Portimão Global Ocean Race Endure Brutal Conditions in the Furious Fifties

Hurricane force winds have been battering the Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet A Force 12 strength south-westerly lashed the fleet as they descend through the Furious Fifties towards Cape Horn.

Race leaders, Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz on Desafio Cabo de Hornos drastically reduced their sails in spite of this they have maintained very high speed averages, losing only 10 miles to Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer in the past 24 hours.

Beluga Racer trail the race leaders by just over 100 miles while Team Mowgli with Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on board remain furthest west in the double-handed class and 213 miles distant to the leaders who are keeping to the east, closer to the waypoint at Cape Horn.

The fleet’s lobe surviving solo sailor, Michel Kleinjans, is keeping pace with the double-handed fleet during the brutal weather, dropping back just 19 miles behind the race leader in the past 24 hours, and Roaring Forty is currently 122 miles off Salvesen and Thomson’s starboard quarter.

Currently 300 miles off the coast of their homeland, Chile, Cubillos and Muñoz have been forced to turn eastward under reduced sail due to the ferocious winds. “Those following the regatta via the Internet will see that we are in an area of very dark arrows,” explained Cubillos.

“It is certain that we are facing the worse weather by far in this entire race, and possibly the worst we have seen in our lives. But we’ve got everything under control. In the past few hours, we have stopped receiving winds of 65 knots and this is becoming stabilized at just under 50 Knots, which feels surprisingly calm by comparison.”

Desafio Cabo de Hornos is coping with the battering in spite of the unforgiving conditions. “Nothing is broken on board,” stated Cubillos, “and although the fuse on one of the rudders broke during a broach and it flicked up, we’ve sorted it out already.”

Fortunately for the Portimão teams Chilean authorities at Punta Arenas are continuing to monitor the fleet and provide the yachtsmen with detailed weather forecasts. “With advance warning of the gales, we dropped the main and sailed with the staysail only,” the Chilean skipper explains.

“Our average speed has been 13 knots and just with the staysail, we touched 22 knots. In these conditions the autopilot can’t cope and José and I have been helming in two-hour shifts.”

Leaderboard

Double-handed class

1. Cabo de Hornos - DTL 0.0nm Spd 10.7kts
2. Beluga Racer - DTL 105nm Spd 12.9kts
3. Team Mowgli - DTL 213nm Spd 9.8kts

Single-handed class:
1. Roaring Forty - DTL 0.0nm Spd 8.8kts