Tapio Lehtinen is sailing in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a solo, non stop adventure, around the world. He departed from Les Sables d’Olonne France on Sept. 4th this year and after passing through the Cape Town film gate, was heading toward Australia in the Southern Ocean.

Today at 0654 UTC, Tapio Lehtinen activated Asteria’s EPIRB, 460 nautical miles SE from Port Elizabeth, in South Africa while sailing in the Golden Globe Race.

The GGR Crisis management team in Les Sables d’Olonne and Race Founder and President Don McIntyre in Cape Town have been coordinating with the Cape Town MRCC and CROSS Griz-Nez in France.

At 0852 UTC, Tapio also activated his liferaft’s PLB indicating that he may have abandoned ship. The liferaft also has a VHF radio and GPS packed inside. MRCC Cape Town contacted nearby commercial vessels to divert to his position, with the closest ship 250 miles away.

GGR entrants Kirsten Neuschäfer and Abhilash Tomy, respectively 105 and 170 miles to his SSW have been informed of his latest PLB position. Abhilash was first to receive the message and diverted course towards Tapio’s latest position.

At 0922 UTC Tapio activated the emergency YB3 satellite tracking and texting device which is part of the grab bag and at 1002 UTC manually acknowledged the message sent by the GGR Crisis Team. indicating he was able, and had the emergency grab bag with him.

The grab bag contains food, water and several critical pieces of equipment, including an emergency GPS, a Search & Rescue Transponder, a second 406 EPIRB, and a handheld GMDSS Radio.

His last message was for Asteria: at 1105 UTC:

I GAVE ASTERIA A LAST SALUTE STANDING IN THE RAFT AS SHE WENT DOWN

Tapio has since contacted the Crisis Team explaining that the yacht flooded from the stern with water up to deck level in 5 minutes. He is in his survival suit, boarded the life raft but has no glasses so struggling to write or read text messages. 

Conditions in Tapio’s zone are manageable with light winds and 2,5-metre swell. With Kirsten now en route and closest a 100 nm away, the GGR Crisis Team released Abhilash from the rescue effort. Kirsten is motoring and should have favourable winds later, expecting to be in the zone on Saturday 19th November in the morning.Forecasts suggest moderating conditions over the next two days.

MRCC Cape Town has established communication with the bulk carrier DARYA GAYATRI and requested to divert and render assistance. The vessel is currently 250 nm NW off Tapio’s position with an ETA on November 19 at 1200 UTC.

Our thoughts are with Tapio, his family and friends during this challenging time. The South African Maritime Rescue Coordination Center is doing an excellent job of coordinating the rescue efforts. Tapio is an experienced seaman with a strong proven yacht, well prepared for these conditions. We thank everyone for their messages of support for Tapio and those who are right now involved with his rescue.

Don McIntyre GGR Founder

Picture Above: Damien Guillou ( PRB) has shown incredible capacity to face problems, and fight his way back to the top. He will be missed by both the entrants and public. Picture Credit: Riaan Smit / GGR2022

# Pat Lawless (Green Rebel) and Damien Guillou (PRB), two great GGR forerunners forced to retire due to wind vane failures.

# Simon Curwen (Clara, sponsored by Howdens) first taste of the Southern Oceans in 50+ knots and six metre seas as he holds the lead!

# Weather systems making progress difficult in both the Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Tailenders at risk of not making the Hobart gate.

# Ertan Beskardes expected on Wednesday, Jeremy Bagshaw on Thursday

Two front runners of the Golden Globe Race have retired into Cape Town with wind vane failures. Damien Guillou arrived in Cape Town this monday having lost his windvane rudder. Pat Lawless retired on November 10th after the failure of a critical bearing bush, caught without a spare. Both sailors did not wish to continue after repairs in port.

Pat Lawless (IRL), who had been struggling with his failing Aries wind vane for days, arrived at Cape Town sailing sheet to tiller on the 10th of November.

Hailing from a family of seafarers, his father circumnavigated the globe solo in his 70’s, while his brother Peter also attempted it. Pat’s goal was to become the first Irishman to sail solo, non-stop, unassisted around the world. Without a self steering system he was unable to achieve his dream. He could have made repairs and continued the voyage under Chichester Class as a one stop circumnavigation, but decided to retire.

I realised I wouldn’t be competitive without the self-steering; I could sail but I wouldn’t be competitive. And then in a storm, I would end up broaching so it took a day or two to accept that I was out of the race. If this had happened in Hobart, I would have continued, but not here

Pat Lawless

Pat had a life in the North Sea as a fisherman, a past that overshadowed his skill as a dinghy sailor and offshore racer. His experience became obvious as Pat remained in the lead pack all the way to Cape Town which he reached in 4th place.

Meanwhile, he has been managing injuries, a knee infection in the North Atlantic and later a cracked rib and torn shoulder muscle, never departing from his infectious enthusiasm and happiness at sea!

Pat’s Aries windvane had several thousand miles on her, and was serviced before starting the race, but not a full rebuild of bearings and bushings. The headed bush on the spindle shaft that the servo pendulum rudder swings on failed.. A fix at sea, while difficult, is possible but only if you have the spares. He did not have them.

He is planning to sail back home as soon as repairs are completed. The Irish competitive sailor is looking forward to cruising time going north, with the opportunity this time to visit the islands and archipelagos he just sailed by on the way south to Cape Town.

Damien Guillou (FRA) arrived Monday 14th November at the RCYC dock.

The Finistère sailor was in 3rd position, following a dashing option at the coast while waiting for the wind shift, when he lost the rudder on his Hydrovane. “I was doing fine, in the zone, in harmony with the boat, I didn’t know my ranking but I knew I was in a good position“. Damien Guillou

Winner of the Prologue Race before the start in Les Sables d’olonne, and one of the favourites for the event, he was a great fixture of the GGR. He was leading the GGR in the Bay of Biscay, But had to return to Les Sables d’Olonne to repair a bolt that broke on his wind vane mount, and left 6 days later in last position. He went on to catch-up with the skippers one by one to regain contact with the leaders.

Rounding Trindade in Brazil, he made up more ground on the forerunners, notably the leader Simon, as he passed the island, sailing less distance. On the 20th of October he broke the rudder shaft of his Hydrovane, as a result of modifications made before the start. He made repairs at sea in difficult conditions before crossing the Cape Town gate in 5th position.

Last Saturday, as he was in 3rd place on the rhumb line, another modification failed when the machine screws fixing his spare rudder blade to the shaft came loose. The rudder slipped off and the safety line was not secured. The rudder blade was lost forcing Damien, with no spare, to make his way towards Cape Town.

Damien, who has a successful career as a Figaro racer and IMOCA préparateur, is a competitor. He does not wish to continue in Chichester class.

Psychologically it’s too hard, I can’t get back out without racing in the rankings. I’ve had problems three times, and when these things happen, you can’t force fate. You have to be sensible and stop the race.

Damien Guillou, PRB

Thousands of Hydrovanes are currently used around the world, with no major or frequent breakages, the supplier has upgraded the materials used for the pin and the shaft which is 32mm Super Duplex Ferrinox 255 stainless steel since 2009.

GGR 2026 will require that any modification to a windvane system, regardless of brand, be submitted to the manufacturer and the GGR for their feedback and comments beforehand.

With Pat and Damien out of the race, the GGR has lost two great sailors with big following whom we were a delight to check on the tracker. They were always inviting themselves to the forefront of the fleet! We want to thank Green Rebel, a leader in renewable energy, and PRB, a historic Vendée company and sailing sponsor for supporting those talented sailors and great ambassadors for our sport and their home countries. The GGR is a race of attrition and there may be more to come.

Don McIntyre, GGR Founder and Chairman

With the fleet split between the South Atlantic and the Southern Oceans, unstable weather systems are hampering progress on both ends of the fleet.

Behind him, Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) is having a blast in the light or heavy conditions encountered as he mentioned in his tweet, and has been going away from the others, pulling 100 miles on Kirsten Neuchafer (RSA) and 200 miles on Abhilash Tomy (IND), after him on the same latitude. Meanwhile Southern Ocean newbie Michael Guggenberger (AUT) is struggling to get back in the zone.

In the Atlantic it’s a different weather issue. The South Atlantic High has not materialised, and the wind is unstable both in speed and direction, but the low-pressure systems travelling east are bringing downwind conditions towards Cape Town to the most southern sailors. Ian Herbert-Jones (UK), Elliott Smith (USA) and Jeremy Bagshaw (RSA) are clocking the biggest mileage. Jeremy is expected in Cape Town on Thursday and Ertan Beskardes on Wednesday, while Guy Waites (UK) closing the fleet plagued by barnacles takes a day at a time and has a plan as explained in his weekly call. Guy Waites, Arnaud Gaist and Ian Herbert-Jones are all worried about sailing through the Hobart gate which closes on January 31st. They have each been hit by various challenges, the biggest, lack of wind!

Picture Above: Simon Curwen (UK) on Clara / Howdens was first to the Cape Town Photo Gate, which he crossed at on Sunday 6th of November. Photo Credit: Riaan Smit /GGR2022

# Simon Curwen first in Cape Town and back in the Southern Oceans after sorting halyard issues.

#  Kirsten Neuschäfer second in her home town after a daring option and Tapio Lehtinen a close third just 90 minutes behind.

#  Pat Lawless expected later today, struggling with windvane failure, unsure if he will continue.

#  First Rustler 36 expected tomorrow with Abhilash Tomy and Damien Guillou.

#  Back of the fleet struggling with the real possibility of not making the Hobart Gate closure of Jan 31st!

Dreams shattered for a $20 part, some too slow to finish the challenge, others living life to the extreme and loving it , while a few are troubled by the mind game that is the Golden Globe. The challenges are building as the fleet moves out of the South Atlantic and contemplates the Southern Ocean on their doorstep! The stories are rich, but just as it was in 1968 and 2018, who will sail past the first Cape?

Simon Curwen (UK) on Clara / Howdens was first to the Cape Town Photo Gate, which he crossed at on Sunday 6th of November. The British sailors who had not been able to communicate with the rest of the fleet, possibly due to a faulty  SSB radio installation, was happy to see people greeting him in Granger bay. During the live interview, he was surprised and delighted to learn he was still in first position and told the Team he was keen to go South!

Bill King and Loïck Fougeron did not make it past Cape Town in 1968, and five 2018 entrants, so I’m very happy to be here and very impatient to go in the South. It has not been too hard so far, as we had manageable winds, but it’s gonna be very different now. (…) I am OK at sea, the only things I miss are people, my family, friends and the other entrants. The only contacts I’ve had were with passing ships which is rather limited. 

Simon told us.

Simon went up the mast again for 3 hours and sorted his halyard issues, disentangling the mouse line and replacing the genoa halyard, but unlike other entrants he has not found any barnacles on his hull. He had several (loads, he said) coats sprayed with Nautix A9000 self-polishing antifouling with copolymer, specially destined for long periods of use in heavy fouling areas.

With the first test of the Atlantic, the issues faced by the fleet have mostly been two fold. Barnacle invasion for the majority and various issues with wind vanes. Simon has had none of those, and apart from a broken halyard faced no significant issues, which is a testament to his good preparation and the simplicity of his choices. I am surprised however he did not get second halyard for foresails.

Don McIntyre, Founder and President of the Golden Globe Race

Kirsten Neuschäfer (RSA) and Tapio chose very different strategies in rounding the south Atlantic High, with Kirsten choosing the longer route and a very southern route to head to Cape Town the right way from the South. She has been covering more ground than Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) but arrived 5 miles before the GGR 2018 veteran, after sailing an extra 420 miles since Les Sables d’Olonne, or a 5% distance.

She has a few barnacles albeit using 3 coats of hard and 2 of ablative antifouling, cleaned one side of the hull and will be waiting for better conditions to do the other side.  Kirsten was excited to sail home and share this moment with her many friends and family on the water late at night, sharing an unusual amount of words in her daily tweet :

land ho. whales. seals. birds. no wind.k

Despite their different routes and conditions, Kirsten has mostly been sailing downwind while Tapio was working his way close-hauled upwind, both sailors have enjoyed their Southern Atlantic sailing and their choice of boats. They can’t wait to get into the Southern Oceans!

Kirsten told the team on arrival:

I really am enjoying the Southern Ocean and stopped being too fussed about what my position is. Because I’m having such a good time, I almost don’t want this time to go by so quickly. (…) I really enjoy not having a GPS, because it forces me to be observant, I enjoy not having detailed weather forecasts because it forces me to think more, and because it’s a race and not a delivery, I like sailing the boat as fast as I possibly can!

Tapio Lehtinen, despite a thorough preparation with Jotun hard coating and ablative, has not been able to totally avoid the dreaded barnacles that cost him a hundred extra days in his 2018 GGR but not at the same scale since he counted 60 in 2022 against 3000 in 2018!

This year, Captain Barnacles was determined not to let the crustaceans ruin his round-the-world voyage. Overcoming his fear of sharks and the slightly disturbing thought of swimming alone in the ocean, Tapio did not hesitate to go overboard and get rid of them at the first opportunity!

It’s funny how I hadn’t sailed the boat for 3 years after the last race. After the start, I gradually got accustomed to her again and it was like continuing the previous race. I love being at sea and sailing her. (…) I know this gate is part of the race, but the proximity of land stresses me, I am a lot happier a hundred miles out.

Tapio shared with the team in Cape Town

It has not been the case for Pat Lawless (IRL) who has been facing both the barnacle invasion and a windvane issue. He solved the first one at the first opportunity, but his tweet indicates that he does not have the spares for his Aries windvane broken bearing. Should he stop in Cape Town for a replacement part and repair, he could always continue his voyage in Chichester Class and complete his circumnavigation.

Pat showed tremendous courage and seamanship in the Atlantic, always sailing in the front of the fleet, while addressing various injuries at sea, but his ultimate goal is to be the first Irishman to sail solo, unassisted, non-stop around the world. He has explained to Race Control today that he might retire from the race in Cape Town, should he not be able to continue unassisted towards his goal.

Battling out at close range for 5th place on the water are the first Rustler 36 in the capable hands of GGR Veteran Abhilash Tomy (IND) who lost big in the centre of the high pressure. His latest tweet suggests he is battling with the mind games of watching the leaders sail away and the others catching up.  Damien Guillou (FRA) who sorted his barnacles and windvane issues, escaped the high pressure and trucking in 25 knots of wind and big seas, being this morning the fastest in the fleet.

On the other Biscay 36 of the fleet, Michael Guggenberger (AUT) got rid of the barnacles, put the disco ball back together, and gave the “Rustler Brothers” a run for their money. He was posting similar speeds over the last week, and is expected in Cape town on Saturday.

For Estimated Times of Arrival  at the gates, our friend Jonathan Endersby added an ETA function based on average speeds that -while not taking coming weather conditions in consideration- gives a fair idea of their arrival times on the GGR Stats Website.

The second half of the fleet is facing a variety of issues, in addition to a problematic lack of wind for the back end. Update the graphic above….

Ertan Beskardes (UK) is managing the lack of news from his family that cost him his 2018 GGR, taking advantage of the traffic to talk to his family through passing ships. He too faced barnacle problems and dove several times to clean them off,  fixed minor issues with his hydrovane mounts, solved his electrical problems and recently repaired his mainsail traveller. He is in 25 to 30 westerly winds and big seas pushing him towards Cape Town.

Jeremy Bagshaw (RSA) is also doing the ‘South African slingshot’ south of the high pressure, heading south for more wind in order to land in Cape Town from the south. He has posted several days between 100 and 130 nm so the strategy is working well for him despite his barnacles luggage which he’s planning to leave at home. All seems good onboard Olleanna, apart from lack of water.

For the back end of the fleet, including Elliott Smith (USA) , Ian Herbert-Jones (UK), Arnaud Gaist (FRA) and Guy Waites (UK), it’s a lot more complicated as they are in very unstable winds, the lottery favours some one day, others another day, but they are mostly in light winds. Elliott is actually doing well, posting good daily distances, but lost his only spinnaker this week as he shared in his latest tweet:

learned a new trick last night.. how to make your only spinnaker become two sea anchors!

This is a critical issue. Not only will the front of the fleet make a bigger gap, diving in the Southern Oceans pushed by strong westerly winds and waves, but also to make the Hobart Gate in time!

To avoid sailors getting too late in the season at Cape Horn with significantly worse weather conditions, there is a time limit to cross the Hobart gate, although there is no time limit for the race itself.

The notice of race stipulates that a sailor arriving:

at the Hobart Gate after 1200 hrs Local time on 31st January 2023 becomes a GGR Voyager on arrival and may not continue toward Cape Horn earlier than 1000 hrs Local time on 1st December 2023. A Chichester Class entrant arriving at the Hobart gate after 1200hrs Local time on 31st January is withdrawn from the event.

This is why Suhaili’s position is important on the GGR Tracker : if Suhaili is ahead of you, then you are late for the Hobart Gate. Most sailors have the log and positions of Bernard Moitessier and Robin Knox-Johnston during their 1968 Golden Globe, and know their own positions respective to theirs. 

It is specially an issue for Arnaud Gaist ( FRA) who has the slowest boat in the fleet, and may not make the Hobart gate on time, since he will be making slow progress this week. Same for Guy Waites (UK), plagued by Bernacle problems and currently behind the French entrant. While Guy said in his weekly call that he would try by all means not to lift and end in Chichester Class, he still has a hard task with an uncertain outcome ahead.

Skipping the Cape Town gate to make time for Hobart is not a solution either, because missing a gate for speed issues will automatically put the sailor in Chichester Class. Any other subsequent stop, missed gate or rule infringement, would mean disqualification from the Golden Globe Race. 

We knew the GGR entrants were racing against themselves rather than against one another, but now, the race against time is on…

MEDIA ALERT- Photo opportunity!
Golden Globe solo around the world yacht race arriving in Cape Town!

Picture on top: Kirsten Neuschäfer on top of the mast in Cape Town before she leaving and heading to the Golden Globe Race 2022 start line. Photo: Kirsten Neuschäfer /GGR2022

Simon Curwen (UK), first arrival on Sunday afternoon , South African entrants Kirsten Neuschäfer in 2nd place Monday afternoon and Jeremy Bagshaw in 9th place with serious Barnacle problems , 1200 miles to go.

16 solo sailors set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne France two months ago to sail solo nonstop around the world in small 36 ft Yachts without modern technology using sextants, paper charts and wind up clocks. The leaders  are now in sight of Cape Town with the first arriving Sunday. All must pass through a compulsory “Photo Gate” in Grangers Bay to drop letters and video films before continuing on around the world without stopping.

Three entrants have already retired from the Race, one grounding ashore onto Rocks in the Canary Islands. Many are now infested with barnacles seriously slowing their speed and others are in need of repairs that cannot be carried out at sea. Two are running low on water. Some may need to anchor in Grangers bay to fix their problems. They cannot go ashore or seek any outside assistance or they will be penalised.

South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer from Port Elizabeth , the only Female entrant, is sailing a strong race and is a serious contender for a podium finish in Les Sables d’Olonne.. Her yacht is in great shape and she is excited to see family and friends as she sails past Cape Town.

Simon’s Town sailor Jeremy Bagshaw who entered the GGR  on the smallest boat of the fleet and sailed his OE32 from Cape town to Gijon and Les Sables d’Olonne in July is sailing a good race on the way back to South African, but is currently facing a barnacle invasion on the hull of Olleanna that he needs to solve before entering the Indian Ocean.

Entrants anchoring will probably be just off the foreshore at GRANGER BAY and easily visible to anyone on the foreshore. Cape Town sailors and friends visiting by boat are reminded that they cannot touch any boats, pass anything to any entrant or take anything from an entrant or they may be seriously penalised or even disqualified from the Race. They are also under Customs, Immigration and Quarantine controls so make sure to respect the rules, thanks !!

It has been an exciting week for the GGR with very close sailing between distinct strategies with the leader Simon Curwen (GBR) and GGR 2018 veteran Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) picking the north side of the high-pressure system and South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer taking a daring option south of it in company of Pat Lawless (IRL).

Estimated Times of Arrival (ETA) of first entrant GGR skippers

ETA depends on the wind. LIVE positions are shown on the GGR satellite Tracker here. ETA’s will be regularly updated in the GGR Facebook page, and on the Royal Cape Yacht Club notice board, host of the Golden Globe Race in Cape Town.
Current ETA’s are:

• Simon Curwen :  Sunday 6 of November- Afternoon
• Kirsten Neuschäfer : Monday 7th of November – Afternoon
• Tapio Lehtinen : Monday 7th of November – Evening
• Pat Lawless :  Tuesday 8th of November – Evening
• Jeremy Bagshaw : Saturday 12th of November

Crossing the Film Gate Line
The GGR Cape Town Film Gate line is located between Granger Bay Marina GREEN Entrance Buoy [Q G 5M] and Cape Town Channel GREEN Buoy ‘NO 1’ [G FL G 3S]. All Entrants must cross this line with at least one reef in the mainsail and drop all headsails for 20 minutes.

Race Chairman Don McIntyre will be on the water with the GGR and Royal Cape Yacht Club Team to greet the skipper, collect the photo, video and written material, and interview them should the weather conditions allow. Nothing is given to the entrants.

Greet the Sailors

The Golden Globe Race is a solo, non-stop, unassisted voyage around the world. This means the sailors cannot moor inside a harbour, or onto a pontoon, cannot accept a tow, any kind of assistance other than verbal or receive any material onboard, or risk being disqualified.

We therefore ask family, friends, media and spectator boats wishing to give a warm and well deserved welcome in Cape Town to keep a safe distance of at least one boat length with the GGR yacht at all times. The long-keel yachts have a big turning radius and the skippers will be tired from their approach.

We especially insist that spectators do not touch the GGR yachts, or give the skippers anything, as it could result in the sailor’s disqualification from the race.

If you are a family member, looking for more information on what can and can’t be done during the Cape Town Film Gate, please send an email to the race organisers (contacts below) or hello@goldengloberace.com .

The Golden Globe Race team in Cape Town and Les Sables d’Olonne wish to extend their gratitude and a very special thank you to the Royal Cape Yacht Club, for their incredible hospitality and technical support, their RIB, and the yacht club’s installations to make this photo gate crossing a success.

• North? South? Critical decisions ahead of the fleet with a high pressure system in the way 
• Local Sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer, now in 2nd position, may be the first sailor in Cape Town!
• Fleet breaking records in the South Atlantic – follow the race stats with GGR Underground!
• The return of the barnacles, Guy Waites is turning back, more sailors are affected
• More sailors pondering a possible Cape Town anchorage before venturing in the Indian Ocean

GGR fleet on the way to Cape Town,  last call before the Southern Ocean, battling high pressure systems and barnacles (again), and a local hero making a big bet! 

Cape Town is a traditional fixture in round the world sailing, and the last port of call for sailors to assess their condition and the one of their boat before venturing in the Indian Ocean. With the strong winds, swell and lack of shelter in the South, once you turn left, there is no turning back.

Some sailors have sorted their issues and maintenance at sea. Simon Curwen (UK) moused his foresail halyard, although he is now facing energy issues. Damien Guillou (FRA) dismantled and put his Hydrovane back together, including the transmission. Ertan Beskardes (UK) finally sorted his electrical problems and is back on full power.

With the barnacle issue and no opportunity to check the hull before Storm Bay in Tasmania where scraping is illegal, several sailors are enquiring whether an anchoring in South Africa would be possible. Some like Elliott Smith (USA) will try to sort their leaking deck, Arnaud Gaist and Damien Guillou (FRA) will change their foresail combination, others will want to check systems of just to feel the warmth of human contact, prior to heading in the extreme solitude of the Indian Ocean.

The Cape Town photo gate has become a welcoming opportunity for the fleet, Don McIntyre Founder and Chairman of the GGR explains:

We decided on a Cape Town film drop to follow the footsteps of Bernard Moitessier whom the 2022 GGR celebrates. It also gives us an opportunity to share with the public the adventures of the sailors crossing the doldrums, the equator and going into the Southern Atlantic, but several entrants are looking for a quick stop before heading south.

As stated in the notice of race, sailors can’t go into the harbour, but the outer breakwater provides shelter from the Cape Doctor, this dry south-easterly wind blowing at this time of the year. There is no mooring buoy available but they can moor in 14 metres depth to prepare for their exit towards the long, lonely leg in the Indian Ocean, towards the Hobart photogate.

Most will check their hull state and whether they are barnacle-free, and all will make the most of the coast and human proximity to get as much fleet and weather information as they can after weeks without weather charts. Meanwhile, some will have a much awaited catch-up with their families and friends in person or through Facetime.

More decisions for the GGR fleet

The leaders Simon Curwen (UK), and Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) are making their way upwind through the northern route in heavy seas as shared today, while Kirsten Neuschäfer (RSA), and Pat Lawless (IRL) have chosen the Southern option on a longer route but faster, more comfortable point of sail. It’s been working well for Kirsten, in second position this morning. Damien Guillou (FRA) and Abhilash Tomy (IND) who stayed in a middle route are now in the calm bubble, but should get some pressure coming from the south, where Michael Guggenberger (AUT) is making good progress, catching up on them!

Those choices are made even harder by the lack of weather information. After trying unsuccessfully to reach the Rio emissions for weather charts and negotiate the South Atlantic High, the fleet had great hopes in Cape Town but got the same amount of weather charts: none. 

The second half of the fleet sails in different conditions. Ertan Beskardes (UK) and Jeremy Bagshaw (RSA) are slowly getting out of a barometric swamp that made their progress slow  and unpredictable until now. Elliott Smith (USA), Ian Herbert-Jones (UK) and Arnaud Gaist (FRA) are further west, but faster and on a direct course to Cape Town, although a wind change from north to south will bring confused seas, courtesy of  a low pressure crossing from west to east. All are happy at sea, enjoying the conditions as Ian shared in his tweet, and unfazed by their distance to the lead.

GGR indicators and magic numbers

Before this last stretch to Cape Town, it’s been champagne sailing in the southern hemisphere for the sailors, with conditions that brought unseen performance to the GGR 2022.

The GGR followers know Damien’s magic number of 550: the distance between him and Simon Curwen at the Cape Finisterre. About 500 miles separate weather systems in the Southern Oceans and a lower number could help Damien to work his way up the fleet in the same weather system as the leader, currently 550 miles ahead.

24-hour distance and the 168 number

Distance over 24 hours assesses average speeds over a day: 168 miles in 24 hours is a 7-knot average, an excellent performance for any production cruising yacht, even more for the long keeled GGR yachts, loaded with food and water!

Kirsten Neuschäfer is by far the fastest sailor of the GGR fleet. She holds the 24-hour record at 183 nm on October 26, a 7.6 knots average, and has 14 of the best 20 days to her name, leaving only Abhilash (177 nm) and Tapio (174 nm) to pick the remaining crumbs. Other sailors above 168 miles per day are Damien Guillou, Simon Curwen, Pat Lawless and Michael Guggenberger whose onboard footage has just been released.

7-day distance and the 1000-mile club

The  7-day distance, gives a better view of the boats allround performance, over longer periods of time with changing weather conditions and different points of sail and sea state. Most entrants beat their personal best  in the last two weeks, with the fleet record going to Abhilash Tomy on October 28 with 1140 miles a week for a 6,8 knots average!

1000 miles a week is just below 6 knots average and an easy way to look at the finish, with Simon’s 20.000 miles DTF becoming 20 weeks!  The 1000-mille club also welcomed Kirsten Neuschafer, Simon Curwen, Michael Guggenberger, Pat Lawless, Damien Guillou, Tapio Lehtinen and Elliott Smith. Jeremy Bagshaw and Ian Herbert Jones fell short, but are knocking -loudly- at the door!

Useful statistics, but where can you find them? 

Meet Jonathan Endersby, GGR enthusiast and self-described “product engineer, radio nerd and sailor, who builds cool things and puts them on the internet” has put together the really cool indeed GGR Underground website to track the progress and performances of the GGR fleet based on the tracker update.

My father was a sailor, and I grew up on dinghies listening to stories of his adventures in far off lands. I read Moitessier’s “The Long Way” just after school and then two transatlantics on Skip Novak’s Pelagic Australis convinced me that I was happiest at sea. I met Jeremy Bagshaw through a good friend and ended up moored a few boats away while he prepped for the GGR. My obsession with the race is a combination of my two passions, software and sailing. Long races especially can benefit from more nuanced insights. For instance, highlighting that there is still only a 5% difference in the overall distance between Simon and Arnaud can really put things in perspective when you’re sailing around the world!

Jonathan told us

Jonathan is based out of Cape Town where he and Don are catching-up, waiting to greet the entrants at the second photogate. Another amazing tool to follow the race, but not so underground anymore!

Barnacles are back and kicking!

Those top speeds are in sharp contrast with the looming disaster for some of the entrants: the dreaded gooseneck barnacles.

They were first spotted by Jeremy Bagshaw (RSA) and Damien Guillou (FRA) after cutting through the Cape Verde Islands, and later by Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) haunted by his 2018 experience, who overcame his fear of sharks and went overboard to clean his hull, removing around 60 of them.

Guy Waites (UK), one of the best prepared sailors, was unable to remove them at sea with a scraper and announced to Race Control he was diverting towards Latin America to clean his hull. It was a shock among the skippers and a wake-up call for all.

Since then, Pat Lawless (IRL) and Ertan Beskardes (UK) have discovered some and all sailors are diving at the first opportunity for hull cleaning before reaching the colder waters of the Southern Oceans.

For Don McIntyre, the race founder and chairman, “The GGR is all about planning, preparation and execution, and barnacles, which were already an issue in 2018 are part of this. The 2018 winner Jean-Luc VDH had no barnacle problem, why? His preparation was exemplary with serious anti-fouling consideration in every respect: three layers of hard paint + 2 layers of abrasive to sail through the Atlantic where barnacle activity is high, and a dedicated protection bag around the hull before the start to keep sunlight and sediments away. He understood the issue and it showed.” 

Interestingly, virtually none of the entrants followed his proven process, avoiding instead to repeat Tapio Lethinen’s mistake, but it is now proving insufficient for the fleet and a hefty price to pay for some.

Another factor is the ban of toxic substances in antifouling due to higher sustainability requirements, which certainly makes them less efficient than in 1968 and fairly less than four years ago. Increasing water temperatures in the Atlantic, and increasing barnacle activity are adding to the challenge. Barnacles certainly are a critical one for the GGR.

Who will be first in Cape Town and when can we expect them?

It’s been hard for the leaders to place the high-pressure system without any weather chart, and a testament to their seamanship. At least most of them avoided being trapped inside so far, with Simon and Tapio on the north side, tacking their way through the South Easterlies in upwind conditions.

Rounding the high through the southern route as Pat and Kirsten are doing now is a bold move, it adds many miles to the route with no guarantee that the wind will hold, the high will travel north, and that there will be a way to cross towards the South African coastline.

Kirsten Neuschäfer showed us over and over that she is no stranger to bold options, and will always try something new rather than stick with the fleet. It has paid-off and sometimes cost her dearly, but this time she seems to be making the South Atlantic hold-up!

While Pat Lawless picked a middle way too close to the centre of the high, Kirsten pushed another two degrees south to be in stronger winds, and has been posting the fleet’s best daily averages for several days now.  Kirsten went from 5th position last week to Second today, and since she will come to Cape Town from a southern route may gain precious miles on Simon in upwind conditions on her approach to Cape Town.

ETA for Simon Curwen at Sunday Midday???