With Andrea Mura completing the 2023/2024 Global Solo Challenge podium, certainly the focus of many of those following the event has drifted away towards other ongoing events and others about to start. However, four skippers are still at sea and for them there is no option to just scroll away from their long adventures.

Riccardo Tosetto and Francois Gouin are both preparing for their final dash to the finish, with the Italian skipper less than 1500 miles to A Coruna and the French captain lagging just 240 miles behind in terms of distance to the finish. However, whilst Riccardo is already north of the area influenced by the Azores high pressure system and can set his eyes on the final destination, Francois needs to keep sailing north before he can make a turn towards the Iberian peninsula.

Riccardo is currently expected to arrive about March 30, which would require him to sail around 200 miles a day, which is plausible in the strong following winds that are forecast. Francois on the other hand has 2 more days to sail north, and then may be affected by the center of the Azores high pressure itself, which will be slowly moving south and towards him.

The patch of light winds should keep displacing south so that Francois should find the northwesterly winds even if initially he were to get stuck in light airs. He should be sailing in favorable winds starting from the 26th when he will be around 1100 miles to the finish and could potentially finish between the 1st morning and the 2nd, although he may be slowed by having to permanently sail with 3 reefs due to his problems with the mainsail track.

David Linger is 1000 miles south of the equator and 4200 miles to the finish. After the storms in late February the skipper of Koloa Maoli has recently had to battle with the fickle and light winds in the area west of Rio and Salvador where the trade winds curl from SE to NW requiring patience to make progress to the north.

David, however, should be just one tack away from being able to clear the westernmost part of Brazil on his way north towards the equator and then the Azores high, before he can set his eyes on the final goal of A Coruna. He may have to spend another month at sea before closing the circle where he started from at the end of October last year.

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American Magic was the only team to sail off Barcelona, today, with the forecast of fresh winds and swells of over 1metre keeping some teams ashore. They sailed impressively – captured on video.

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(February 29, 2024; Day 54) – Charles Caudrelier, winner of the 2024 Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest, may have been granted dream conditions for his victorious finish but thousands of well wishers braved the Breton drizzle to welcome home second placed Thomas Coville and his Soldebo Ultim this afternoon.

The 55 year old, incredibly completing his ninth circumnavigation of the planet today, was rewarded for his passion and his sharing as well as his extraordinary seamanship and skllls, with a wonderful welcome home.

The French solo skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3 crossed the finish line off Brest at 13:42:40hrs UTC, to take second place, posting an elapsed time of 53 days 1hr 12mins 40 seconds. On this first ever solo multihull race round the world in 32m ULTIM class giants, Coville finished just 2 days 6 hrs 4mins 48 secs behind winner Caudrelier.

This is Coville’s seventh round the world on a multihull, his fifth singlehanded. The sailor, conclusively the most experienced in a multihull on this race, endured some of the worst weather conditions that any of the six skippers had, and also overcame number of technical problems, one of which required him to stopover for two days and two hours hours in Hobart, Tasmania…

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Blessed with a perfect sunrise, flat seas and a modest 15kts breeze as he approached the long awaited finish line off Brest this morning Charles Caudrelier took time to enjoy the final ten miles of his solo multihull race round the world…

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(February 22, 2024; Day 47) – 2024 Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest race leader Charles Caudrelier and the ULTIM Maxi Edmond de Rothschild have been in the Azores port of Horta since yesterday morning waiting for Storm Louis to leave the Bay of Biscay and a weather window to open to allow him to complete the final 1200 miles of the 24,400 nautical miles solo multihull race around the world which started on January 7.

Louis is the name given to a very large active Atlantic depression which is currently sweeping Europe, from the south of Ireland to Lisbon. Louis is more 1000 miles wide and almost 2000 miles from west to east.

The leading edge of the depression has been buffeting Finistère, Morbihan and inland Brittany while Louis’ tail is still smacking the coasts of Greenland. Winds are averaging 35-45 knots at the front of the system – more like 45-55 knots towards its center and the waves are between nine and 13 metres.

“The problem was I already had a big sea of 8-9 meters from the North-West, but it was quite long and quite beautiful,” said Caudrelier. “So we thought about going on – at 8-9 meters it’s not so very serious, especially if there are gaps between the waves.

“The problem was that I couldn’t go fast enough to stay in front of the second depression, I had to go at more than 30 knots and we weren’t sure I could do it in these sea conditions. So that means if I was caught by the other depression, the wind would change direction 180° and could really, really build. This is often what causes the big storms we can have. It creates a very strong wind against the sea, situation with two seas crossing each other, and that is very dangerous for boats.

“So we are moving more towards a consensus, a great wisdom even – even if we are all impatient – to wait for Saturday (Feb. 24), when we have the completely right window. We can afford to wait because we obviously looked at (second placed) Sodebo and the boats behind, and the weather situation means that they will be behind us, not very far, but between Thomas (Coville) and me there still will be an anticyclone so there is no possibility that he can overtake me in terms of boat speed performance.”

The expectation is now that Caudrelier aboard his Maxi Edmond de Rothschild could set off sometime Saturday again to finish in Brest on Monday, February 26, one day before his 50th birthday.

Thomas Coville, who has got out of the Doldrums, is now just 1830 nm from the leader, sailing upwind in weak trade winds, forcing him to sail quite some way west to enable the Maxi Sodebo Ultim 3 to advance at around fifteen knots this afternoon.

Armel Le Cléac’h, who slipped to third during his latest pit stop, is 500 nm further back and leaving the Doldrums behind. They have spread out, but should enable the skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire XI to get away fast. Both of these chasing skippers are obviously looking at the leader, who has stopped. How much ground will they make up during his stopover?

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After a little more than 48 hours of technical stopover in Rio de Janeiro, ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest skipper Armel Le Cléac’h and his ULTIM Maxi Banque Populaire XI have returned to the race track…

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Every Friday we talk to the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest routers who work round the clock on-shore to provide the optimum routes to keep their respective skippers fast and safe…

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Bradley Adam and Thomas Walker topped 21 teams to win the 2024 Snipe Midwinter Championship on February 9-11 in Key Largo, FL. Posting bullets in four of the 9 races, Adam and Walker beat out Ivan Shestopolov and Lexi Pline by 15 points with Watt Duffy and Trevor Davis two points back in third. – Details

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(February 12, 2024) – The fatigue by boats and skippers in the 2023-24 Global Solo Challenge is mounting, with the biggest news coming from American Ronnie Simpson who was dismasted today at 0200 UTC. His Open 50 was approximately 650 nm due east-southeast from Buenos Aires, with the breakage occurring as the boat landed hard off a wave crest.

Due to a developing storm in his area, a rescue was initiated, with the Bulk Carrier Sakizaya Youth of Taiwanese ownership redirected from its course to Necochea, Argentina, after a voyage from Australia to India and Pakistan. The carrier, under the coordination of MRCC Argentina, successfully reached Simpson and brought him aboard, leaving his yacht Shipyard Brewing adrift in the South Atlantic.

In other news, David Linger rounded Cape Horn today on his Class40 Koloa Maoli despite a broken boom, with his plan to stop for repairs in Ushuaia, Argentina.

Pavlin Nadvorni has decided to retire as his left arm needs to be immobilized for at least a month, following the knockdown incident while having the kidney stone issue. He had already stopped his Farr 45 Espresso Martini in New Zealand due to problems with his mainsail mast track.

Also tapping out is Édouard De Keyser on his Solaire 34 SolarWind who had stopped in Australia for repairs, and has determined that he will be unable to depart before the race deadline to round Cape Horn.

Race details – Entry list – Start times – Tracking

Attrition List:
DNS: Peter Bourke – Class40, Imagine
DNS: Ivan Dimov – Endur37, Blue Ibis
DNS: Curt Morlock – IMOCA, 6 Lazy K
DNS: Volkan Kaan Yemlihaoğlu – Open 70, Black Betty

RTD: Juan Merediz – Class40, Sorolla
RTD: Dafydd Hughes – S&S 34, Bendigedig
RTD: Ari Känsäkoski – Class40, ZEROchallenge

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge 2023-24 seeks to be a budget-friendly solo, non-stop race around the world. Using a pursuit format for the 2023-24 race, 20 entrants from 34 to 70 feet have start times between August 26 to January 6 from A Coruña, Spain, with the first boat to return deemed the winner.

Source: GSC

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Want to know you are sailing with the most efficient, safest settings? There’s an app for that…

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The Race to Alaska will hold its 8th edition in 2024, continuing with its 750-mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Victoria, BC. And now there is a podcast series prior to the June 9 start. In this episode, Jake Beattie joins the Race Boss to help pry into the lives of racers. Meet Greg of Team Kuaka, the first OC-1 to attempt the full race, and Kayleen and Sylvia who seem to make more reasonable choices by racing as Team Orca.

Team Kuaka
Greg from Kuaka is about to make his second trip from Hong Kong to participate in R2AK. In 2023, he only capsized once on the Proving Ground. Who’s making bets on how many times he swims when paddling the full race? Race Boss Jesse and Greg chatted wakas amas and the un-slack-ness of the slack tide at Seymour Narrows.

Team Orca
The last Santana 20 in R2AK peeled open like the lid of a tuna fish can (they made it to Ketchikan anyway). Can Sylvia and Kayleen make it to the land of salmon, too? Race Lead Instigator Jake Beattie tried to find out and learned about seeing R2AK paddlers in Grenville Channel while working on the Prince Rupert ferry, being a grizzly bear guide, and flipping the wrong valves mid-pacific.

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INEOS Britannia turned on a Battle Royal between its eight crew racing a ten race series in AC40s. With seven Olympic Gold medals spread amongst three of the co-helms, the ten race series was always going to produce some fireworks, and duly obliged…

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Matt Sheahan and his PlanetSail team share the latest episode in a regular series of features about the road to the America’s Cup that will take us from the first official event in Vilanova to the Cup match itself in October 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. Here’s the episode synopsis:

Aside from Alinghi Red Bull Racing who had arrived in Jeddah well ahead of the other teams, few knew what to expect from the racing in the Saudi city for the second of the AC Preliminary Events. But after three days of spectacular racing and frequent shake ups on the race course, there was one thing that was clear as the Jeddah event had taken the racing and teams into new territory and given everyone something to think about on their way home.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain

2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 5: Finals (Best of 13)

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)

Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Additional details: www.americascup.com/en/home

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NSW champion Yandoo increased her lead at the halfway mark of the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship today with a brilliant win by her crew in the Smeg Race 3 of the series, sailed on Sydney Harbour…

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The America’s Cup Defender Team New Zealand was widely criticized for their decision to hold a preliminary regatta in Saudi Arabia. Their choice of overlooking the Kingdom’s oppressive policies to gain hosting fees did not sit well with everyone, but now it appears the critics are getting the last laugh.

War in the Middle East – where Houthi militants are attacking ships linked to Israel in response to that country’s attacks on Gaza – has stalled progress for Team New Zealand’s AC40 which is held up by shipping delays in the Red Sea.

While the Defender still has a testing boat in Auckland, the delay does impact the training for their teams competing in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup. As a result of delays in getting the boat out of Jeddah, the crews would be getting on the water later than they had anticipated, with appears to be in March…

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Set to replace the current L-Foils in Season 5, the T-Foils were designed to improve the performance and control of the F50s at high speeds…

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(January 23, 2024; Day 17) – While Charles Caudrelier on the 32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild has demonstrated his offshore mastery by leading the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest, he has benefited in this solo, non-stop round the world race from the hardships across the fleet. Here is the position report:

1. Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (2017 Verdier 32/23)
No reported issues.

2. Thomas Coville (FRA), Sodebo Ultim 3 (2019 VPLP/others 32/23)
Damage on January 17 to starboard foil lowering system but anticipates it can be fixed without stopping.

3. Armel Le Cléac’h (FRA), Maxi Banque Populaire XI (2021 VPLP 32/23)
Completed on January 16 a 27-hour pitstop in Recife, Brazil to repair bow pulpit and correct an issue with the hydraulics on the starboard foil.

4. Anthony Marchand (FRA), Actual Ultim 3 (2015 VPLP 30/22)
Collision on January 23 damaged port foil. No plan to stop.

5. Tom Laperche (FRA), Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue (2021 VPLP 32/23)
Damage on January 18 when daggerboard in the main hull collided with an UFO (unidentified floating object). Arrived to Cape Town on January 22 for repairs.

6. Éric Péron (FRA), Trimaran Adagio (2014 VPLP 31/21)
Slowed progress as only entrant without foiling appendages

The top four solo skipper are in the Indian Ocean which Coville considers the ocean he fears the most:

“It is the ocean that mixes more different air masses. First, there is the cold air mass of Antarctica along the line between Cape Town and Cape Horn. On the other hand, there is the warm air that comes down from Africa, Madagascar, and Reunion. We must go along this corridor affected by masses which are very different, which meet and generate violent and sometimes very erratic phenomena. Sometimes it takes different measures of opportunity, talent, and luck like Charles has to cross the Indian Ocean, remaining at the front of one front which was generated in South America….. but this is very rare. That doesn’t make us give up, we all know how long this course is!”

Details: https://arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

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At the latest report 2000hrs UTC on January 22, 2024, the race leader Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) has stepped out to a lead of over 1400nm over Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3)

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