Day 43, Saturday November 7, 1998

At 5:16 a.m. local time, as dawn broke over Cape Town, Mike Garside escalated across the finish line. Mike Garside, a 54-year-old British skipper and former British Special Forces soldier took second place in Class II with time of 41 days, 11 hours, 01 minutes and 21 seconds.

Mike Garside © Foto Billy Black

When Garside finished, Balance Bar was only nine miles behind him. Garside was counting on a southeast breeze to come off the land and it did. At that moment he was able to quickly cross the finish line. He had not slept for the last 48 hour. He spent them sitting outside steering his boat.

Looking back over the leg, Garside said, "It went entirely according to plan except I didn't win. But I'm very happy with second place. I had a blizzard about three days ago. The whole boat was covered in snow. We'd been surfing along on one long surf, making 24 knots for a half-hour. And I didn't bring my bloody gloves!"

Mike Garside
It was a hard leg for Garside. Around Alone was his first solo circumnavigation, as well as his first major race. He had to overcome many problems including leaking hydraulics causing his swing keel to fail, and blown sails. "The keel was OK once it got sorted," he said. "The autopilots were a real problem. It meant that I could never just press a button to alter course. Every time I had to come out and alter course and then click it back on," making even small maneuvers a chore."

  Magellan Alpha

As Garside crossed the equator he dropped "his bouquet from COMSAT into his wake for King Neptune." Neptune must like it, for Garside was able to get his keel in working order and finish second in Cape Town.

Less than an hour and a half later, at 6:43 a.m. local American Brad Van Liew followed to complete the first leg in 41 days, 12 hours, 28 minutes and 27 seconds. Balance Bar was first non-Finot boat to arrive.

Brad Van Liew © Foto Billy Black

In the meantime Robin Davie passed 60 miles north of Tristan da Cunha. He had sailed 150 miles in the last 24 hours. "The Islands have been ahead of me, and pretty much on the bow so to speak for the last 5 days, and its as though the yacht is being drawn towards them like a magnet." He said. "Islands are one of those marks on the chart we have now reached and passed, and the Greenwich Zero meridian is the next 'point' to aim for... Capetown gets nearer daily..." he added.

Viktor Yazykov came in just behind him in sixth place. He passed No Barriers with Neil Petersen but reported trouble with his lower shrouds, which broke. "I have to spent all day up on the mast. It is better now. I have to keep reduced sails", he reported.

Neal Petersen set his new record of 186 miles for the last 24 hours, but still he was not able to stop Victor from over-passing him. He was coming up on the radio schedules with Neil Hunter and Robin Davies every morning and evening. "It offers a nice distraction to catch up with them", he noticed.

© Foto Richard Konkolski

Positions:

Class 1

Class 2

Copyright © Richard Konkolski
Return back to First Leg