Globe40 Leg 3 Start
by Sirius Events 22 Nov 13:27 GMT
22 November 2025
Globe40 Leg 3 Start © Jean-Marie LIOT / Globe40
Today at 1:00 PM local time (9:00 AM UTC), the competitors in the third leg of the second edition of the GLOBE40 set off from Saint Paul Bay on Reunion Island, bound for Sydney, Australia. Reunion Island gave the competitors a memorable and incredibly warm welcome.
Another challenging leg awaits them, with over 5,000 nautical miles of direct sailing, significant obstacles along the way, including the Mascarene High, and, most importantly, a return to the Roaring Forties with a succession of previously forecast low-pressure systems. From a sporting perspective, and given today's very "hot" start, we should quickly see a return to the fierce competition of the previous leg, with a strong desire to battle among the scows ("round-nosed") currently leading the overall standings, and a similarly fiery spirit among the classic Class40s ("pointed").
A first for Réunion Island (then called Île Bourbon)
Arriving on November 1st, the Class40 fleet competitors experienced a leg of record-breaking feats since the start in Cape Verde: the longest distance - 8,400 nautical miles - ever covered by new-generation Class40s, a world record for distance covered in 24 hours by a Class40, broken on October 15th at 457.41 nautical miles, and a breathtaking finish with the top three boats crossing the line in just 9 minutes. The people of Réunion welcomed the crews with a fervor befitting the achievement: it was, in fact, the first time the island had hosted a leg of a major ocean race. At the Titan dock village, within the municipality of Le Port and the Western Territories Agglomeration Community (which spearheaded the project), the quays were constantly bustling with tens of thousands of visitors.
The presence of a crew - FREE DOM - composed almost entirely of locals, undoubtedly contributed significantly to the event's popularity. It was also an opportunity for Réunion to mobilize all stakeholders in the maritime sector - institutional, economic, and sporting - around the challenges facing the sea and the blue economy. The arrival a few days earlier of the first large floating dock resonated in the same way, representing a major turning point in naval maintenance capabilities in the Indian Ocean. Whether on the beaches of the Western Territory or exploring the wild beauty of the entire island with its 3 large volcanic cirques, the island allowed all the skippers to replenish their strength for the upcoming 3rd stage: and we must not forget the work of the preparers of the different teams who during the stage spared no effort to restore the sailboats, certainly without major damage, but with all the necessary repairs and checks of such a long stage.
A first major leg in the Southern Hemisphere
5,100 miles by direct route to Sydney, probably 5,500 to 6,000 miles over ground, is still a significant challenge for the skippers in this third leg. The course is entirely open once the coastal route in Saint Paul Bay is completed, where numerous sailboats and other vessels were on hand to greet the fleet's departure. Speculation was rife as to whether the Class40s, once past the turning buoy at Cap Lahoussaye marking the southern limit of the bay, would take a route passing north or south of the island: more distance in one case but more wind with the trade winds off the east coast, less distance in the other but the risk of the island's wind shadow, which can extend up to 20 miles - a shadow that has caused many problems for competitors at the finish.
In the end, the fleet set off together on the southern leg. In the coming days, they will need to continue heading south, avoiding the numerous pitfalls of the Mascarene High encountered on the outward journey, in order to reach the strong westerly winds in the lower latitudes, around the Roaring Forties. The course imposes a southern limit of 46 degrees in its first part, then 48 degrees south of Australia. Current forecasts predict at least ten days of racing under the influence of very active low-pressure systems, indicating a leg that will be both very fast and, once again, quite challenging for both the boats and the sailors.
After 3,000 miles between Reunion Island and the approaches to the Australian continent, they will have to head up into the large bay of the same name to pass through the notoriously difficult Baas Strait (although the theoretical possibility of passing south of Tasmania remains open) before continuing on to Sydney. With a finish that promises to be legendary, right inside the bay itself, on a line between Shark Island (oops...) and the southern coast, within sight of the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, emblematic landmarks of the famous Australian city; the two prestigious clubs, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), will successively host the GLOBE40, which will be able to enjoy prime viewing spots for the start of the Sydney-Hobart race on December 26th, one of the most famous races in the world. Currently, it will take approximately 18 to 19 days to reach Sydney after the first expected arrivals around December 11th/12th.
A sporting battle that is not expected to wane
This second-tier stage will very likely quickly recapture the fierce competitive atmosphere (29 lead changes) of the previous stage, with groups of competitors eager to battle it out again. Among the latest generation Class40s ("scows" or round-nosed boats), of the three teams that arrived in Reunion Island within 9 minutes, each is determined to prove they weren't there by chance. The winners of the second stage, BELGIUM OCEAN RACING - CURIUM (No. 187), will be keen to show that their superb previous victory wasn't just a lucky break, while the French team, CREDIT MUTUEL (No. 202), will do everything they can to overtake them.
Their bitterness at a third-place finish, despite dominating the second leg with their duel against the Belgians, and the brilliant young Germans of NEXT GENERATION - BOATING AROUND THE WORLD (No. 189) demonstrating that it wasn't just the weather but also their determination and skill that allowed them to climb onto the second step of the podium: one could sense on the docks these past few days, beyond the genuine pleasure of being together in this race, a highly anticipated competition.
And in the classic Class40s ("pointus"), the fight should be no less intense: BARCO BRASIL (No. 151) certainly has a significant lead with 5.5 points, but its two closest competitors, WILSON AROUND THE WORLD (No. 93) and FREE DOM (No. 139), separated by only 0.5 points, fully intend to challenge this Brazilian dominance; We should also note once again the performance of WILSON, the oldest boat in the fleet, which is nipping at the heels of the beautiful Brazilian Mach40.3, from the latest generation of pointus. At JANGADA RACING (No. 152) and WISKEY JACK (No. 128), the energy is still there to gain the upper hand on their competitor and perhaps even climb back towards the pointu podium.
In short, the whole team is fired up for this new challenge of the 2nd GLOBE40, and this was clearly evident today at the start in Saint Paul Bay, with the three scows together 30 minutes ahead of the line and having to tack, and among the pointus, an OCS (Ocean Control System) observed: it's hard to imagine they were setting off for nearly 6,000 miles again!
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