Leg 6: Itajai – Newport (5,000nm theoretical, close to 5,500nm sailed)
Days at sea: 17
Distance to finish:
115nm
Position in fleet: First. 2nm ahead of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
Weather: Transition from westerly winds to light easterlies (“Dong Feng” translated)
Boat speed: 12 knots
ETA Newport: Tonight.
America…the land of hopes and dreams and, right now, all of Dongfeng’s hopes and dreams are resting on the Chinese team trying to stay ahead of their main adversary, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, to arrive first in Newport. But like all hopes and dreams, they don’t come easy: “The last 24 hours of this leg are going to be a nightmare,” says Charles. “It’s going to be very difficult to stay ahead of the other boats”
Just over a hundred excruciating miles to go, the fleet are expected in tonight at some point. Over the last 24 hours, Dongfeng has had a whole mix of conditions – from light downwind sailing, to some strong gusty conditions of up to 30 knots whilst crossing the Gulf Stream. But now the brakes are on, and the leaders are tackling the final wind transition – from the strong westerly flow that has propelled them overnight towards Newport ahead of the predictions, in to a weak easterly flow. Dong Feng we should remind you means “a wind from the east bringing freshness and energy” – lets hope it blows in our favour!
“Everyone’s getting nervous,” said Horace (Chen Jin Hao). “Plus the wind is getting lighter now. The boat we couldn’t see before are now close to us, we can see them with our eyes. These days are like torture for us.”
For Horace his American dream is simple: “For a lot of people America is a place full of dreams and hopes. Lots of people would like to study in the US and start a business there. But for me, I’ve only got one American dream – get a good result for this leg. But of course I’ve got my little ‘classic’ American dream – I want to go to New York to see the Statue of Liberty.” Lets just hope Dongfeng Race Team are the first ones to see the Newport finish line…
Read Sam’s blog: The Gulf Stream – this one resembles a hot elevator shooting us towards Newport with an extra 2 knots over the ground. The past 48 hours have been nothing but ups and downs, hots and colds, so I challenge the guys to give me a few quotes with that theme in mind. “Arriving in the US our hearts are getting warm as the water is getting colder,” says Kevin. Read more hereImage credit: Sam Greenfield/Dongfeng Race Team The next 115nm is going to be a nervous one for our navigator, Pascal.
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