(November 9, 2021; Day 12) – The trade wind is now sharing out its breeze pretty fairly across the whole of the race zone in the 23rd Mini Transat EuroChef, welcome news for the competitors furthest north who have not enjoyed the stronger conditions of their rivals further south.
Consequently, the differences in speed are fairly minimal all of a sudden, with those skippers further along the racetrack boasting a slight edge. The reason for this is that as they approach the West Indies, the wind is becoming increasingly vigorous.
The added punch is sure to inspire the sailors, whose goal right now is to be as quick as possible, whilst exploiting the many variations served up by this famous NE’ly breeze, along with the odd squall that’s beginning to spice things up a bit.
Yesterday was always going to be a big day for those favoring a route in the deep south. Still benefiting from more pressure than their adversaries further to the north, the latter have made the very best of the conditions to rack up precious miles. This has naturally led to a few gaps opening up or being created within the fleet.
This is evidenced in the prototype fleet, where the top six in the position report were grouped within 65 miles of one another two days ago. Today, there is nearly 200 miles between them. In practical terms, though Fabio Muzzolini (945 – Tartine sans Beurre) has shown a real burst of power, taking the speed title in the last 24 hours and repositioning himself in second place in his category in the process.
Race details – Entry list – Tracker