The race schedule for 12 Global Challenge crews
who are pitting themselves against prevailing winds on a 30,000-mile
race around the world A fleet of 12 72ft yachts each crewed by a professional
skipper and 17 paying volunteers will leave the UK on Sunday 3 October,
head out into the North Atlantic and across the Equator to Buenos
Aires in Argentina for the first leg of the 30,000-mile Global Challenge.
From here the teams will sail south, round the notorious Cape Horn
and into the Southern Ocean to battle through the Roaring Forties
to Wellington, New Zealand.
Wellington is the longest stopover on the race so that crews can recuperate
after an arduous 40 days at sea and to allow the yachts to be taken
out of the water, repaired and prepared for the second part of the
Southern Ocean. Nicknamed the 'Directors' leg' as many of the Yacht
Sponsorsí senior executives take part, Leg 4 is a sprint to Sydney,
Australia. Then the fleet batten down the hatches to go back into
the Southern Ocean heading for the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Town
‚ ëtavern of the seasí.
The next leg from Cape Town to Boston is the longest. Itís mainly
downwind and warm through the Atlantic Ocean, but requires concentration
and smart tactics. Leaving Boston, the yachts depart for the UK, with
a short stop to regroup in La Rochelle in France, before the final
sprint to the finish line in Portsmouth. After a 29,000-mile journey,
the whole fleet should arrive back in the UK on 17 July 2005. Race
Schedule |
Portsmouth
3 October
Leg 1: Portsmouth to Buenos Aires
31-35 days 6,200 miles
The fleet sails from Portsmouth, through the Solent and out past the
Needles. From there across the Bay of Biscay and out into the Atlantic,
across the Equator and through the Doldrums, heading for the river
Plate, the widest river in the world, and on to the finish in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires Stopover Buenos Aires |
28 Nov 2004
Leg 2: Buenos Aires to Wellington
36-41 days 6,100 miles
The yachts sail south from Buenos Aires, turning westwards to round
Cape Horn. A waypoint keeps the boats north of the main ice zone.
The fleet battles across these isolated waters for more than five
weeks before landfall in Wellington.
|
6 Feb 2005
Leg 3: Wellington to Sydney Wellington
7 days 1,250 miles
From Wellington the fleet sails through the Cook Straits and out into
the Tasman Sea. They pick up the East Australia Current and finish
in the famous surroundings of Sydney Harbour. |
27 Feb 2005
Leg 4: Sydney to Cape Town35-41 days 6,200 miles
Once out of Sydney the fleet turns right and enters the Bass Strait
between Australia and Tasmania, a notoriously rough stretch of water.
Once more they battle against the storms until they reach the Cape
of Good Hope, and then the sanctuary of Cape Town. |
1 May 2005
Leg 5: Cape Town to Boston34-38 days 6,775 miles
Leaving Cape Town, the yachts head north-west, once more crossing
the Equator and overcoming the Doldrums. In the northern hemisphere
they will pick up the southerly portion of the Gulf Stream up the
Eastern Seaboard of the USA, and on to Boston. |
19 June 2005
Leg 6: Boston to La Rochelle13-17 days 3,000 miles
From Boston the fleet follows a path downwind, mainly under spinnaker.
They follow the Great Circle Route which is the shortest distance
across the North Atlantic and pick up the westerly flow of the Gulf
Stream to speed their journey to La Rochelle on France's west coast.
|
13 July 2005
Leg 7: La Rochelle to Portsmouth
4 days 420 miles
This last sprint leg is designed to create a close, predictably-timed
finish. The yachts pass through the Bay of Biscay and then north to
sail through the Channel and into the Solent between the Needles and
Hurst Point. |
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