Gitana 13 Within 100 Miles of Yokohama

Despite battling a confused sea state and winds ranging from 15 to 58 knots, Gitana 13 is rapidly closing in on Yokohama with a lead of nearly 1,000 miles over current record holder Geronimo. As of 10:30 a.m. PDT, skipper Lionel Lemonchois and his crew of 10 were 92 miles from the finish, sailing a beam reach at speeds of 17 knots in 15 knots of wind under reduced sail.

“We are in the home stretch and there’s no way we can rush things," Lemonchois said. "We’re making headway with care, trying to prevent too much pressure on the gear." At this point Gitana 13 looks set to finish in roughly five hours, with a total time of just over 11 days. If they’re able to keep the pace, this multi-national crew will have taken more than three days off the time set by Olivier de Kersauson’s Geronimo in 2006.