The race to Cape Horn is well and truly underway this morning with Ericsson 3 clinging to its lead over a chasing pack that is led by their team mates on Ericsson 4, just 32 miles back at 04:00 today. PUMA is close as well, 87 miles behind. At current speeds that translates into just four hours or so of sailing.
And that's not all, Green Dragon, the biggest gainer over the past 48 hours is within range this morning as well, just a shade over 200 miles behind on distance to finish.
The top four are arrayed, nearly cleanly, along a north-south line, with Green Dragon to the north, and Ericsson 3 to the south. To the north, there is still slightly more wind. But the southerly position is closer to Cape Horn and it looks like Ericsson 3 may just be able to hold on 'til the scoring gate and beyond. But it's not a sure thing and nothing like as convincing a lead this morning as the Nordic crew enjoyed just two days ago.
The battle to be first to the second scoring gate on this leg should be close, but it won't be a long running battle. As PUMA skipper Ken Read sees it, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel as the wind gets up, and boat speeds hover over 20 knots; Cape Horn and the scoring gate there are close enough to taste.
"With a little boost from a tight low pressure system, we are going to have a quick ride to the Horn from here. That is the good news as all aboard are getting a bit anxious about turning the corner and heading back into warmer climates. So as long as the light is at the end of the tunnel for the next couple days, the heavy running shouldn't be all that bad," he wrote last night.
That heavy running he describes is in winds approaching 30 knots. After a couple of days respite in the sun, the fire-hoses have been turned back on. But conditions on deck aren't the biggest concern - the points distributed at 'the Horn' are. Still with Read:
"We have a bit of a race on our hands as well, if you haven't noticed. This low has done what was predicted and brought the leader and the back of the group all together in about the same spot... all focused on the same point on this low...as we begin putting our foot on the accelerator in the building breeze we hope to tick off the final mileage in just under three days."
Look for the first three boats to pass through the scoring gate and round Cape Horn on Tuesday...and the way things are going, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the separation close up further between now and then.
In fourth place, Green Dragon has put themselves right back into the race over the past 48 hours, going from 368 miles back at 0400 on Friday morning to just 205 miles today. They remain the only boat to post a 400-plus mile 24 hour run this morning (433). But a look in the Data Centre shows that speeds are up throughout the fleet now, and the days of double digit gains on every position report look to be over. And while the Dragon is nearly as far east as the leading trio, they're still over 200 miles north of Ericsson 3. With Cape Horn to the south of all the boats, that's extra distance that needs to be sailed.
Back with Telefonica Blue, skipper Bouwe Bekking has reported in to say that although his team is starting to make gains, they're under no illusions that they are in a competitive position yet. And while conceding nothing, Bekking says this is a situation where he and his team can sit back and enjoy the show up ahead.
"It will be an interesting few days ahead for us, especially to follow what the leaders are going to do, with the tricky wind patterns ahead of them. We can sit in the driving seat and just watch," he wrote.
"For us it is a bit more straight forward, as we are sailing in another system and more or less only have one way to go to the Horn. Finally last night we cleared the ice waypoint, and could gybe south, to sail into more pressure. Slowly but surely the breeze has been building and now we are in a steady 25 knots, making good progress...it would so tempting to sail full noise, with all the canvas we have and just send it down the mines, but we are careful, and everybody on deck can see the big picture: arrive in one piece in Rio...(and) start with a clean piece of paper, as there are lots of points to be earned to the finish of the race."