After having these past two days been caught up in storms and squalls, Jean-Pierre Dick seemed relieved to have found a more stable breeze when we spoke to him today during the video conference. "The Trades are steadier and stronger now, we're reaching in 15 to 20 knots of breeze. The sea is very blue, it's getting warmer and the conditions are great. it's like tropical sailing!", said Paprec-Virbac 2's skipper, enjoying the sight of his boat's speedometer while knowing that further back, his rivals aboard Hugo Boss were significantly slower.
"They're going through what we experienced ourselves, and going upwind on the kind of boats we sail is really painful. We're going to extend our lead, but the Doldrums lie ahead, so we'd better gain as many miles a we can while we can, because Hugo Boss will come back strong at some point."
Meanwhile, if Jean-Pierre and Damian are already working hard on their weather tactics for the feared Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, Alex Thomson and Andrew Cape try to fight their way out of a tricky area. While at the same time having to cope with yet more rudder problems, which might explain Alex's lack of enthusiasm during today's call. "We discovered our rudder is broken again toda!y we have had to try and sort it out again, it has cost us some miles whilst we were trying to fix it. We thought the last repairs would last but they havent, we hope it will last now but are not overly hopeful at this stage", said Alex.
Day 74 - January 23, 16:00 GMT - Position report
1. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean Pierre Dick / Damian Foxall - 3697 nm To Finish
2. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson / Andrew Cape - 650 nm to leader
3. Temenos Ii - Dominique Wa Vre / Michele Paret- 1675
4. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso / Pachi Rivero - 1737
5. Educacion Sin Fronteras - Servane Escoffier / Albert Bargues - 2959
www.barcelonaworldrace.org
Conditions are getting better on the comfort front for the majority of the fleet, yet from a strategic perspective more difficulties lie ahead. It seems today that only race leader Paprec-Virbac 2 can actually look forward to tomorrow: having picked up some steady wind, Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall are leaving Hugo Boss behind, the Anglo-Australian duet fighting upwind in light airs. Further back, Temenos II and Mutua Madrile�a are still neck and neck, coping with decreasing winds and having to work their way around the high pressure system on their path.