Start of the second leg this Sunday, at 6PM (Swiss time), for about 1,400 miles between England and southern Spain, via a “fly by” (three-hour stopover) at Matosinhos - Porto.
"It will be a downwind start at around 14 knots for the entire fleet, a speed that should gradually increase as we descend.
The first difficulties lie at the exit of the English Channel: the tailwind to the tip of Brittany will make progress difficult. A tricky transition zone awaits us, with little or no wind and a current that could reverse at any moment. After that, we should find a north-westerly flow that will give us a crosswind for the crossing of the Bay of Biscay to Finisterre, although conditions will remain relatively light."
"Crossing Gibraltar is never easy: there are slight variations in water levels and heavy maritime traffic complicates matters. Added to this are occasional strong gusts of wind, making navigation in this area tricky.
For the moment, the forecast is for light winds when we arrive, but we will need to keep a close eye on how the situation develops.
It promises to be a very interesting leg, with weather challenges, express stopovers and long stretches offshore. The whole team is ready to play with the elements and savour every mile to Cartagena."
"I feel a huge mix of emotions: a little stress, a little apprehension, a lot of excitement, and above all immense happiness, because it really is an incredible experience! I feel like I’m living life at a thousand miles an hour."
"I think the most important thing for me is to learn to be patient with myself. I tend to be demanding of myself, even in situations that I don't yet fully understand. So my goal is to accept that, stay in the moment, absorb as much as possible: the sailing, the countries we're going to discover, and enjoy the experience to the fullest! "
"It changes a lot of things. The boat is much more demanding than anything I've done before. And now we're starting with an intense night, so I'm eager to see how it goes, and especially how I'll manage on board. It's a real unknown. There's also the whole environment surrounding the race: the public, the media, the press... You have to learn to manage that while staying focused on sailing and not letting yourself get distracted."
"As a team, we will try to get off to a good start, take advantage of this moment when we are all still together to find our feet on board and enjoy ourselves as much as possible.
Personally, the biggest challenge is the duration. It's the longest stage of the race, so the challenge is to keep going for the long haul, to perform well without burning out in the early days, and to stay 100% focused from start to finish."
Picture © Jean-Louis Carli / The Ocean Race