Cape Horn in sight

Mirabaud is currently heading for Cape Horn, slightly off the pace with co-skipper Michèle bed-bound (or cot-bound) due to anaemia.  Dominique is single-handedly helming the boat, making as fast as possible towards the Cape with heavy seas and more than 40 knots of wind.  “Everything is under control,” assures Dominique.  “Obviously it’s not an ideal situation with Michèle out of action, but we have to deal with it.  Safety is obviously a priority.”
Dominique has already rounded the Cape seven times, compared to Michele who has experienced this rite of passage twice.  “Rounding the Horn for the first time was an emotional moment for me,” she explains.  “I was sailing onboard Maiden, Pierre Fehlmann’s old Disque d’Or III.  We passed very close inshore, with about 15 knots of breeze and beautiful sunshine.  We drank champagne and sang; it was really incredible.  We were the first all-female team to round the Cape.  The second time was less fun…I was sailing with Dominique in the last Barcelona World Race and we rounded at night, so didn’t see a thing!
It’s an area shrouded in myth and mystery.  Conditions at the Horn can be wild and to even get here you have to cross an expanse of hostile water.  We really get the feeling that we don’t belong here, we just have a right of passage and nothing more.  It will be a huge psychological release when we get round and know that the most dangerous part is behind us.
The Cape can also be deadly and is a graveyard for many ships and their crew.  Clearly, sailing in these waters makes us reflect a little on life.  We love the savage beauty of the Southern Ocean but we will also be very glad to put it behind us.”