Round the World Maxi Catamaran Race
Started December 31st, 2000
YachtRacing.com predicted a New World Record on February 7th, and so far, Club Med is proving us right!

Friday, March 2nd, 11.00 am GMT

The morning must be dragging on for Club Med’s 13-strong crew, as they wait for the wind to pick up in the Alboran Sea. The holder of the world 24-hour speed record is crawling along at an average of 5.3 knots at the moment. Race HQ have not adjusted their ETA for the leader in Marseilles, though, because the wind is expected to pick up again very soon. This is a classic illustration of the kind of traps that the Mediterranean can throw up. Club Med looked set to enjoy a steady breeze from Gibraltar to Marseilles but has actually been parked up for several hours this morning. The crew are managing to keep the boat moving, but only at what is effectively crawling pace for their giant catamaran.

Back in the North Atlantic, Innovation Explorer is reeling in the leader while she can, reducing the lead to 1,041 miles. Loïck Peyron’s boat topped the performance tables for the past 24 hours with 534 miles covered in a period of fast sailing, averaging 24.8 knots over the past hour.

In the South Atlantic, Team Adventure has had to ease up in difficult seas, battered by force 8 winds, increasing to gale force 9. The bigger cat is having less trouble with the tough conditions than Warta-Polpharma, who are being hit by very strong gale force winds, which Météo-Consult predict may reach storm force ten. The Polish challenger has slowed down considerably, averaging 11.9 knots, and has had to bear east, steering 074. In the Pacific Ocean

Team Legato is still making very slow headway, averaging 4.8 knots. Tony Bullimore is still becalmed and is now more than 9,100 miles behind the leader! DB

Team Adventure is rounding Cape Horn as Warta Polpharma is Gybing downwind heading for a possible storm 500 miles behind.
Up front, Club Med is getting close to the Strait of Gibraltar as they have made 400 miles in the last 24 hours. They now have less than 1000 miles to go and over 10 days to beat the 71 day record set in 1997. Innovation Explorer is over 1000 miles behind, but should also break the 71 day mark.

Lucky Winds continue for Club Med as they cross the Equator. The wind is down to 6 knots in the typical doldrums, but it is a beam reach allowing them to maintain a 15 knot average. They only need to achieve a 9 knot average to shatter the old 71 day record. At the same time, Loick Peyron's team is hitting more light air southward dropping back over 1100 miles behind the leader with only 3250 miles to go for Club Med.
Back an Ocean Away, Team Adventure is still in good spirits as they thread the needle between 2 storms. They should pass Team Warta by tomorrow. Team Legato remains in New Zealand.

Club Med is set to break the record of 71 days at only a 300 nmi average for the next 30 days. They should be to Cape Horn in less than 4 Days. If they don't break down, they should set a new 24 hour record by tommorrow morning!
Here are some totals and Averages:

Team Adventure was becalmed on Monday, less than 500 miles from Western Australia's Cape Leeuwin, after the low pressure core of the intense southerly storm she had been following began to dissipate. Weather models show the storm regenerating further south of Team Adventure's current position in the next 48 hours, offering an opportunity for a high-powered ride to New Zealand. While the crew dried their gear and wiped the salt from their eyes, Cam on the conditions of the previous few days.

"The Catboys of Team Adventure, always flirting on the wild side, exploring to the east further and further in pursuit of fame and fortune in the wilds of the south, ran into a ferocious tribe - the Galeriders, a runaway stampede of winds and waves, and basically got walloped. No blood was shed, no horses lost, no men wounded, well at least in the physical sense. Some mental damage, nothing a little couchette time won't cure."

1900 GMT Team Adventure has been going way to slow for the last 3 hours. Even though they are stuck in light air, we expect to that something is wrong with the boat or Transponder. At the same time, Club Med and Innovation continue flying toward South America at 20+ knots.

Polpharma-Warta
formerly
(Explorer)

Midnight- Adventure and Club Med are heading down the coast in 10 knots of breeze while Innovation heads out to sea for more wind. 12 more hours till Playstation gets out of self imposed jail. Team Warta and Legato are crawling at 7 knots far behind the leaders.
Noon - Club Med is quickly closing on Team Adventure. The gap is down to 5 miles. Playstation has been sitting for 24 of 48 hours and has only lost 140 miles due to light headwinds of 5 to 10 knots for the fleet.

Team Adventure continues to lead and sistership Club Med follows 25 miles behind. Playstation has put into Gibraltar to get their old Mainsail after ripping the grommets out of the new one. This results in a minimum 48 hour stop, by the rules. Loick Peyron just passed Playstation to take 3rd, and Warta and Legato follow behind.

Flat water and westerly winds blowing at up to 30 knots, greeted the giant Club Med catamaran as she battled through the Straits of Gibraltar without problems at midday today. “We are still going upwind,” explained skipper Grant Dalton. “Team Adventure is ahead of us, about 30 miles up at this point.” “We are tacking frequently, every 6 or 7 miles, trying to avoid the Moroccan coast where the sea is a lot rougher.”

The American boat skippered by Cam Lewis and navigated by Jean-Yves Bernot, sailed a more Southerly route and has turned yesterday's small advantage into a lead of 27 miles as the fleet tackles the second night at sea.

By contrast Innovation Explorer, skippered by Loick Peyron, has stayed further inshore than Grant Dalton's Club Med and has worked out a tiny four mile lead over the sky-blue catamaran. The leading trio are sailing in upwind conditions with winds from the West blowing at 20 knots.