Globe40 Leg 2 Update - Three contenders on the same line
by Sirius Events 31 Oct 2025 05:57 GMT
31 October 2025
Globe40 Leg 2 © GLOBE40
"It could end in a penalty shootout," Ian Lipinski's prophecy, expressed in his last message the day before yesterday, is about to come true: this Friday at 09:00 local time in Reunion Island (05:00 UTC), the three Class40 "scows" (round-nosed) in the race are virtually neck and neck, 24 hours from the finish.
350 miles from the finish line in Saint Paul Bay, and after 8,000 miles covered, the epic duel between CREDIT MUTUEL - Ian Lipinski and Amélie Grassi - and BELGIUM OCEAN RACING / CURIUM - Benoit Hantzperg and Renaud Dehareng - continues after a 26th change of leader, which occurred the day before yesterday in favor of the French Class40. They currently have a lead of around twenty miles, but given the 30 days of racing, we know that this is a very slim advantage for gaining any peace of mind as we approach the finish.
But the most incredible thing in recent days remains the spectacular comeback of the German team NEXT GENERATION BOATING AROUND THE WORLD - Lennart Burke and Melvin Fink - aged 23 and 26 respectively. After being 600 miles behind 10 days ago, we find them today in the rankings at 05:00 UTC (09:00 La Reunion), just 10 miles behind their Belgian competitor. How was this incredible performance achieved? The comeback began after passing Cough Island in the South Atlantic, 1300 miles from South Africa; while the two leading boats had to sail downwind along the southern limit of the course at 42 degreesS, the young Germans benefited from favorable conditions, allowing them to sail a direct route; at the Cape of Good Hope on October 22nd, the gap was down to just 328 miles. And once they reached the Indian Ocean, the happy scenario continued, with each time a situation where, as they say in racing jargon, "they're coming from behind": the leaders, facing a complex area of calms and currents, saw our talented Germans catch up behind them, propelled by favorable winds. Certainly, without exceptionally favorable weather conditions, this comeback wouldn't have been possible, but we must commend the determination of this crew who never gave up. And the two leading contenders, still engaged in their epic battle, perhaps didn't always have their eyes in the rearview mirror.
Approximately 350 miles separate the trio from the finish of this second leg of the GLOBE40, which will already be remembered as a legendary moment in the history of the event, the Class40, and offshore racing in general. Observers have long since stopped making predictions about the overall winner, still expected tomorrow evening in Reunion. But the island's traditional wind shadow, extending some twenty miles offshore, is likely to remind the trio that the cards can still change, and in all directions. What if it's the Hamburg crew who ultimately wins this stage with a coefficient of 3? What a turnaround!
This battle for the top spots among the latest generation Class40s shouldn't overshadow the performance and competition among the classic "pointus" Class40s, which faced very difficult conditions rounding the southern tip of Africa. And the gap with the first "pointus," BARCO BRASIL, is only 800 miles, or 3 to 4 days at sea: they are all in the same race, even if different rankings compensate for the generational differences and give each boat a fair chance. The human effort is remarkable for these largely amateur teams who, like the professionals, face fatigue, cold, and sometimes even fear in the face of nature's boundless power in the infamous Roaring Forties. FREE DOM, close to South Africa, is currently facing very tough conditions with winds reaching up to 40 knots. WILSON and FREE DOM are separated by only 20 miles in the rankings, and JANGADA RACING follows 100 miles behind. Skippers Mélodie Schaffer and Julia Virat on WHISKEY JACK still have nearly 1900 miles to go before reaching land.
For everyone, regardless of their ranking, the emotion will be immense after this odyssey, which began on October 2nd in the Cape Verde Islands.
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