To make it across the Roaring Forties in one piece before rounding Cape Horn and sailing along the South American coast is an achievement in itself. The start from Auckland can be dangerous if a tropical system drifts south and gets into a powerful low pressure with strong north winds.
Low pressures travel so fast in the South Pacific that they have a big impact on the sea state. Everything is full of water! Another big thing is obviously the approach to Cape Horn. There are around miles between the Cape and the northern tip of Antarctica. After the Horn comes the return to civilisation, which means returning to an aggressive strategy at short and medium ranges. Most frequently you want to stay as much time as possible into the westerlies by staying close to the Argentinean coast, before getting into the variable weather related to the South Atlantic High.
In the wake of Pam. First, a natural disaster. Cyclone Pam forced the race organisers to delay the leg start. For me, as a race organiser, I would never even consider starting in that cyclone. The breeze was strong and the sea state, terrible — proving it was definitely the right call to delay the start. In fact, according to the race doctor Pablo Diaz, a third of the sailors were seasick by then. Soon enough though, conditions got easier and the fleet started heading southeast towards the ice limit.
In the lead: Team Alvimedica. Along the ice limit. Once they fell off the tail of Cyclone Pam, all teams looked for the fastest way to reach the ice limit.
Race Management placed this virtual line to protect the fleet from the ice drifting in the Southern Ocean — all boats must leave it to starboard.
