From Cape Horn to Barcelona: The final Choices

Every round the world sailor will tell you that after rounding the Horn, everything changes. Another regatta begins psychologically. The sail up is towards warmer and more clement conditions, and the countdown to the finish at Barcelona begins. Also, from a strategic point of view, the skippers shift from a west to east course to a north to south route.

This means that after spending weeks grappling with squall after squall without significant movements between latitudes, the skippers will cross the same climactic zones they encountered on the outbound 'leg', but this time from the opposite direction. This means the number of tactical options multiplies. Here, it is as important to negotiate oncoming systems as it is to calculate where one will be once through them, to allow for longer-term strategies. The route throws up plenty of dilemmas.

The first would be which side to take the Falklands. The Great Circle route would suggest heading west, but weather studies advise an eastern course, although eagerness to gain ground to the north often plays a part. In the first edition of the Barcelona World Race, only Paprec-Virbac 2 chose the first option, due to the fact that north-westerly conditions were favourable. The rest of the fleet however, chose the eastern route, putting the Falklands to port, and positioning themselves in a better position with respect to the St Helena anticyclone, whilst at the same time avoiding lower breeze areas close to the Argentine coast.

Barcelona World Race 2007/08: Paprec-Virbac 2 and Hugo Boss beat to the West of the anticyclone, whilst Temenos II and Mutua Madrileña put the Falklands to port side after rounding Cape Horn.

“The longest beat of my life”

How to face the western side of the St Helena anticyclone is one of the big problems on this stretch. What was a veritable 'highway' on the way down can become a torrent of exceptionally persistent headwinds. Paprec-Virbac 2 experienced this in the last edition: Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall began beating upwind on January 12th at the Falklands and found headwinds until the edge of the anticyclone to the NW of the St Helena high pressure system on the 22nd of January. “10 days we beat upwind, “ said Jean-Pierre, “the longest beat of my life.” The position of the anticyclone didn't change much during the following weeks and the rest of the fleet, except for Educacion Sin Fronteras, also experienced extensive beats upwind as they headed towards the SE trades.

The lengthy ascent may differ this time due to the abundant presence of low pressure systems from February to March between the South American coast and the St Helena anticyclone. In this case, strong fair winds may push those who have been able to position themselves correctly to the SW of the squall, reducing their trajectory to the trades considerably. It's precisely when the skippers reach the NW of the anticyclone that they begin to enjoy the easterly trade winds. Here again, it's time for some longer term planning: how do you negotiate the Doldrums?

As with the journey down, there's no user manual here, and skippers must calculate ahead to see what position they will be in once out of the lulls and into the NE trades.

 

Stretches of very light breeze are common on the climb up the Atlantic.

Last chance to win... or lose

Once you are on your way with the NE trades, the course ahead to Gibraltar becomes much more about tactics and less about strategy. The front-runners' rankings will no doubt be plotted out by now, but decisions must be made with respect to immediate rivals. These are likely to be the last tactics played, and any errors here are unlikely to be rectified further ahead. The leader will obsessively look back and calculate the possible options given by the anticyclone at the Azores.

If a ridge of high pressure is formed in the SE sector, the Canaries will have to be put to the very west of the archipelago, Madeira to the same side, a climb to San Vicente to then set course for Gibraltar, as Paprec-Virbac 2 did to take victory in the first edition of the race. However, if a low forms between the Azores and Madeira, a less likely possibility during the month of March, reaching to the Canaries might be the ideal way to push through in record time to Barcelona.

Gibraltar: the final obstacle

During the first edition of the regatta, the top four entries were dealt some of the worst possible conditions that Gibraltar has to offer skippers returning from a circumnavigation of the globe: an eastern storm from the Spanish Levante. Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall suffered as they thought of their damaged rigging; Alex Thomson and Andrew Cape were on the receiving end of headwinds of over 50 knots “the toughest conditions in the whole regatta”, said Andrew. Dominique Wavre and Michele Paret took a deep breath as they entered the Med and put the ghost of Mutua Madrilena behind them. Bubi Sanso and Pachi Rivero had been threatening the pair since the South Atlantic.

Towards the end of March, the Mediterranean has very shifty weather and it is difficult to pin down exactly. Once the yachts round the cape of Cabo de Gata the situation can become very unpredictable indeed. At that height of spring, the thermal breeze won't pick up if the atmospheric pressure is high. This generates zones of lulls mixed with erratic breeze, which can make a big impact on rankings, especially if this continues very close to the finish. On the final stretch towards the finish through the Gulf of Valencia, there may be northerly breeze in which case the choice of tack will be crucial. When reaching the South of Barcelona, the northerly winds will disappear and the final few miles have the ability to wreak havoc with any skipper's nerves, especially when the miles to go are being counted down to the final ten after counting down for so long from the thousands.

Squalls and storms from the Levante The same Levante conditions can complicate the final stretch to Barcelona and despite the fact that they are not common in March, they may appear, creating for a tricky sail from Ibiza to Barcelona. The satellite images show a squall forming in the sea around the Balearics, following a cold westerly front which has reactivated as it reached the Mediterranean. In a situation such as this, the waves in the 'tough' part of the squall, near the Catalan coast, can reach 10 metres in height. Squall centred on the East of the Balearic Islands generating strong Levante conditions on the Catalan coast. The same squall on an infra-red spectrum; the temperature is shown according to a colour key.