The 2022-23 Globe40 is an eight-leg doublehanded round the world race in Class40s. Seven teams were at the beginning on June 26, with five teams having started the fifth leg on November 26 from Papeete, Tahiti to Ushuaia, Argentina.

(December 16, 2022) – At 20H54 hours UTC, the Franco-Japanese crew of MILAI Around The World was first across the leg 5 finish line at the entrance to the Beagle Channel, which leads to the Argentinean town of Ushuaia. Hours earlier, Masa Suzuki and Estelle Greck were also first to reach the legendary Cape Horn at 09:36 UTC, where wind conditions were very calm.

MILAI utterly dominated the last two weeks of this 4,500-mile leg, with a long stretch of downwind sailing in an established breeze, punctuated by a series of low-pressure systems.

Over the coming hours, it will likely be confirmed that the current ranking will earn MILAI second place in the overall ranking, with SEC HAYAI set to remain at the top of the leader board just one-point ahead. As a result, there is still everything to play for in the next few legs as the fleet climb back up the Atlantic.

The 4682 miles covered by MILAI in this latest leg required a sea passage of 19 days and 19 hours at an average speed of 9.84 knots. Setting sail from Papeete, the competitors initially had to contend with a week of light to medium winds as they dropped due south in search of the strong west winds reminiscent of the lower latitudes. Over the course of that first week, the hierarchy was constantly shifting according to the tactics in play, everyone alternating between first and last place.

The arrival of the strong breeze at around 35° South heralded the start of a new phase, which MILAI Around The World clearly excelled at, constantly posting higher speeds than their rivals to finish some 80 miles ahead of second placed SEC HAYAI at the finish. Quite the achievement in view of the multiple rips in their sails and the long days spent sewing them back together for a temporary fix.

SEC HAYAI will likely cross the finish line around a hundred miles or so in MILAI’s wake, whilst the other competitors, AMHAS, WHISKEY JACK, and GRYPHON SOLO2 are some 300 to 500 miles astern of the leader and due to make landfall in Ushuaia over the next few days.

While competitors in the Vendee Globe or The Ocean Race have occasionally had to be make a pit stop in Ushuaia after suffering damage, this is the first time that Tierra del Fuego has played host to a round the world yacht race as an official stopover. Once finishing, there is a 70-mile passage to reach the port of Ushuaia.

Masa Suzuki and Estelle Greck with Cape Horn in the background.

Note: The scoring format gives extra value to the longer legs.

Standings (after four of eight legs):

The inaugural Globe40 is an eight leg round the world race for doublehanded Class40 teams. As all legs count toward the cumulative score, the longer distances more heavily weighted. The first leg, which took seven to eight days to complete, had a coefficient 1 while the second leg is ranked as a coefficient 3 leg. The race is expected to finish March 2023. Seven teams were ready to compete, but a Leg 1 start line collision eliminated The Globe En Solidaire with Eric and Léo Grosclaude (FRA) while the Moroccan team of Simon and Omar Bensenddik on IBN BATTOUTA retired before the Leg 2 start.

Start:
Tangier, Morocco – June 26

Stopovers:
Leg 2 start: Sao Vincente, Cape Verde Islands – July 17
Leg 3 start: Port Louis, Mauritius – September 11
Leg 4 start: Auckland, New Zealand – October 29
Leg 5 start: Papeete, French Polynesia – November 26
Leg 6 start: Ushuaia, Argentina
Leg 7 start: Recife, Brazil
Leg 8 start: St Georges, Grenada

Finish:
Lorient, France

Source: scuttlebutt – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2022/12/16/calm-for-globe40-cape-horn-winners/