The chase is on in the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race, with the Scoring Gate behind them, the next big focus for the teams is crossing the Equator and getting themselves positioned to pick up the Trade Winds, which will ease their journey past the Philippines and propel them towards the race finish, some 3000 nautical miles away.
Having been among the first of the fleet to clear the Doldrums, GREAT Britain, Derry~Londonderry~Doire, Qingdao and LMAX Exchange, all charged for the Scoring Gate yesterday, each vying for the bonus points on offer.
It was GREAT Britain that made it through the gate first at 1642 UTC but with Derry~Londonderry~Doire and Qingdao hot on its trail, Skipper Peter Thornton says the team worked relentlessly to maintain the lead: “Conditions were in and out of torrential down pours and simply general rain and spray as we started to make ground to the north. Then another big wind increase and shift forced our hand to tack.
Pending verification by the Race Office upon arrival into Vietnam, GREAT Britain will be awarded the maximum three points,Derry~Londonderry~Doire will receive two points for crossing in second place at 1740 UTC and Qingdao earns the remaining points for being third at 1901 UTC.
With the front ten boats spread over a 40nM radius, frustrations continue for Visit Seattle and Mission Performance in eleventh and twelfth place, as they are still stuck in the Doldrums off New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), and now almost 100 nautical miles behind the rest of the pack. However, the pair have picked up speed and if the band of light wind forecast up ahead causes the rest of the fleet to slow down and concertina, it could allow the back two boats to narrow the distance.
In a few hours the teams will begin to cross the Equator and pay homage to King Neptune. Stay tuned to find out how they celebrate the transformation from Pollywog to Shellback and keep an eye on the Race Viewer for the latest race standings. |
THE CAPITAL OF SAILING
