News from the fleet:
Alexforbes ArchAngel
We started all excited as we started the race on the 2nd of Jan and as we had a good slow start to the race we all had time to settle in and adjust to being at sea for a long period of time. As the race went on it became easier and we all got Into the flow of 4 hour shifts Sibu and Azile on one shift, Daniel and Justin on another and our soldier on the boat Ranaldo doing solo shifts with everyone just doing check up on how he’s doing. We did have our sea sick friend on board Justin but no matter what he tried to do his shift fighting through his seasick. We have sailed for a week now and everyone is very happy just that Ranaldo lost his phone and is affecting him now without his own personal music but his pushing on with jokes.
Weather conditions at the start was very light westerly which allowed us to settle in reaching out of Cape town by the first evening it had turned north which allowed us to turn and head west which we did for two days trying to also head north west at the same time the wind strength was 10 to 15 knots by day 4 we were in the easterly winds heading in the north west direction we were aiming for and making good ground towards Rio. We are currently on day 7, first week at sea and the wind had died down to about 5 knots during the day and 10 knots at night .
The challenges we have faced was first trying to get out of Cape town which we achieved with good wind and good direction there after with the conditions being abit bumpy we had diesel spill in the boat which is really tough to deal with trying to get the smell out and being all slippery , we also having problems down loading weather forecasts so it’s difficult to place our boat in the right wind conditions . We also had battery charging problems but figured that out really quickly. With our first spinnaker hoist we had a massive rap around the forestay which took us 45 minutes to unwrap but did it with out any damages, we also lost one of our spinnakers on day 5 with it tearing into two pieces and the next day got a rip in our S2 spinnaker from here on we are being more cautious with our spinnakers.Our rudder also has a bit of play while conditions are tough but we feel we can get to Rio and will lift the boat when we get there to check why there is play in the rudder other then this we are pushing and moving forward to the best of our ability.
The mood on board is very jolly so everything is a funny moment but things that stand out is when you want to go to bed you find Justin in your bed ,he has tested every bed and finally he found the right one.we also almost had Sibu taking a swim when the wind was very light but luckily he held on, just shows the the skipper shouldn’t be found on the foredeck.
Off the start we sticked with the fleet but that only lasted the first night after that we all split up some boats heading straight west and some heading in a northerly direction so to see another boat would be difficult but on day 3 we came close to argonaught and had a fun chat over the vhf other then day 3 we haven’t seen another boat.
After the first night we were positioned 13 but after that evening we fought back to 11th then 8th and at the moment we are 4th in the IRC fleet and 5th in orc fleet and we won’t stop fighting until we cross the finish line and none of this drive would be possible with out the suppose from back home and we thank everyone for this we hope we making you all proud .
Argonaut
Easy going here. Gentle sea state. Great swimming. Debating what to put on the Braai tonight. Pork belly and Gewürztraminer last night was a triumph. Some flying fish found on the deck this morning .Happy days over here. Everyone well and strong .
Adventurerio 4
Last afternoon, a bit sooner than predicted, the winds came back. Slowly at first, but we celebrated 7 kts, soon followed by 9 kts. Boat moving again!
During the night they were still very variable, and we spent 1 hour drifting hopelessly… but they came back. Now we are flying close hauled at 10 kts boat speed! (And the weather studies promised us a downwind ride!) The last 2 days we averaged only 4.7 kts
One crew member started to feel strong abdominal pain and vomiting… and that raised our concern to the utmost level. We were 1200nm from Cape Town, 2000nm from Rio, 650nm from Tristão da Cunha and 750nm from Santa Helena… really in the middle of nowhere! We informed the race control and MRCCs on both sides of the Atlantic, and really started to think about how to transfer a person in the middle of the ocean. At that time, there were even no ships less than 6 hours sailing from us (and they were still 4 days sailing from the continent)!
But after emptying all his insides (probably even his soul), he finally fell into a deep sleep and woke up much better and happier today! So we will keep sailing to Rio with all our crew safe and healthy on a beautiful sunny day!
Atalanta
been light upwind in flat water for the last 24 hours. not to hot, not too cold. easy miles! used the time to eat a stack of delicious food, sleep long hours, fix the boat, and fix myself. champagne sailing. absolutely beautiful.
DHL Me2Me
We have been taking advantage of having no wind to swim and play around in the water, weird to swim knowing the bottom Walvis Ridge is 5,000m below us!
Cool Ideas Nemesis
All good with all on board.
Very pleasant sailing last night with a short period of light wind. Nice warm day but close hauled sailing bumpy again. Crew well rested from an easy night, but limited menu in bouncy conditions. Good speeding on to Rio.
Nyamezela
All well on Nyamezela.. Becalmed today and looks like it is going to be the case for another day or two.. Welcome break after 4-5 days of hectic sailing..Us Vaaldam guys are not used to weather like this 😀😁😊 Had Classic Tomato Lamb stew with Basmati rice for dinner last night. Tonight we are having Creamy Parmesan Chicken with Basil Pesto & Basmati rice 👌🏻 And no.. we do not have a shef on board..
Position (hopefully not for the next 2 days) as follow: 26deg08.737S 002deg55.070E
Ray of Light
Had a tricky night with dark clouds and mixed breeze. Francois and Malcolm did an awesome job trimming and steering in the wee hours. Francois and the winch look like they have been spray painted yellow from trimming the kite sheet. For breakfast we celebrated crossing the meridian with a cold Heineken. Cheers
Just before midday utc Marlin strike, after about 30 mins Mike released a beautiful Blue Marlin estimated around 125kg. To celebrate we all went swimming, awesome day here.
Need to replace the impeller this afternoon, no cooling water on the motor. Not a huge problem as the solar is doing the business!
A week into the race and we are exactly where we planned to be. It’s been an adventure getting here, more lies ahead. Now to find a way through the light winds and ride the trades to Rio. Ray of Light goes well in light air, so hopefully not too painful.
Thanks for all the support and well wishes
Sterna
All good. Drifting with minimal weather info. Unsuccesfully tried fixing iridium charging on motherboard. Limited comms.
Translated 9
Everything OK on board.
Tarini
All okay on board – 585nm from St Helena.
The Impossible Machine
Rigging and Engine Repairs require further shore assistance. Diverting to St Helena
THESE RESULTS ARE PREDICTED OR PROVISIONAL – 09/01/2023 14:00:00B
Line Honours:
| Pos | Name | Rating | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | VMG Recent (Knots) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | Norhi | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 1948.7 | 1577.5 | 4.2 | 28 Jan 21:30:49 | 26d 7h 30m 49s | 28 Jan 21:30:49 | 26d 7h 30m 49s | 027° 17.478S, 007° 23.712W |
| 2 | Aventureiro 4 | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 1976.2 | 1444.7 | 4.6 | 27 Jan 14:47:48 | 25d 0h 47m 48s | 27 Jan 14:47:48 | 25d 0h 47m 48s | 028° 09.948S, 006° 52.788W |
| 3 | Translated 9 | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2065.5 | 1346.1 | 5.1 | 26 Jan 11:30:34 | 23d 21h 30m 34s | 26 Jan 11:30:34 | 23d 21h 30m 34s | 028° 08.004S, 005° 11.502W |
| 4 | Atalanta | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2075.7 | 1334.1 | 3.4 | 03 Feb 15:41:12 | 32d 1h 41m 12s | 03 Feb 15:41:12 | 32d 1h 41m 12s | 027° 26.292S, 005° 00.588W |
| 5 | Nemesis | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:23 | 2180.1 | 1258.6 | 3.9 | 01 Feb 17:14:45 | 30d 3h 14m 45s | 01 Feb 17:14:45 | 30d 3h 14m 45s | 029° 07.116S, 003° 01.014W |
| 6 | Audaz II | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 2254.4 | 1268.1 | 4.0 | 01 Feb 22:49:23 | 30d 8h 49m 23s | 01 Feb 22:49:23 | 30d 8h 49m 23s | 023° 34.657S, 002° 02.006W |
| 7 | Ray of Light | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2323.6 | 1335.4 | 5.6 | 26 Jan 22:18:22 | 24d 8h 18m 22s | 26 Jan 22:18:22 | 24d 8h 18m 22s | 021° 58.218S, 001° 02.094W |
| 8 | Sterna | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:04 | 2332.4 | 1074.7 | 3.7 | 04 Feb 18:26:26 | 33d 4h 26m 26s | 04 Feb 18:26:26 | 33d 4h 26m 26s | 027° 25.164S, 000° 11.184W |
| 9 | Alexforbes ArchAngel | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 2350.0 | 1128.9 | 3.1 | 10 Feb 04:17:01 | 38d 14h 17m 1s | 10 Feb 04:17:01 | 38d 14h 17m 1s | 026° 22.800S, 000° 03.768E |
| 10 | Felix | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:00 | 2415.7 | 981.9 | 1.0 | 24 Apr 22:11:06 | 112d 8h 11m 6s | 24 Apr 22:11:06 | 112d 8h 11m 6s | 028° 26.694S, 001° 26.910E |
| 11 | Faros | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:29 | 2436.6 | 944.9 | 2.7 | 16 Feb 05:35:24 | 44d 15h 35m 24s | 16 Feb 05:35:24 | 44d 15h 35m 24s | 028° 20.364S, 001° 50.340E |
| 12 | Nyamazela | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:07 | 2504.3 | 955.2 | 1.9 | 04 Mar 23:46:28 | 61d 9h 46m 28s | 04 Mar 23:46:28 | 61d 9h 46m 28s | 026° 08.754S, 002° 55.110E |
| 13 | Argonaut | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.1 | 1158.1 | 3.1 | 12 Feb 18:51:24 | 41d 4h 51m 24s | 12 Feb 18:51:24 | 41d 4h 51m 24s | 022° 27.876S, 002° 40.026E |
| 14 | DHL Me2Me | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.9 | 1026.3 | 3.0 | 13 Feb 14:02:22 | 42d 0h 2m 22s | 13 Feb 14:02:22 | 42d 0h 2m 22s | 026° 10.188S, 003° 15.030E |
| 15 | The Impossible Machine | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:13 | 2600.2 | 909.1 | 1.4 | 26 Mar 17:41:16 | 83d 3h 41m 16s | 26 Mar 17:41:16 | 83d 3h 41m 16s | 027° 21.306S, 004° 50.964E |
| Tarini | 1.000 | 09 Jan 14:00:04 | 2529.4 | 1153.2 | 1.8 | 08 Mar 10:00:24 | RETIRED – Skipper retired 08/01 | 022° 15.294S, 002° 46.752E | |||
IRC
| Pos | Name | Rating | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | VMG Recent (Knots) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | Translated 9 | 1.134 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2065.5 | 1346.1 | 5.1 | 26 Jan 11:30:34 | 23d 21h 30m 34s | 29 Jan 16:21:35 | 27d 2h 21m 35s | 028° 08.004S, 005° 11.502W |
| 2 | Ray of Light | 1.118 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2323.6 | 1335.4 | 5.6 | 26 Jan 22:18:22 | 24d 8h 18m 22s | 29 Jan 19:15:15 | 27d 5h 15m 15s | 021° 58.218S, 001° 02.094W |
| 3 | Atalanta | 1.007 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2075.7 | 1334.1 | 3.4 | 03 Feb 15:41:12 | 32d 1h 41m 12s | 03 Feb 21:04:28 | 32d 7h 4m 28s | 027° 26.292S, 005° 00.588W |
| 4 | Nemesis | 1.081 | 09 Jan 14:00:23 | 2180.1 | 1258.6 | 3.9 | 01 Feb 17:14:45 | 30d 3h 14m 45s | 04 Feb 03:49:43 | 32d 13h 49m 43s | 029° 07.116S, 003° 01.014W |
| 5 | Audaz II | 1.126 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 2254.4 | 1268.1 | 4.0 | 01 Feb 22:49:23 | 30d 8h 49m 23s | 05 Feb 18:39:17 | 34d 4h 39m 17s | 023° 34.657S, 002° 02.006W |
| 6 | Sterna | 1.071 | 09 Jan 14:00:04 | 2332.4 | 1074.7 | 3.7 | 04 Feb 18:26:26 | 33d 4h 26m 26s | 07 Feb 02:59:16 | 35d 12h 59m 16s | 027° 25.164S, 000° 11.184W |
| 7 | Alexforbes ArchAngel | 0.997 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 2350.0 | 1128.9 | 3.1 | 10 Feb 04:17:01 | 38d 14h 17m 1s | 10 Feb 01:30:17 | 38d 11h 30m 17s | 026° 22.800S, 000° 03.768E |
| 8 | DHL Me2Me | 1.008 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.9 | 1026.3 | 3.0 | 13 Feb 14:02:22 | 42d 0h 2m 22s | 13 Feb 22:06:14 | 42d 8h 6m 14s | 026° 10.188S, 003° 15.030E |
| 9 | Argonaut | 1.055 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.1 | 1158.1 | 3.1 | 12 Feb 18:51:24 | 41d 4h 51m 24s | 15 Feb 01:14:38 | 43d 11h 14m 38s | 022° 27.876S, 002° 40.026E |
| 10 | Nyamazela | 0.948 | 09 Jan 14:00:07 | 2504.3 | 955.2 | 1.9 | 04 Mar 23:46:28 | 61d 9h 46m 28s | 01 Mar 19:08:17 | 58d 5h 8m 17s | 026° 08.754S, 002° 55.110E |
| 11 | The Impossible Machine | 0.972 | 09 Jan 14:00:13 | 2600.2 | 909.1 | 1.4 | 26 Mar 17:41:16 | 83d 3h 41m 16s | 24 Mar 09:48:31 | 80d 19h 48m 31s | 027° 21.306S, 004° 50.964E |
| 12 | Felix | 0.932 | 09 Jan 14:00:00 | 2415.7 | 981.9 | 1.0 | 24 Apr 22:11:06 | 112d 8h 11m 6s | 17 Apr 06:50:40 | 104d 16h 50m 40s | 028° 26.694S, 001° 26.910E |
| Tarini | 1.162 | 09 Jan 14:00:04 | 2529.4 | 1153.2 | 1.8 | 08 Mar 10:00:24 | RETIRED – Skipper retired 08/01 | 022° 15.294S, 002° 46.752E | |||
ORC
| Pos | Name | Rating | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | VMG Recent (Knots) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | Ray of Light | 1.211 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2323.6 | 1335.4 | 5.6 | 26 Jan 22:18:22 | 24d 8h 18m 22s | 01 Feb 01:32:11 | 29d 11h 32m 11s | 021° 58.218S, 001° 02.094W |
| 2 | Atalanta | 1.107 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2075.7 | 1334.1 | 3.4 | 03 Feb 15:41:12 | 32d 1h 41m 12s | 07 Feb 01:39:30 | 35d 11h 39m 30s | 027° 26.292S, 005° 00.588W |
| 3 | Nemesis | 1.178 | 09 Jan 14:00:23 | 2180.1 | 1258.6 | 3.9 | 01 Feb 17:14:45 | 30d 3h 14m 45s | 07 Feb 01:59:01 | 35d 11h 59m 1s | 029° 07.116S, 003° 01.014W |
| 4 | Sterna | 1.172 | 09 Jan 14:00:04 | 2332.4 | 1074.7 | 3.7 | 04 Feb 18:26:26 | 33d 4h 26m 26s | 10 Feb 11:16:09 | 38d 21h 16m 9s | 027° 25.164S, 000° 11.184W |
| 5 | Alexforbes ArchAngel | 1.063 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 2350.0 | 1128.9 | 3.1 | 10 Feb 04:17:01 | 38d 14h 17m 1s | 12 Feb 14:43:56 | 41d 0h 43m 56s | 026° 22.800S, 000° 03.768E |
| 6 | DHL Me2Me | 1.092 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.9 | 1026.3 | 3.0 | 13 Feb 14:02:22 | 42d 0h 2m 22s | 17 Feb 11:04:53 | 45d 21h 4m 53s | 026° 10.188S, 003° 15.030E |
| 7 | Faros | 1.043 | 09 Jan 14:00:29 | 2436.6 | 944.9 | 2.7 | 16 Feb 05:35:24 | 44d 15h 35m 24s | 18 Feb 03:14:23 | 46d 13h 14m 23s | 028° 20.364S, 001° 50.340E |
| 8 | Argonaut | 1.152 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 2521.1 | 1158.1 | 3.1 | 12 Feb 18:51:24 | 41d 4h 51m 24s | 19 Feb 01:09:46 | 47d 11h 9m 46s | 022° 27.876S, 002° 40.026E |
| 9 | Nyamazela | 1.012 | 09 Jan 14:00:07 | 2504.3 | 955.2 | 1.9 | 04 Mar 23:46:28 | 61d 9h 46m 28s | 05 Mar 17:01:03 | 62d 3h 1m 3s | 026° 08.754S, 002° 55.110E |
| 10 | Felix | 1.012 | 09 Jan 14:00:00 | 2415.7 | 981.9 | 1.0 | 24 Apr 22:11:06 | 112d 8h 11m 6s | 26 Apr 07:20:53 | 113d 17h 20m 53s | 028° 26.694S, 001° 26.910E |
MOCRA
| Pos | Name | Rating | Start Time | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | VMG Recent (Knots) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | Aventureiro 4 | 1.178 | 02 Jan 14:00:00 | 09 Jan 14:00:05 | 1976.2 | 1444.7 | 4.6 | 27 Jan 14:47:48 | 25d 0h 47m 48s | 01 Feb 01:44:19 | 29d 11h 44m 19s | 028° 09.948S, 006° 52.788W |
| 2 | Norhi | 1.136 | 02 Jan 14:00:00 | 09 Jan 14:00:06 | 1948.7 | 1577.5 | 4.2 | 28 Jan 21:30:49 | 26d 7h 30m 49s | 01 Feb 11:23:58 | 29d 21h 23m 58s | 027° 17.478S, 007° 23.712W |
