Having battled upwind for the last few days, it is a case of ‘TGI Friday’ for the only all female crew of the Barcelona World Race having finally been given some respite as they make progress in a south easterly direction. For Caffari and Corbella, this calmer period will allow them to check over GAES Centros Auditivos for any damage caused by the potentially boat breaking conditions they have been experiencing.
Early this morning, Caffari reported:
“What a difference a day makes! Life onboard is happier and easier. The sea state and weather makes us feel as if we are sailing somewhere completely different and the horrible upwind boat breaking conditions were just a figment of our imagination.”
The duo have also noticed a distinct drop in both sea and air temperature above and below deck as they make progress with the clean-up operation required as a result of the intense last few days.
Talking about what can be expected over the coming few days GAES Project Manager, Harry Spedding, said:
“The current weather forecast for the middle of the Barcelona World Race fleet continues to look complicated. GAES Centros Auditivos will be looking for a transition from upwind conditions to faster downwind. However to find these conditions they will probably need to stay further north than they would have preferred, and navigate through a complex trough formed between two high pressures and a low pressure system to the north. The high pressure systems are to the west and east of the girls’ current position, and the tactical decision will be based upon how quickly these systems move easterly around the Southern Ocean. No doubt the next 24 hours are going to be hard work for Dee and Anna.”
Virbac-Paprec 3 continues to lead the Barcelona World Race fleet with Mapfre and Estrella Damn sitting in second and third places respectively. At the 0900hrs ranking today, Caffari and Corbella onboard GAES Centros Auditivos were in 8th place, 222 miles ahead of Andy Meiklejohn & Wouter Verbraak on Hugo Boss
