Gitana 13 on Track to Arrive Thursday
Gitana 13, the 110-ft French catamaran that left New York on January 16, will pass under the Golden Gate tomorrow, Thursday, February 28. Exactly when depends on how well the 10-man crew negotiates the often fickle breeze of the Pacific in winter — and how much fickle breeze there is. The latest estimate as we posted today’s ‘Lectronic Latitude was for an early arrival: 7 a.m. or before. If they get here much before that, they will sail across the finish line off Alcatraz (where the clipper ships took their official times), then head back out under the bridge to await their tow, which has been scheduled for 7 a.m. The tow will take the boat to a mooring off Corinthian YC in Tiburon.
We’ve heard a rumor of a noontime finish, which would be nice for photography and for anyone hoping to go out to meet the boat. But a quick look at the tracking program on their website, and the weather report for 20-25 knot winds this afternoon, suggests an even earlier arrival sometime in the wee hours tomorrow.
Tomorrow marks the boat’s 43rd day at sea since leaving New York on the Route De L’Or, the 14,000-mile ‘route of gold’ sailed by the clippers in the mid-19th century. An arrival tomorrow would mean they beat the old record of 57 days, 3 hours — set in 1998 by the Open 60 Aquitaine Innovations — by two weeks.
In their latest report, Gitana 13 navigator Dominic Vittet notes that for the last 24 hours they have had to pinball their way north between a zone of high pressure to the west and a corridor of steadier winds along the coast. “We have no option but to zigzag from one to the other,” writes Vittet. “The direct course is guiding us northwards but, as soon as the wind eases too much, we put in a tack to regain more pressure. Then as soon as the wind fills in again, we make for the edge of the zone of high pressure again . . . and vice versa.”
After a few days on the mooring off CYC, Gitana 13 is scheduled to haul out in Alameda for some routine maintenance. She will likely depart the Bay in late March on her next record attempt: San Francisco to Yokohama, Japan.
For more on Gitana 13, go to www.gitana-team.com/en/.
Update: The latest estimate as of 10 p.m. PST, Gitana will cross the finish line between Alcatraz and the Cityfront around 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We encourage everyone to come out to welcome them!