Unai Basurko due to arrive in Norfolk in 24 hours

amplify image

Unai Basurko

Some 18 days since Bernard Stamm arrived in first place on this massive second leg of the Velux 5 Oceans, Basque skipper Unai Basurko on Pakea has just 345 miles to go before he enters the Chesapeake Bay and crosses the Norfolk finish line to secure third place.

At present Basurko is sailing in easterly winds of around 20 knots, generated by a high pressure area way off to his northeast and he is making good progress having covered 296 miles in the last 24 hours. At this pace he is set to finish tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.

Graham Dalton refuses to throw in the towel

Graham Dalton, in Fortaleza (Brazil) has lifted his boat out of the water and surveyed the keel fin. His mission now is to locate his lost keel bulb, which he believes is on the floor of the marina.

He is a man on a mission and determined not to throw in the towel but to complete the 2006-2007 edition of Velux 5 Oceans. The clock is ticking but there is sill time for Dalton to make the necessary repairs to his boat. He must be ready to leave Norfolk, Virginia (USA) at 13:00 local time on the 22nd April having completed a mandatory stopover of 72 hours in the Virginian host port in order for him to be able to carry on in the competition.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston worried about his podium palace

Fourth placed Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is now basking in the North Atlantic trade winds, making similarly good progress to Unai's Pakea further up the course. This morning Sir Robin's Saga Insurance is approaching the same latitude as the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Sir Robin is acutely aware that the podium position he attained is Fremantle is under threat. At 15:08 yesterday he was 1,558 miles behind Basurko in a direct line and 1,546 more miles to go to the finish line. The lead in Fremantle was 5 days, 6 hours and 3 minutes, and the gap between the arrivals into Norfolk will be greater.

Sir Robin’s watermaker is also un-useable and like Bernard Stamm he has also been gathering fresh water in his sail to drink. To solo sailors the fresh rainwater is more than adequate to keep them re-hydrated on the final part of the leg especially as the route takes them through the precipitous Doldrums where rain is a daily occurrence.