• Kirsten in fresh winds no longer bleeding miles on Abhilash’s Rustler
• Capt Gugg gained 450 miles on leaders last week but now in the doldrums
• Jeremy out of the worst weather, Ian out of the furious 50s and Simon into the mix
• Guy Waites, retired from the GGR, rounds Cape Horn in his private solo circumnavigation

In the northern hemisphere, it’s been tense for Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF), in less wind than her runner-up for longer. Every time it looks like she’s losing the lead, she finds the resources to grab some miles back, or clutch to the extra bit of wind to hold the lead.

At the back of the fleet, Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR) and Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) still experienced heavy weather, with another storm for Jeremy at 30° South. The feat of the week goes to a retired GGR sailor, but nevertheless very much part of the GGR family. Guy Waites who rounded Cape Horn on the 3rd of April in rough conditions with winds ranging from 40 to 60 knots. He received a warm letter from his personal heroes at the International Cape Horners Association, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. Congratulations Guy!

The week has been hard on Kirsten who has generally been in lighter weather for several weeks running, bleeding miles from her lead to Abhilash, falling from 300 miles last week to 50 today. Worse, the eastern option she chose, while closer to the finish has brought an in-and-out of the doldrums scenario with more frustrating light winds and psychological trauma. But yesterday she was in fresh winds, now on a higher route at speed towards Les Sables d’Olonne.

The contrast with Abhilash Tomy, Bayanat, is stunning. Choosing a closer route to Brazil, he had very narrow doldrums and found strong, consistent tradewinds earlier, allowing him to sail higher and faster for weeks. After several months of fixing/rebuilding equipment failures and rationing water to less than one litre a day, he is really enjoying the sailing, posting good speed, with time to relax and drinking plenty of fresh water as he shared in his call.

Unexpectedly, Abhilash called the Race Office yesterday to inform that one of his two EPIRBs activated inadvertently for a couple minutes, with the antenna not deployed. Two minutes later, the CROSS Antilles Guyane / MRCC Fort-de-France called Race Director Sébastien Delasnerie as he was drafting the incident report to advise them of the false alarm. After being informed of the situation on Bayanat, the CROSS then called Abhilash directly on his satellite phone for a SitRep and closed the case. It all went smoothly and the response from the Cross Antille Guyane to the EPIRB activation was instantaneous. The Race Office wishes to thank the team in Fort de France and all of the MRCC’s along the route of the Golden Globe Race for looking after vessels worldwide, including the GGR yachts.

Tooth and nails

While sounding despondent on her last weekly call, Kirsten’s resistance however is nothing short of spectacular, as she always seems to come back when her leadership seems lost. A few days ago, after 7 months and 27,000 miles, she played a wind shift at night for 8 hours, pointing straight to Les Sables d’Olonne and gaining precious miles over Abhilash. Yesterday, after losing 40 miles daily to Abhilash, she finally got fresh, steady trade winds bringing Minnehaha back up to speed, and pointing higher, somehow keeping Bayanat at bay. As the saying goes, it’s not over till the fat lady sings!

It is unclear however how the arrival will pan out, but we know this: Kirsten received 35 hours time allowance and 30 litres of fuel for Tapio’s rescue. Abhilash got a 12 hours time allowance for his early involvement in the same rescue, so that’s  23 hours to Kirsten. Then there are fuel penalties to consider, with a 2-hour penalty for every litre of fuel used above 25 litres, and Abhilash had a fuel leak onboard. What we don’t know is how much fuel he lost, and that may change everything.

While the Queen and the King of the GGR fleet battle it out, the Jester Simon Curwen (GBR) HOWDENS in Chichester Class on board Clara is playing his own cards in between them, pointing higher than any. He is in excellent spirits, looking after Clara’s interior, building curtains to protect himself from the sun! But don’t be fooled by the cruising stories he shares in his weekly call. He’s still the fastest, now leading the fleet, but not the race.

On top of elusive winds, the Sargasso weed is impacting the fleet. While Robin Knox-Johnston found them at 24° north latitude in 1968, the GGR leaders found them on the equator and the raft of weed was reported on CNN as now being bigger than the size of America! The Sargassum were first mentioned by Christopher Columbus during his 1492 voyage and created quite a panic as seaweed is normally a sign of close ground. He eventually recognised them for their own oceanic danger: stopping boats from moving in light winds! Learn more about them at the Sargasso Sea Commission. Bayanat can’t get his wind pilot to operate in all the seaweed! Scientists suggest the massive sudden increase is due to global warming.

Southern adventures

South of the Equator, they have not yet seen the dreaded Sargasso seaweed, and are not the slowest of the bunch, starting with Michael Guggenberger (AUT) on Nuri Sardines. The Austrian sailor had a fantastic week in the trade winds, piling up miles while the leaders were struggling in the doldrums. Now he himself is entering the ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone) while the leaders are in the NE trade winds, tensioning the elastic again. Such is the game of ocean racing!

He is working very hard in the light weather, alternating light genoa, spinnaker or code zero and keeps Nuri Sardines moving well, while taking advantage of the current as per his contingency plan. He is hiding from the heat and taking seawater showers several times a day. The disco ball is back out and he is dawn dancing at the early hours of the morning to cheat the heat and stay fit. Feels like clubbing back in the day, he says in his weekly call!

At 25° S, Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) in Chichester Class has weathered his biggest storm to date unscathed. He had to replace -yet another- plywood vane on the wind pilot, but Olleanna and her seasoned skipper have done well in dreadful weather. A usual understated tale shared by Jeremy in his weekly safety call, but he is certainly happy to head north in not enough wind than too much!

Ian Herbert Jones (GBR) in Chichester Class had his share of heavy northerlies, pushing him more east than he liked, but we know gentlemen don’t sail to windward. He is especially happy to be out of the Furious 50s but had a most unusual experience in Southern Patagonia as he shared in his lengthy chat this week. One that might be the highlight of his round the world trip, even if it meant continuing in Chichester Class.

Those started with meeting Mark and Caroline on S/V Jonathan who are organising sailing adventures in remote places and came out of their way to meet and tow Puffin into a sheltered anchorage. More adventure ensued involving stunning scenery, anchor drift, stepping on land for the first time in months.

One more Cape Horner in the GGR Family!

Last but not least, Guy Waites (GBR) and Sagarmatha have rounded Cape Horn on the third of April, in winds ranging 40 to 60 knots and heavy seas. Guy, who arrived late in the season, is tired after weeks of foul weather in the Pacific but delighted with the achievement.

He received a letter from the International Cape Horners Association to congratulate him on his rounding, as did all GGR entrants.

The International Association of Cape Horners, the President Robin Knox-Johnston, the Vice President Jean-Luc Van Den Heede congratulate you on rounding the Horn on Sagarmatha. A great achievement even though you are no longer part of the GGR Race. We wish you well on the home run to Les Sables d’Olonne.

Ashley Manton, Chairman of the IACH

• Kirsten first of three sailors in the Northern Hemisphere, but who will exit the Doldrums first? Where and when?
• Captain Gugg flying the trade winds, catching up with the leaders. Will it be enough?
• Jeremy finally out of the Roaring Forties into another storm on April Fools’ Day
• Ian Herbert-Jones back on track in Chichester Class after repairs on Puffin

It’s been an eventful week throughout the fleet. The last entrant Ian Herbert-Jones restarted yesterday from Chile joining the Chichester Class. While in the Northern Hemisphere, at the other end of the fleet stretching 4,000 miles, the battle for first home to Les Sables d’Olonne is raging between Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF) and Abhilash Tomy (IND). Minnehaha has been holding her 250-mile lead for a few days now, a testament to Kirsten’s works in the light, elusive winds of the ICTZ, (the Doldrums smart name) but it seems that Bayanat is holding the advantage now.

Kirsten has been in light winds longer than any other sailor in the GGR fleet since entering the Atlantic. A situation that is taking an emotional toll on the South African sailor, who is unaware that she is leading the fleet. She sails like she is chasing Abhilash on Bayanat, who in fact has been behind her since the middle of the Pacific Ocean at 130° West. More than barnacles or bowsprit issues, morale and the mind game is becoming the major issue on Minnehaha as Kirsten’s latest safety call suggests.

Abhilash Tomy (IND) also ignores where the other sailors are located exactly, but knows he lost ground on Kirsten early February after a heavy storm when he waited several days for a weather window, heaving to, 700 miles off the coast of Chile to climb the mast and repair his damaged rig. With all repairs finally sorted, and full water tanks now, super happy after months of rationing to 1 litre a day, the 2018 veteran is enjoying every bit of the way back as he shares in his safety call!

I have some light winds. After Fernando de Noronha I crossed the ICTZ and the wind shifted from E to W. I crossed it again with another wind shift and now for a third time, so the zone is definitely moving around. I see a ship every day, so they give me my position, so I stopped doing celestial navigation. They also give me weather updates but they’re nearly always wrong. Lutz’s LSO forecast is the best I’ve had so far!

Abhilash Tomy, Bayanat

Bayanat is 450 miles NE from Fortaleza and just crossed the Equator on March 30, bringing the number of sailors in the Northern Hemisphere to three. Bayanat’s position seems to be favourable with narrower doldrums to cross, and some early winds at lower latitudes than where Minnehaha is positioned. Bringing more uncertainty to Kirsten’s leadership: the Rustler is a faster VMG boat upwind, pointing higher and pushing less water.

Meanwhile, the “Cruising Class” is happily mingling with the leaders. Simon Curwen (GBR) HOWDENS in Chichester has found a perfect mousehole in between the leaders finding more winds for longer. This has enabled him to not only close on Kirsten at 60 miles but also building a 250-mile gap on Abhilash’s Rustler. Do not let Simon’s cruising statements mislead you in his weekly call! He changes sails more than anyone in the fleet, alternating spinnaker, light and medium genoa several times on a daily basis.

With the Rustler being favoured in the last 10% of the course, Kirsten’s line honours are clearly compromised, but it’s Simon who may well be first of the fleet in Les Sables. For 2026, entrants are rushing to put their hands on a (bloody) Rustler 36 but I always said that victory is a combination of boat design, faultless preparation and sailing skills. Simon’s incredible come back on a Biscay 36 is a testament to exactly that.

Don McIntyre, GGR Founder and Chairman

Southern Atlantic Highs and Lows

Michael Guggenberger (AUT) who also has his fair share of light winds has finally reached the trade winds. After weeks of weak winds, he now clocks around his usual metronomic 140-miles daily with less than 500 miles to the Doldrums. He is currently gaining 50 to 100 miles daily of the leaders with a gap of a thousand miles to fill, but he too will have to cross the Doldrums for the escape north. The elastic game is on for Cpt. Gugg, but he has a plan. He will stick to 30°W until 5°S and may divert his route to the coast of Brazil to catch some oceanic currents there if the doldrums were too wide to cross as he shared in his weekly call.

All good on Nuri, I have plenty of water, I still get weather information from Peter Mott, the winds have been steady for 48 hours and Nuri is in great shape. You can see she sailed 25,000 miles but there’s no issue with the boat. The only thought I have when I sail is can I, or can she do this for 245 days? If the answer is no, I don’t do it and it’s led me here.

Michael ‘Captain Gugg’ Guggenberger, Nuri Sardines

At 35°S and entering the latitude of Brazil, Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) in Chichester Class is finally seeing some improvements to sailing conditions and was champagne sailing yesterday with full main and code zero in sub-10 knot wind speed. Flat blue seas and opened hatches for Olleanna to finally dry inside was a welcomed relief! He had quite a send-off however, suffering two consecutive gales, getting the worst weather in the Atlantic he had during his round the world adventure, including a knock down on Olleanna and a broken plywood vane, as he shared in his weekly call.

I’ve had a lot of exciting sailing in the last week, more so than probably anywhere in Cape Horn that’s for sure. It was certainly the worst weather I had in the whole 206 days. I have very good conditions now, sea temperature is up and it’s certainly warmer than anything since Cape Town. It’s starting to feel normal again.

Jeremy Bagshaw, Olleanna

Jeremy, a competitive sailor, found motivation in the Chichester Class, by trying to clock the best time in the fleet between the Hobart Gate and the finish. He sliced the remaining segments into steps: South Atlantic High, doldrums, Azores high and Bay of Biscay, but before that he needs to go through another significant storm bearing down on him on April Fools’ Day.

With Puffin and Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR) back sailing, now south of Staten Islands, all the fleet are in the Atlantic. Despite moving to Chichester Class, Ian is in good spirits. He has completed all repairs, got the green light from the Chilean Armada and left under snow in serene conditions.

We’re on our way again! Thanks 100% to the amazing Carol and Mark on SYJonathan, all repairs completed at anchor. Heading home.

Ian Herbert Jones, Puffin

The GGR Assistant Race Director, Lutz Kohne (GER) is taking a break from shepherding solo-round-the-world sailors to prepare his own GGR 2026. He has left the Vendée today after 18 months living in Les Sables d’Olonne, adding French, local wine and oyster knowledge to his other known skills of Political Scientist and Sauna Master. He is currently on his way to the Chesapeake Bay to pick up his Rustler 36 (One & All – Ex GGR 2018 Uku Randmaa) prior his biggest solo sail to date: a solo transatlantic between the US and Les Sables d’Olonne, hence his out of office message: “Sorry I can’t take your call at the moment, I’m busy preparing my solo-transatlantic crossing!”

Good luck Lutz and see you soon in Les Sables d’Olonne!

• Ian Herbert-Jones approaches Cape Horn in extreme conditions with a broken windvane, after days of ‘biblical’ conditions
• The battle of the doldrums and the GGR crown between Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF) Minnehaha and Abhilash Tomy (IND) Bayanat is on!
• The last GGR sailor rounds Cape Horn hand steering and is headed for refuge to effect repairs. He goes Chichester Class and only three racing for the finish!
• Jeremy Bagshaw (CH) climbing out of the 40’s and Cpt. Gugg (3rd) into the horse latitudes catching 280 litres of rain!

Way before the start of the Golden Globe Race in Les Sables d’Olonne, the last stretch to Cape Horn was always a concern for Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR)

It became more of a worry for him in the South Atlantic when the Shropshire sailor thought of skipping the Cape Town film drop altogether to save time and make the 31st January Hobart gate cut off date. Miss that gate and you must stop, as you are considered too late to round Cape Horn before early spring storms. Ian just made Hobart by a few days. Later heading east, after a slow exit of the Tasman Sea, the weather conspired against him north of the Pacific exclusion zone, increasing his concerns about paying the price for a late rounding of Cape Horn.… and so it was!

Sailing for several days in what he described in his weekly satellite safety call as ‘biblical conditions’, Ian faced his worst fears: Extreme winds well over 60 knots, heavy and confused breaking seas, several knock downs with his hydrovane struggling to cope. He nevertheless carried on, displaying his signature vulnerability, humility, humour and determination to get the job done.

On Wed 22nd at 0400 UTC, Ian called the Race Office to advise that the conditions were crazy, screaming wind speeds impossible to determine (Chilean Navy forecast possible gusts to 90 knots) and 7-metre seas. Sailing under bare poles, he was struggling to deploy his drogue which was now a tangled mess in the cockpit. One hour later, he had deployed the drogue, unfurled a small amount of staysail and as the wind was finally abating.

However, at 1100 UTC he called back, sounding stressed, declaring a ‘PAN PAN’ and requesting GGR to notify MRCC of his situation, though NOT requiring assistance. He was unsure of his position and his hydrovane had another issue and was no longer working but in the dark he could not see why and it was dangerous hanging over the back. GGR was providing weather updates and monitoring his track which was headed for the Diego Ramirez Islands. Sailing at only 3 knots under the drogue in seven metre seas, the bottom rapidly rose from 1,500 metres to just 100 metres in a few miles, causing some concern in Race Control. Ian reported serious waves slamming into the back of PUFFIN. He passed 2.5 miles north of the islands as conditions slowly moderated and daylight returned.

He rang a third time at 1810 UTC to advise that his drogue warp at some time had wrapped around the Hydrovane rudder whilst sailing slow in the big seas. It caused the initial damage and eventually the rudder snapped in half. He could not fit his emergency electric autopilot as it steered through the Hydrovane rudder and it was too rough to fit his Hydrovane spare rudder. He was hand-steering to Cape Horn and beyond. He cannot do that for 6,000 miles back to Les Sables d’Olonne. He is now headed for Puerto Williams about 150 miles away to effect repairs. He has been officially moved into Chichester Class (no longer in the rankings for the solo non-stop GGR) giving him full use of his safety GPS and sat phone to organise the stopover logistics.

Ian is safe, in control and did not require assistance. The ‘Code Orange’ which alerts the Chilean Rescue Coordination Centre of a difficult situation, was cancelled on 22/03 at 2200 UTC.

With Ian rounding Cape Horn in Chichester Class, there are a few significant changes in the fleet. First, all the GGR fleet is in the Atlantic, stretching 3,700 miles between the Tierra del Fuego at 56°S and the leader at 04°S. Secondly, there are now 3 sailors in Chichester Class: Simon, Jeremy and Ian, and only 3 sailors contending for the GGR trophy: Kirsten, Abhilash and Cpt. Gugg!

Despite the recent concerns about Ian’s safety, there certainly is a sense a relief in the Race Office after an eventful Southern Ocean experience, starting with Tapio Lethinen’s (FIN) rescue in late November and the various entrants knock-downs between the Pacific exclusion zone and the Horn, and a 2,000-mile detour to Chile for Simon Curwen. There has, however, been significantly less damage and loss of boats compared to the 2018 GGR. The new start date of September 4th from Les Sables d’Olonne, two months later than in 2018, put the sailors in the Southern Ocean two months later, experiencing fewer and less violent storms. The long list of retirements this time is mostly a result of personal and technical issues rather than storms.

I have to admit that I am really surprised at the number of retirements. I was hoping half would finish! The GGR is a tough challenge unique in the world of sport. Nothing compares. It is extreme at the human, technical and psychological level and that is reflected in the results so far. 16 sailors chasing a dream and only three left in the game!

Don McIntyre GGR Founder and race Chairman

Southern Atlantic philosophy

It’s not plain sailing in the Atlantic either, starting with Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) in Chichester Class who has been faithful to his gale record holder title of the GGR fleet! Although now on the right side of the South American continent at 45°S and 1,000 miles ahead, he has still shared most of Ian’s foul weather all week. He is ending his roaring 40’s experience with another strong gale of 40 knots gusting 55! He and Olleanna have been fantastic to watch since the OE32 became barnacle free in Hobart. He is certainly enjoying the ride as he shared in his weekly call.

I am moving out of the Southern Ocean, temperatures are higher and the boat is starting to dry out a bit. I have opened the hatches for the first time in days but yesterday was absolutely dreadful. It was a miserable, malicious and spiteful sea, smashing over the transom, not big, just over 4 metre but incredibly powerful.

Jeremy Bagshaw, Olleanna

The podium hopeful Michael ‘Gugg’ Guggenberger (AUT) is certainly delighted to be out of the forties. Now entering the horse latitudes, he has been in very variable conditions, alternating fresh wind this week with a full blow of nothingness in the past week. He was struggling with a high pressure hugging Nuri closely. Then he caught 280ltrs of water in a squall! But after 200 days at sea, Captain Gugg who has struggled with the isolation and weather conditions, found redemption in a new philosophy of life and is enjoying the little things. Possibly changing his whole outlook on life as he shared in his call last week, after several days idle which would have driven him nuts only a month ago.

I got used to it (not to have winds), it’s actually kind of nice as long as it’s not weeks on end. I had very productive days last week cleaning the boat, and getting everything tidy again, it was very nice. I don’t remember having a clean boat, clothing, linen and skipper, it’s really nice. I take it one day after the other and look at my track on the chart.

Michael Guggenberger, Nuri

Battle of the doldrums is raging at pace!

Up front, it’s getting really close! Who will be the first to cross the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne? Who will win this incredibly disputed GGR 2022? Who will dare make a prediction on those questions? One thing for sure, it won’t be the team at the Race Office!

We have always said that Kirsten needed to build a big gap in the Southern Ocean where Minnehaha’s power makes for incredible daily distances. Despite a 650-mile gap in the southern Atlantic that made a come-back from Abhilash seem doubtful at the time, here we are! The two leaders are now battling it out in the doldrums, with less than 300 miles difference between the nimble Rustler Bayanat and the heavier Minnehaha.

Don McIntyre, GGR Chairman and Founder

Kirsten and Abhilash have not talked on the HF radio for weeks and Kirsten, unaware of Abhilash’s position, is chasing an imaginary leader. She is quite despondent and thinks she has made too many mistakes which she shared on her weekly call.

In reality she has been leading for the last month! Abhilash Tomy (IND) knows Kirsten is in the lead but ignores where she is exactly. But make no mistake, he is racing! All is well on Bayanat, and Abhilash thoroughly enjoys his uneventful sailing as he shared in his weekly call. He is busy sailing, collected another 100 litres of water, topping all tanks on Bayanat, and finally has leisure time, namely French literature and a (long) tale of revenge: The Count of Monte-Cristo!

I haven’t found the trades at all ever since I’ve been in that high, with the wind coming from all directions but saw nothing consistent with a south easterly trade that’s for sure. It’s pretty hot in here, especially when there’s no wind, and it’s been raining all day which is a bit unusual. I probably haven’t been east enough, but I don’t know since I have zero weather information. If I wasn’t in a race I wouldn’t be frustrated, but I am racing.

Kirsten Neuschäfer, Minnehaha

Both sailors now have equal weather information: Bayanat has no weather fax installed and Abhilash does not receive Peter Mott’s New Zealand HF weather forecast, while Kirsten recently stopped receiving faxes from Chile and Passage Guardians bulletins relays. Abhilash decided to sail the shorter course, relying on coastal traffic for weather information, while Kirsten is taking an option 550 miles to the east of him based on historical data.

Both boats were involved in the Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) rescue four months ago, and received time and/or fuel compensation to be calculated after docking in Les Sables d’Olonne. Abhilash was awarded a 12-hour compensation for diverting course before being relieved from the rescue effort by the GGR Crisis Management Team and MRCC Cape Town. However, he has lost some diesel through a leak and will be penalised 2 hours for any litre over the 25-litre allowance. Kirsten has been awarded a 35-hour compensation for her rescue and transfer aboard the M.V. Darya Gayatri and a 30-litre fuel allowance for engine use. Every litre of fuel consumed gives the entrant a 2 hour time penalty.

Cruising class rocking the boats in front

Cruising in Chichester Class, with no ranking of any sort, or fighting for any position, Simon Curwen (GBR) HOWDENS is still sailing very impressively. He had huge luck in the past week or more, with favourable weather but sails Clara like he is racing in the Fastnet! His route choices and the Biscay 36’s raw speed are impressive. Enjoying the eastern trade winds as he shared in his weekly call he has been consistently posting high averages, reducing the gap with Abhilash to 100 miles and 400 miles with Kirsten.

I’m cruising the tradewinds and not even touching the sheets. It’s OK now, but there has been some continuous sail trimming in the recent past. (…) It’s not over though: there’s still the doldrums, the last stretch from the Azores in, so I’m not packing-up yet. (…) If I was coming up here racing a few hundred miles ahead or behind the leaders, I’d be stressed, but now I have no reason to be!

Simon Curwen, Clara sponsored by Howdens

The 2018 GGR had one Chichester Class finisher, Marc Sinclair (AUS) a.k.a. Captain Coconut, who famously finished his circumnavigation two years later. In 2023 we now have three Chichester Class sailors and could well see a ‘cruising’ Chichester sailor contending for line honours in Les Sables d’Olonne!

• Jeremy Bagshaw rounds Cape Horn in between heavy weather systems
• Abhilash Tomy reduces the gap with Kirsten Neuschäfer who thinks she’s chasing him
• Simon Curwen in Chichester Class could play line honours with the leaders after a 1,000-mile week
• Ian Herbert-Jones 550 miles from Cape Horn in good weather conditions so far, but will they last?
• The virtual GGR has a winner, Don currently 22nd!

Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) who’s had his fair share of issues, with barnacles forcing him to moor in South Africa and stop in Australia, has been a model of determination in continuing his round the world adventure.

The Saffer has sailed more in heavy weather during this GGR than anyone in the fleet and spent three days in storm conditions towards Cape Horn, running bare poles most of the time. He was emotional to have rounded Cape Horn after 191 days, as he shared in his safety call. He is the 5th 2022 GGR sailor to do so, leaving Ian alone in the Pacific.

I’ve had pretty rough weather on the way down. I lost my inflatable danbuoy, a wave broke my dodger, my external sat phone antenna and the wooden vane of my windvane. Unfortunately it was squally, rainy and cloudy at the horn so I did not see much. The weather lifted for 10 minutes so I could just see the lights. Earlier in the day I could see Hermite Island for an hour. I am now looking forward to being at 34 south, my favourite latitude, the one of Cape Town and Punta del Este.

Jeremy Bagshaw, Olleanna

With both Jeremy Bagshaw and Kirsten Neuschäfer, 100% of the South African entrants have now sailed around the Horn. The southern sailing nation is used to heavy conditions, and can now boast two more Cape Horners joining Bertie Reed. 30 years before Kirsten rescued Tapio, the famous salty sea dog picked up a fellow South African sailor, whose yacht had been hit by a growler near Cape Horn in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge.

Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR), in fourth position and the last GGR sailor in the Pacific, is currently 550 miles from Cape Horn. Worried about arriving late in the season, he and Puffin are enjoying surprisingly good conditions on their way down since they escaped from the dreaded Pacific exclusion zone.

However he also had his fair share of breakages. After he repaired a couple of issues with the Hydrovane in stronger conditions, a large section of the mainsail has ripped, as he shared in his safety call.  Ian will spend the weekend in manageable conditions, but the last stretch to the Horn on the 21st and 22nd will be very windy!

I’ve had a few repairs on the way down on the Hydrovane, and I have a rip in the mainsail that I decided to repair after Cape Horn. It’s cold and windy here, so I sail on the 3rd reef and stay sail all the way down to bare poles when the wind picks-up. It’s as we say of the English winter: it won’t kill you but it isn’t nice!

Ian Herbert-Jones, Puffin

Atlantic showdown and a fragile lead at the fleet’s forefront

The fleet’s experience in the Atlantic is very different to Ian’s, with the scorching sun and extensive areas of calms giving the skippers a hard time in the horse latitudes. Simon Curwen (GBR), in Chichester Class, has been the luckiest so far, enjoying idyllic downwind conditions all week. He has massively closed the gap on Abhilash, but he is no longer racing, just cruising.

Modern racing yachts know their exact position several times a day. They download GRIB files for routing and get their fleet ranking at least once a day. This is not the case for the GGR sailors. Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF), who has been leading the fleet since January, still thinks she is chasing Bayanat when in fact she is more than 300 miles ahead.

Having discovered a problem with her bowsprit on which Minnehaha‘s genoa is rigged, Kirsten has been sailing more conservatively while trying to catch up with an imaginary leader. While her easterly course gave her a clear advantage last week, this week she ran into a windless wall in the latitude of the horses.

Working hard to get 40-60 miles a day out of Minnehaha, Kirsten, who chose her route based on centuries-old data, now thinks she has made a wrong decision and is unaware that she is still a few hundred miles ahead of Abhilash Tomy (IND) who is now done with rebuilding his Rustler and is finally enjoying the great sailing conditions!

After the Southern Ocean, this is very enjoyable sailing. It’s warm, dry, I have wind, a lot of water, and a lot of sleep. I still have a few electrical problems and my new foils are not working well, but I’m not bothered!

Abhilash Tomy, Bayanat

After a rather low morale for Kirsten on Wednesday’s safety call, the wind finally came back from the east at the end of the week. Minnehaha is back to her more usual speeds of 6-8 knots, increasing her lead over the rest of the fleet, while Abhilash and Bayanat, who have slowed down considerably, now have to go through the wall that stopped the leader!

Simon Curwen (GBR) in Chichester Class on Clara had his best week of sailing in a long time, surfing in south-easterly winds brought by the high pressure south of his position. Alternating between full main/maxi spinnaker and reefed main/genoa when the conditions are too rough, Clara/Howdens, has sailed between 140 and 155 miles a day. The red Biscay is the only boat to have exceeded 1,000 miles this week, coming within 500 miles of Kirsten while the skipper enjoyed the sailing tremendously as he shared during his weekly safety call.

In the same weather system as the two leaders, 4,000 miles from the finish, with the dreaded doldrums to cross, Simon could well play the line honours with Kirsten and Abhilash en route to Les Sables d’Olonne, but he too has to cross the wall in front, first!

Playing with fire

It was a week of calms for Michael Guggenberger (AUT). In third position, he looked like he could give the leaders a run for their money for a while but his gap with Simon increased significantly after he got stuck in the centre of a high pressure.

Cpt Gugg is now a week behind Simon, and has been trying to cross the centre of the high to get downwind conditions to the east of it, to no avail. After days of calm, he has done all the work on his to-do list, but he is also enjoying the sunny, quiet sailing conditions after several months in the Southern Ocean.

Alas, the forecast shows no mercy for Nuri: the high pressure extending north this weekend, meaning more calms in the days to come. It is certainly a long way home through the horse latitudes, getting baked in the cockpit in the scorching sun before taking on the dreaded doldrums.

The (virtual) GGR has a winner!

With 630 starters, the GGR 2022 Virtual Race organised by Real Sail and McIntyre Adventure is a hit! As with the real world race, the attrition rate was high, with 122 entrants left racing to the finish. While Don is doing well in 22nd position, it is player BooBill from Team Canada who finished 1st on March 13 at 07:02:19 UTC time, completing the course in 189 days. Congratulations BooBill, come and pick your GGR Trophy in Les Sables d’Olonne during the official prize giving ceremony!

• International Women’s Day celebrates Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF), the leader of the GGR, holding a commanding position as she reaches the South East Trades first.
• Abhilash Tomy (IND) sailing ‘BAYANAT’ faces ongoing breakages, inc running backstay and mainsail ripped in two!
• Captain Gugg (AUT) and Simon Curwen (GBR) finally out of Southern Ocean conditions and catching up with the leaders.
• Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF), 700 nm from Cape Horn, hit by the first of two storms in the next 48 hours, gusting 60kts and 8-9 metre seas.

Racing yachts around the world use computerised weather routing programs to optimise courses against satellite weather data. It’s the norm! Both are banned in the Golden Globe but the current leader and only woman in the race, South African Kirsten Neuschäfer, found the perfect solution for her best route home to Les Sables d’Olonne after rounding Cape Horn.

She consulted Ocean Passages of the World with its 200-year-old weather routing charts, historical weather and suggested routes from the original clipper sailing ships. Following that advice is now paying strong dividends sailing through the tricky horse latitudes! She sailed out to the east and is now in a commanding windward position as she reaches the South East Trades ahead of the rest of the fleet.

700 miles inshore to the west, Abhilash Tomy, currently second and 350 miles behind Kirsten, is now locked on starboard tack in northerly head winds. With the coast just 400 miles ahead, he must soon start tacking north. Kirsten on the other hand, 1,000 miles offshore, has easterly winds on the beam and could make one long 1,500 mile starboard tack through the trades, all the way to the northern tip of Brazil. That may give her another 300-400 mile advantage over Abhilash. Combined with her current 350 mile lead, that’s potentially a big break going into the doldrums and crossing the equator. But she will need it!

Abhilash’s Rustler 36 ‘BAYANAT’ is lighter and faster to windward than Kirsten’s Cape George 36. The north Atlantic is a real climb upwind back to France. Kirsten is 4,600 miles from the finish and just crossed her outbound track of four months ago “tying the knot” for the first time. She reports all is well onboard with no major issues! It is clear she is working hard to press ahead. To have a chance of being the first ever woman to win a solo race around the world, she must be well ahead coming out of the doldrums!

I haven’t had much weather info lately. I had one relayed from Peter by Puffin a couple days ago but hadn’t had any since then. I picked up some southeasterlies yesterday and it’s gone further south-east now. I’m hoping that gives me a push after many slow days. I don’t know how far I’m behind now but hope it will hold now!

Kirsten Neuschäfer, ‘Minnehaha’

Kirsten’s following has increased dramatically over the past months with many impressed by this sailors sailor, who just happens to be a woman. Well known Canadian singer songwriter Lennie Gallant has penned a tribute song to Kirsten titled “On the Minnehaha” and it is going crazy!

Abhilash Tomy (IND) has resumed his northern route after more repairs onboard Bayanat, detailed in his weekly safety call including climbing up the mast to replace a broken running backstay with his guardrail wire, getting badly bruised in the process. His mainsail ripped completely in two from luff to leach below the first reef point that was a huge effort to hand stitch together. More importantly, he caught another 30 litres of rain water which is always welcome on Bayanat!

I have been working quite a lot, non-stop for around 24 hours. I replaced the broken running backstay with a guardrail, and replaced the guardrail with the emergency HF antenna! I spent 3 to 4 hours up the mast and started to work on the mainsail. It was long and tedious but the sail is back on and looking good, better than the boat which is a complete mess.

Abhilash Tomy, ‘Bayanat’

Mid-fleet showdown!

Meanwhile, as the two leaders fight it out, Simon Curwen (GBR), sailing his Biscay 36 ‘HOWDENS’ as a Chichester Class entrant not in the rankings, is slowly closing in on both. He has been doing what he does best: sailing the shortest course at the best possible speed, and it shows! Since Cape Horn, Clara/Howdens reduced the gap from 800 miles to 550 with Abhilash’s Bayanat. He previously held the lead for 150 days before diverting 1,000 miles and taking a stop for repairs. He is cruising home to finish his one stop circumnavigation, but admits he does not know how to go slow! And surely has Bayanat in his sights!

Obviously I’m not racing, but I don’t sail much slower than the boat can, even when I’m in cruising class! I’m still doing a lot of sail changes to match the wind speed and direction, I just took the Genoa down. Now I want to go back to Les Sables and finish this!

Simon Curwen, Clara/Howdens, in his last safety call (French @07:00 minutes)

Meanwhile, Michael Guggenberger (AUT) found it difficult to find the right pace and route in the changing conditions after Cape Horn, as he shared in his weekly safety call. From no wind to too much wind and many sail changes with a succession of cold fronts and calms he decided to find a middle route in the sail combination of his ketch-rigged Nuri and limit changes. He lost 300 miles on Simon since Cape Horn but managed to gain around 100 miles on Abhilash and 200 on Kirsten. With the doldrums coming up, the Biscays could further reduce the gap!

With the non-stop change of wind strength and direction I’m constantly changing sails, so I’m having very little sleep and it’s been very challenging. I decided to stay in the middle, between high performance and cruising sail trim because it’s just too hard. I’m very tired physically and emotionally. Until the Horn, everything was new, but I know the Atlantic and I have to deal with that.

Michael ‘Gugg’ Guggenberger, ‘Nuri’

Two storm fronts for Jeremy!

On 7th of March, GGR placed Jeremy on a weather alert and provided routing advice to head north above the second of two storms that are fast approaching his position 700 miles NW of Cape Horn. The first front crossing on the 8th is impossible to avoid and will bring NW 50kts and 7 metre seas. The second storm due to hit late on the 9th is much stronger and will last for over 24 hours with gusts over 60kts and seas to 9 metres. Jeremy is trying to get above 51 degrees south latitude so the worst will pass below his position, but it is quite clear he is in for a hammering, even at that latitude. He has prepared everything onboard for the two days of solid weather. 

Jeremy is the fleet’s record-holder for gales encountered, but these last two are nothing like the ones he encountered before. Once passed, he may have a relatively open period of average weather to get around the Horn!

At the back of the fleet, Ian Herbert Jones (GBR) has found a new lease of life, FINALLY coming out of the northern limit of the dreaded no-go zone. Puffin celebrated her newfound freedom by posting the fleet’s best 24 hour speed at 155 miles a day, a distance the Tradewind 35 has not sailed daily in weeks!

Ian will get decent winds this week, possibly beating his own 1022-mile weekly personal best but after 50°S will be very heavy with low pressure now crossing the zone one after another all the way to Cape Horn 1,500 miles away. Ian is in his usual good spirits as he shared on this weekly safety call. With a 4.5 knots VMG, Puffin could be rounding the Horn in 14 days, just in time for the northern hemisphere spring.

Getting around 47°S and 115°W (the end of the no-go zone) felt like the end of a leg to me! Since then, I’ve had good, steady SW winds which is great, and I am getting plenty of weather reports from New Zealand, Passage Guardian and now Chile! All good on board, I’ve run out of spare mainsail slides but learned to refurbish the old ones. I treat myself to three hot meals a day, I sleep in a dry bunk which is great but all my socks are wet!

Ian Herbert-Jones, ‘Puffin’

Ian is sailing conservatively, mostly under-canvassed to avoid being surprised by the weather. Now living full time in his dry suit and looking forward to getting out of the Southern Pacific Ocean into warmer weather. There’s still a bit of time before that!