Portimão Global Ocean Race: The Other Around the World Race

Those who casually follow yacht racing are probably familiar with the Vendee Globe or the Volvo Ocean Race which take sailors on epic around the world races.  Well, there is another global race occurring as you read this with a slight economical edge.

The Portimão Global Ocean Race (PGOR) was created for single and double handed yachts (Category "Single-hand/Class 40" and “Double handed/Class 40") and small budgets. The two former professional yachtsmen Josh Hall and Brian Hancock are the initiators of the race. The six yachts (two solo, four crews) of the first edition of the race started on October 12, 2008 in Portimão, Portugal. The finish is tentatively scheduled for June 21, 2009.

The idea of the Class 40 offshore yacht was conceived three years ago, an affordable performance monohull designed around stringent box rule with the goal of the class to make offshore races accessible to amateur sailors.  The plan was to keep the cost of the boats down by banning the use of costly certain materials, such as carbon fiber. 

Some of the more complicated engineering found on the “no-limits” designs like canting keels and movable underwater appendages were banned as well. A maximum size limit of 40 feet was decided upon and the Class 40 was born.

While the Class 40 is considered a “tamed” yacht, it does not lack in performance. In fact, it’s very much a performance yacht matching some of the older Open 50 designs boat for boat.

The PGOR is divided into five legs and is the first Class 40 race. It proceeds through the Southern Ocean (Pacific) and around Cape Horn.  The course for the Portimão Global Ocean Race takes in some of the roughest waters on the planet. Starting in Portimão, Portugal the race stops in Cape Town, South Africa, Wellington New Zealand, Ilhabela, Brazil, and Charleston, USA, before finishing back in Portugal, a total of 30,000 nautical miles.

The first two legs have already been completed and on Saturday February 21st, the boats crossed the starting line in Wellington Harbor to enter the most dangerous and longest leg of any global yacht race, the Southern Ocean.

The three double-handed boats in the Portimão Global Ocean Race crossed the Leg 3 Pacific Ocean scoring gate at 130°W on Friday, March 7, separated by less than two hours. This is an amazing accomplishment after 14 days and over 2,000 miles of racing.

Beluga Racer with Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on board were the first to cross the Leg 3 scoring gate which made them three for three as they have clinched maximum points at the previous leg’s scoring gates.

Crossing the scoring gate in second place, less than a half an hour later, was the British duo of Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli. Following closely was the Chilean team of Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz on Desafio Cabo de Hornos one hour and twelve minutes later. Michel Kleinjans on Roaring Forty, the fleet’s solo sailor, is only of hours from crossing the scoring gate at last report

The double-handed fleet are averaging a little under 12 knots in a big swell with winds of between 30-40 knots. The Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet has now passed into the eastern Pacific and is being closely monitored by the Chilean MRCC (Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre) in Punta Arenas.

Double-handed class overall points after the Leg 3 scoring gate:

Beluga Racer 26
Desafio Cabo de Hornos 19.5
Team Mowgli 16

Photo courtesy of Portimão Global Ocean Race