Day 16, Sunday February 21, 1999

© Photo Richard Konkolski

Thiercelin was about 200 miles from Cape Horn and making arrangements to rendezvous with a cruising yacht that would assist him in repairs. He originally planned to stop at Staten Island, but he changed his plans and would instead stop at Aguirre Bay, about 75 miles northeast of the Horn, on the island of Tierra del Fuego. Thiercelin believed the repairs would take about four hours.

Second-placed Giovanni Soldini had a record run of 395.7 miles in the last 24 hours. He cut 90 miles off Thiercelin's lead and by the end of the day he was only 307 miles behind the leader.

Giovanni Soldini

Mouligne was firmly holding his lead over Class II with Garside 137 miles behind him. Garside reported: "It's been a day of huge heaped seas streaked with grey spindrift. The waves all seem to come from three directions at once. Those from astern give Alphie a hefty shove up the bum to sending him flying forward from 8 knots to 24 in a couple of hundred yards. The waves that pounce from the beam either deal us a mighty slap or, at worst, pick us up and throw us downhill where we crash to a halt, winded and groaning. And all the time the squalls march up from the western horizon, leaden grey, to spray us with storms of snow and hail. It's so unfriendly here, even the ever present albatrosses have finally buggered off."

Magellan Alpha © Photo Billy Black

On another hand Neil Hunter, who was closing the whole fleet, had NE 18-22 knots wind with three foot high sea and overcast sky. He wrote: "All's well and no dramas. Still hard on the breeze though. Bit of sun would be nice."

© Photo Richard Konkolski

Positions:

Class 1

Class 2

Copyright © Richard Konkolski
Return back to Third Leg
Return back to Second Leg
Return back to First Leg
Retyrn back to Sailing Round the World Races
Return back to Seven Oceans