Foot to the floor!

Mirabaud is speeding along and is clocking some excellent average speeds with strong winds, generally from the right direction.  Surprisingly, the heavy conditions actually allow the two co-skippers to recharge their batteries.  “It’s strange but when the wind is blowing hard, we have less work to do,” explains Dominique Wavre.  “There is obviously a lot more stress which is not exactly conducive to a restful sleep, but when the conditions are light we are constantly trimming, helming or changing the sails; in the end it’s almost more tiring.”
Over the last few days, Mirabaud has increased their lead over ‘Neutrogena’, directly behind them, to 100 nautical miles.  Since the 5th of February, they have also pulled back 200 nautical miles on the 5th placed ‘Renault Z.E.’, whilst ‘Groupe Bel’ have announced that they will need to stop over in New Zealand;  at this stage in the race this will land them a 48 hour penalty.  In other words, there are some opportunities on the horizon that Dominique and Michèle plan to make the most of.
“Crossing the Tasmanian Sea is going to be difficult and I’m sure there are some surprises in store for us.  We’ve never sailed down there at this time of the year, so it will literally be a voyage of discovery for us.”  Mirabaud should reach the Tasmanian Sea some time in the middle of next week, so it’s too early to make any decision on the route based on the weather predictions.  “We’ll start looking at our options in 2-3 days time but what is sure is that in this region, at this time of the year, we could come up against ferocious storms or flat calm seas”
For the moment, Mirabaud is sailing in an established north-westerly airflow, heading for the next ice gate, the ‘Australian Barrier’.  “Michele is resting at the moment as she’s been up in the forepeak for the past hour, flaking the spinnaker.  In these conditions, it’s not a fun job!  But in general both we and the boat are in good shape and a stop-over in New Zealand is definitely not on the cards.”