We have been racing across the South Atlantic Ocean for 3,500 nautical miles and two weeks. Yet we find ourselves sailing in sight with Dare to Lead as we converge on Cape Town.
For days earlier in the race we were in sight of Garmin, who was pushing hard in the windy stuff, and Dare To Lead was a virtual competitor on my plotter screen as we never saw them. But now it’s very real with only 100 plus nautical miles to go to the finish and a chance to win the leg is available to both Greenings and Dare To Lead, who played the Joker Card for this leg as it’s the skippers home port.
So, we sail aiming for the finish in a calm sea and a nice but gentle breeze under the stars once again. The GPS says we should be there by 19:00 (17:00 UTC, 18:00 BST) on Wednesday 19th October for which I am sure will be a very close finish, possibly within a couple of nautical miles to a couple of boat lengths apart. At this point, Garmin has been in Stealth Mode and could be lurking somewhere nearby too.
The finish will likely be in the dark and certainly by the time we dock in the V and A Waterfront. The dark masking the joy or disappointment maybe of this final drag race, but both crews can be proud as I know how hard the Greenings crew have worked so the Dare To Lead crew must have also pushed themselves.
I hope both crews can be happy and celebrate a great climax to a very close and eventful Leg 2. Assuming Garmin is not lurking around to spoil the plan.
But this is yacht racing and it has many variables. We could get stuck in one of Cape Town’s notorious wind holes and watch the chasing fleet sail around us to take the winnings.
Put the kettle on or crack open a cold one and tune into the Race Viewer or the Clipper Race: LIVE Facebook Live page to watch the finish and the dock arrivals live and experience this close finish with us... we aim to entertain!
Andy
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