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 / 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

#IMOCA / Au revoir New York

Today at 1120, the first boats left North Cove Marina, one by one they were bid good luck by Sir Keith Mills, Chairman of OSM (Open Sports Management and Barcelona Deputy Mayor Mrs Maite Fandos, also President of FNOB (Barcelona Foundation for Ocean Sailing ), co-hosts with OSM of the IMOCA Ocean Masters New York to Barcelona race. Also bidding them a safe journey was Luc Talbourdet, Vice President of the IMOCA Class and Peter Bayer, CEO of OSM.

Credit : Th Martinez / OSM

Barcelona World Race / Caffari and Corbella ready to finish sixth in the Barcelona World Race

A slow night passing the latitudes of the Balearics, the transitional sticking point that has hampered nearly all of the five Barcelona World Race teams which have already finished, gave way to a fine last full day of racing today for Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella before they make history, expected now early morning on the finish line.

 © K.Morgan / Full Emotions

The English-Spanish duo which came together for the first time just over one year ago, enduring a full February winter delivery from Gosport down around a full storm strewn Atlantic system in to the Med to Barcelona.

Barcelona World Race / Virbac-Paprec 3 less than 1400 miles to finish

As anticipated by many, Virbac-Paprec 3 has tacked north again this afternoon, taking a short hitch to avoid passing directly through the Canary Islands archipelago and the likely long wind shadows cast bay the high mountains, especially Tenerife. With some 90 miles left to reach the westernmost extremity of the islands, Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron will take a short hitch back to the north before extending east all the way to the Moroccan coast.

© GAES Centros Auditivos

Iker Martinez retains his fierce optimism, believing that there will be chances to pull back some miles on the leading pair after MAPFRE passes the Canary Islands.

Barcelona World Race / The Big Stretch North

Logically it was expected by both the co-skippers of Virbac-Paprec 3 and by MAPFRE. The long time leaders Loick-Peyron and Jean-Pierre Dick had some confidence that they would escape first from the south Atlantic high pressure system which had snared them for more than 48 hours.

With their more westerly course, closer to the centre of the anticyclone and so in lighter winds, Spanish Olympic medallists Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez were hopeful that they could still get sufficiently close to their rivals to reach the exit of the high pressure in close touch.

Even though the odds were very much in favour of the French duo getting out first, Jean-Pierre Dick still described life in the anticyclone like being in a ‘game of roulette’, but since Wednesday night it has been Virbac-Paprec 3 which, for the moment, have collected.

ITW / Dee's Birthday (Vidéo)

Barcelona World Race / Crossing the line and crossed lines

Three of the Barcelona World Race fleet have now crossed the Equator. After Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron at around 0215hrs UTC this morning on Virbac-Paprec 3, and second placed Foncia about an hour later, around 1305hrs UTC after the French leaders it was Barcelona duo Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damm who crossed the line into at around 1405hrs this afternoon

Credit : Paprec Virbac Sailing Team

The Spanish duo remarked how easy and straightforward their Doldrums crossing was, their strategy and speed over recent days bringing them to just over 100 miles behind the leader, scarcely slowing below nine knots.

Barcelona World Race / Deja Blue? Leader of the Pack at the Canaries

The course is very long and, as he very well knows much can happen when racing around the world but Jean-Pierre Dick sailed into the second week of his second Barcelona World RACE in the same position as his first: leading the pack.

© arnaud/studio Zedda

Were he blessed with a moment today to cast his mind back, Dick, might recall that in the 2007-8 race he lead into the second week by around 15 miles. One week in his nearest rival was Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou, sailing with Seb Josse. Today, as his closest challenger is also the current Vendée Globe champion, Michel Desjoyeaux, with François Gabart on Foncia. And as the second week rolled in this afternoon, Virbac-Paprec 3’s lead is around 12 miles.

IMOCA / PRB wins into Gijon and leads the Vuelta Espana a Vela

After 110 miles of tough, mainly upwind racing and a thrilling, tight finish only three minutes and 12 seconds separated the top three teams when they crossed the finish line in Gijon.

© Maria Muiña / Vuelta a España a Vela

France’s past Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou, sailing with Jean Le Cam and crew on the new PRB reaped the benefit of one, small favourable wind shift to take the winning gun and the overall lead of the Vuelta España a Vela. At 01:04.12hrs (loca) PRB lead near her near sister-ship Safran across the finish line with the leg 1 winner only one minute and 59 seconds later, with Spain’s Movistar of Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez only 1 minute and 13 seconds behind the IMOCA world champion Guillemot.