form of Defence.

MAPFRE have so far been unable to make any further impression on the lead of Virbac-Paprec 3 as the Barcelona World Race’s two leading IMOCA Open 60’s play their angles downwind towards the Mid Pacific ice gate, now over half way from Wellington NZ to Cape Horn.

Credit : Ch Cameroon / DPPI / BWR

Though the two leaders had become increasingly isolated at the head the fleet, with nearly 1200 miles now between Virbac-Paprec 3 and third placed Renault Z.E Sailing Team, the third to fifth placed peloton were back up to full speed this afternoon after extricating themselves from a persistent zone of light winds emerging into stronger northerly and NW’ly winds this morning.

Barcelona World Race / Tight

They have become increasingly close over the past 24 hours but it was only today that Virbac-Paprec 3’s French co-skipper Loïck Peyron acknowledged that the speed race between the long time race leaders and their Spanish Olympic medal winning adversaries Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez would be an even one over coming days.

MAPFRE have closed down nearly 150 miles on Virbac-Paprec 3 since the French duo restarted out of Wellington last Friday, but Peyron has pointed to an inherent advantage granted to the MAPFRE speedsters who, as the chasing boat, have had stronger wind pressure.

Barcelona World Race / Difficult choices and times?

It is certainly not the 50th birthday present that Groupe Bel skipper Kito De Pavant was looking for, especially not ‘second time around'.  Such is the ironic timing of the Laughing Cow’s crossing of the international date-line later today and tomorrow that De Pavant was passing his first 50th Birthday concerned about the weather situation but tomorrow he will facing up to the formidable tropical cyclone Atu when the ‘second edition’ of his 50th birthday comes around.

© Chris Cameron / DPPI / Barcelona World Race

Barcelona World Race / Renault Z.E Sailing Team take third

Eight days ago they were fifth a distant 844 miles from third place in the Barcelona World Race fleet, but this afternoon Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris passed by Wellington, New Zealand and elevated themselves to a podium place as they accelerated towards the Pacific to pursue leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 and MAPFRE.

© Chris Cameron / DPPI

While Estrella Damm and Groupe Bel are sidelined in the New Zealand capital working on their respective repairs and counting down through their mandatory 48 hours which they are required to be tied to the dock, the Spanish duo Rivero and Piris passed the longitude of Wellington at a little after midday UTC, ready to take the full benefit of the very favourable northerly winds which are likely to be with the Renault Z.E Sailing Team for at least 48 hours, and perhaps longer.

Barcelona World Race / Non Stop is Non Stop

As second placed MAPFRE passed Wellington today, the first of the Barcelona World Race fleet to pass through the Cook Straits without stopping, the Spanish 2004 Olympic champions raised the bar, adding pressure on the pack which is pursuing them but most of all on the race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 who are heading SSE into the Pacific

Credit : Estrella Damm

Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, the MAPFRE co-skippers, came to the tough decision not to halt despite acknowledging that they considered it made logical sense to do so, that in fact they felt they would be quicker to the finish if they did, but for them their huge hearts also played a big part in their decision not to stop. Intellectually it might have made sense to halt and return to the race course with their boat at 100%, but the duo make the point that they want to race non-stop around the world. Given that they still have the opportunity to do so, that remains their intention.

Barcelona World Race / The Wellington question

  To stop or not to stop? That is definitely the question for the 20 sailors in the Barcelona World Race yet to announce whether they will make a pit-stop in Wellington (NZL). The next 24 hours could prove key as some long-held positions go up for grabs, and with more teams potentially considering a Kiwi stopover the rankings could see further reshuffles in future.

© Chris Cameron / Dppi

One of the Barcelona World Race’s unique elements – the fact that teams may make technical ‘pit-stops’ to repair damage in order to be able to complete the course – looks set to create a fascinating tactical challenge for the 10 teams who have yet to decide whether to pull into Wellington.

Barcelona World Race / New Zealand, new opportunities

Virbac-Paprec 3, long-term leaders in the Barcelona World Race, are currently in dock in Wellington after yesterday evening’s surprise announcement that they would be stopping during the Cook Strait passage of the race to make key repairs.

© Chris Cameron / DPPI

Jean-Pierre Dickand Loick Peyron (FRA) reported their plans for the stopover to Race Director Denis Horeau yesterday evening after breaking two mainsail battens during their approach to New Zealand. Shortly after arriving alongside the pontoons of Chaffers marina this morning, Jean-Pierre Dick explained how they arrived at the decision:

Barcelona World Race / Hey, Hey, Out of the Grey and into the Blue

After a tough weekend Barcelona World Race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 are now making good speed north east toward the Cook Straits.

This afternoon they passed the latitude of the tip of the South Island, 280 miles off Cape Providence, and for the leaders this ascent of the Tasman and through the straits will not be without its challenges, but it promises to be one of the most memorable stages for Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.

Crédit : BWR

The duo have their lead at 504 miles this afternoon over MAPFRE who crossed into the Pacific this morning, and Estrella Damm who passed from the Indian at 1420hrs UTC this afternoon.

Barcelona World Race / Farewell to the Indian Summer?

The leading group of the Barcelona World Race may be ready to reflect on their passage across an unusually lenient south Indian Ocean but the tail enders of the fleet have been dealing with a punishment which is more perhaps more typical.

© FMC

The top five boats will already be considering their passage to the Cook Straits which looks set to be influenced by the timing of a high pressure system which may give favour to the second and third placed MAPFRE and Estrella Damm, cost some miles to the leaders Virbac-Paprec 3, and possibly more to Groupe Bel and Renault ZE Sailing Team.

Barcelona World Race / What's Cooking for the Straits?

As Virbrac Paprec 3 crossed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin this morning at around 1010hrs UTC, the leading French pair were moving at more modest speeds seeing their record lead ebbing again as the chasing trio catch up steady miles.

© Estrella Damm

For Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron they are simply at the mercy of the more benign conditions as they transit the second Australian safety barrier, but the leading team have shed 100 miles to the pursuing trinity, MAPFRE, Estrella Damm and Groupe Bel since yesterday.

Barcelona World Race / The wizards off Aus: a league of their own

Estrella Damm’s Pepe Ribes smiled, but was unequivocal: ‘The last time we saw them was in the Straits of Gibraltar, we are not worried about them. Virbac-Paprec 3 are a fast boat with two incredible sailors on board and they are 700 miles ahead, they are not in our race at the moment. Our race is with Groupe Bel and MAPFRE and Renault, that is our race at the moment.

© Renault

Barcelona World Race / Stability brings some Sunday Satisfaction in the South?

From first to twelfth, the Barcelona World Race fleet may now find itself spread almost from Australia’s Cape Leeuwin back to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, but for the first time with all the fleet in the Indian Ocean, this Sunday finds the race fleet in favourable downwind or reaching conditions.

©  Mirabaud

At last conditions are stamped with some of the south’s usual hallmarks: some desirable, some not so desirable. Of course such a stable Sunday is entirely transient and in different sections of the fleet already the prospects for change are looming.

Barcelona World Race / Back to reality, back to life

It was not just the bleary eyed tiredness - the inevitable product of more than 48 hours of intense on-the-edge racing in very difficult, unstable conditions and very big confused seas which had prevailed in very different sections of the fleet, but there was also a very obvious measure of relief: satisfaction to have their campaigns still firmly intact, competitive and on course which was immediately apparent.

© Ruvan Boshoff

Barcelona World Race / At one month: stress busting?

Who, of those towards the back of the Barclelona World Race fleet would swap their unfortunate reality and certainty for the high stress and uncertainty which leaders Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron appeared to be facing over the next few days as they look set to deal with a difficult, active subtropical low pressure system?

Crédit : Mapfre

Duos like Andy Meiklejohn and Wouter Verbraak on Hugo Boss and Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella on GAES Centros Auditivos, who were all joined through this morning’s Barcelona World Race Visio-Conference, are trying to come to terms with the weather cards they have been dealt, initially: a hand offering at least two or three days of upwind sailing and surely more.

Barcelona World Race / Virbac Paprec 3 rolls into transition zone of lighter winds

By late afternoon this Saturday, the fifth that the skippers of the Barcelona World Race fleet have spent at sea, five teams will have passed the Cape of Good Hope milestone.

 Moving fast today, averaging over 20 knots, Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damm crossed the line at 1155hrs UTC, only three hours and 10 minutes behind their Spanish rivals on MAPFRE, Iker Martinex and Xabi Fernandez.

Crédit : Neutrogena

Groupe Bel passed at 1500hrs this afternoon, with skipper Kito De Pavant in the Indian Ocean for the first time, pursued by the rapid Renault ZE Sailing Team duo Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris who had sixty miles to go this afternoon.

Barcelona World Race / Recovery time

It is recovery time in more ways than one for Kito De Pavant and Seb Audigane on Groupe Bel. Not only is the Mediterranean bred skipper on the verge of making a steady comeback among the peloton who are pursuing the runaway Barcelona World Race leader Virbac-Paprec 3, but it was revealed today that the ebullient De Pavant has been nursing two cracked ribs for the last two weeks and only now is he getting back to full working capacity.

© Groupe Bel

De Pavant’s team reported today that their skipper had a fall while stacking equipment emerging from the Doldrums. “It was one evening. We were stacking (moving) the ton of equipment in the boat. It was hot and wet and I slipped in the sail locker. I fell on my back and it was very painful.”He recalled.

Barcelona World Race / Games of cunning and speed

After Virbac Paprec 3 reclaimed the lead of the Barcelona World Race this morning, they look set to remain at the head of the rankings until at least 0500hrs on Tuesday January 25. That’s because the third boat to deal their ‘joker’ card and opt for ‘stealth mode’ is Foncia, their nearest rival and previous race leader.

Credit : GAES

Barcelona World Race / A wild ride from the west

Three weeks since they set off, the Barcelona World RACE fleet has taken a new shape. Yesterday evening Foncia surged into first place, and this morning Virbac Paprec 3 joined them at the head of the race in second place.

© Mapfre

Together the pair, which each stopped in Recife, Brazil have maintained a samba pace since leaving the South American coast. Today they have been enjoying a fast ride on their journey back from the western frontiers of the course, both averaging over 20 knots of boat speed in solid northerlies. In the past 24 hours the French duo covered over 400 miles – on average 150 miles more than the boats on the east of the course.