​Race 3 Day 13: Fast moving front results in busy deck workout for fleet

A fast moving weather front brought wind from all angles and strengths with 60 knot gusts resulting in a busy day of sail manoeuvres as teams were forced to go to exhaustive lengths to deal with Mother Nature’s latest offering.

GREAT Britain Skipper Peter Thornton, still in fourth place, reports: “The last 24 hours have seen the wind go from south westerly Force 8 to south westerly Force 1, to westerly Force 2 to 3, to north easterly Force 4, to north eastern Force 8, gusting 9-10 in rain squalls as the front passed over to north westerly Force 8, gusting 9 to south westerly Force 8, which is where we are now. I think.

“It's been a nonstop sail change and reefing in and out mission for about 18 hours. The crew watches roll through and we just deal with whatever Mother Nature throws at us.”

Teams are currently steaming along in around 20 knots of breeze, under blue sky, though still very cold temperatures at 43 degrees south in the Southern Ocean.

The leaderboard has seen little change. LMAX Exchange is still first, with Derry~Londonderry~Doire second and Qingdao third. GREAT Britain, Mission Performance, Garmin and IchorCoal follow. In descending order, the rear pack is made up of Da Nang – Viet Nam, ClipperTelemed+, PSP Logistics, Visit Seattle and Unicef.

Whilst progress is very good and crew morale is being reported as high, the unrelenting conditions are no doubt proving exhausting, with half the race still remaining. Mission Performance Skipper Greg Miller explains: “When you can hear the wind roaring up on deck, it takes a lot to get yourself up the companionway steps, clipped on and ready to do the job at hand, especially when the spray is blowing back down into the galley and hits you before you even venture your head out of the hatch!

“Physically, with all the wind and extra loads on both the sails and the helm, it is much more demanding. So as Skipper I have to take all of this into consideration and ensure that the crew are not burnt out before we even get half-way to Australia.”

The good news for the exhausted crew and skippers is that they should now get some respite. Friday 13^th is so far bringing clear skies and good breeze and there is a gap of two to three days before the next front is likely. The front is currently forming along a band stretching from the Kerguelen Islands towards the south tip of Madagascar and is due in 48 to 60 hours’ time.

Follow all the latest via the Race Viewer as Race 3, The Wardan Whip continues.