While the five IMOCA teams in The Ocean Race have already sailed nearly two-thirds of the way around the world, the sporting competition is not yet at the halfway point.
There are 9 full point scoring opportunities in this edition of the Race – and after leg 3 to Itajaí we have completed only 4 of them.
The sailors referenced this often in the skipper’s press conference – fully 56% of the points in the race are still available.
The most punchy comment came from 11th Hour Racing Team skipper Charlie Enright, whose team was a pre-race favourite but has suffered through numerous equipment issues on leg 3 and currently sits in third place.
“This is an important leg for our team. 11th Hour Racing is from Newport, Rhode Island, I’m from Rhode Island too. And in a sense, this is our 11th Hour. We have a sense of urgency,” Enright said. “We didn’t have the leg we wanted in the last one… but we have a good squad on board and there are nearly 60% of the points left and we’re going for them all!!”
Importantly, his team went out a few hours later and backed him up by winning the In Port Race.
But the full leg promises to be more challenging. It is a 5,500 nautical mile charge to the north, with plenty of transitions, including another equator crossing and the associated doldrums, followed by the gulf stream current which pushes to the northeast along the east coast of the United States.
Teams with veterans of The Ocean Race on board may have a small advantage of insider knowledge on this leg. Although the French IMOCA sailors do plenty of racing in the Atlantic, it’s rarely on the ‘western’ portion of the ocean.
“It’s going to be an interesting leg for many of us,” said Sebastian Simon from GUYOT environnement – Team Europe. “We don’t often race on this side, so there will be a lot to learn.”
The race to Newport is expected to take 16-17 days with an ETA around May 9th or 10th. The opening days of leg 4 are expected to be on the slower side, with winds forecast to be under 10 knots on Sunday and usually less than 15 knots into the middle part of the week.
Leg 4 starts Sunday, April 23 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
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