Big Cat Claws North
The 110-ft maxi cat Gitana 13 continues its assault on the sailing record from New York to San Francisco. Now in their 30th day at sea, skipper Lionel Lemonchois and his nine-man crew were at 18° S this morning, looking at another 350- to 400-mile day, and happy to finally be back in shorts as they ease into the tropics. Hopes to ‘heat up’ the progress along with the climate have been frustratingly brief. Although finally clear of a series of contrary weather systems off Chile that had the boat making as much westing as northward progress, G-13 has encountered weak tradewinds (12 knots SE at last report) that are forecast to weaken even more in the next few days. And there is still the Pacific Doldrums to deal with after that.
The record for the Route de l’Or is 57 days and change, which Gitana 13 should be able to beat handily (she left New York on January 16). Unfortunately, it won’t be quite as handily as they would like. But that’s sailing. In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated on the boat’s progress. If it looks like they will finish during the day, we hope a number of you will head out to give this big boat a big San Francisco flotilla greeting. They will have earned it. For more: www.gitana-team.com/en