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Glasgow, Liverpool and Qingdao have all had the same twelve hourly run, suggesting that the winds were slightly lighter in the west of the fleet.

New York and Singapore have obviously decided that the way to go faster is to match race, with one boat pitted against the other all the way down the course. At the moment Joff BAILEY and his crew on New York have the upper hand, but Richard FALK and the Singaporean crew are pushing him hard, and are getting closer all the time.

The ironic thing is that New York actually sailed two miles further overnight, doing 84 miles as compared to Singapore's 82, but as this was on a course more northerly than Singapore's they ended up crossing just ahead of Singapore and finishing up closer to them.

Unwanted Passenger

Through the rest of the fleet the other yachts will all be out of sight of each other. Durban and Victoria (another two who seem to be joined by a long length of bungee) are just under 20 miles apart, so too far to be seen even from the masthead. Liverpool removed a length of barnacle encrusted mooring line (not their own, MAGEE was at pains to emphasize) from their keel. This would not have done their boat speed any good at all, and they will be hoping for an increase in daily runs from now on. They do not know when they picked it up, but are not putting the blame on sabotage at all.

The addition of even a hundredth of a knot to average speed can be very significant - that small increment adds up to 1.68 nautical miles per week, so about five miles over the course of this race. Remembering back to the finish into Salvador, Brazil, five miles more or less would have changed the order of Liverpool and Cardiff finishing. This is why there is always such an emphasis on sail trim and concentration - it is the long term and continuous application of these which lead to consistent results. The occasional slice of good luck does not go amiss either.

Looking Ahead

Over the next couple of days the fleet will pass over the mid-Atlantic ridge, the dividing line between the continents of Africa and South America. This will not have much, if any, effect on the surface conditions, as the water depth is still over a mile, but is of some psychological importance. The water in this area will be incredibly blue, and going swimming is always a slightly eerie feeling, as the nearest land really is a mile or more away - straight down! The crews will not be swimming, of course, as they do not have the luxury that cruising boats do of being able to take their time.