NEW 24-HOUR DISTANCE RECORD FOR BELGIUM OCEAN RACING – CURIUM

Rough weather warning for the GLOBE40 fleet

This second edition of the GLOBE40 is proving to be one for record-breaking feats. The Class40 BELGIUM OCEAN RACING – CURIUM, skippered by Benoit Hantzperg and Djemila Tassin, has once again broken the 24-hour distance record, covering 459.78 nautical miles yesterday, June 9, at 10:30 PM UTC, averaging 19.16 knots. The Belgian team has thus surpassed its own record of 457.41 nautical miles set during Leg 2 between Cape Verde and Reunion Island. The onboard data even recorded a distance of 480 nautical miles and an average speed of 20 knots over 24 hours, but these figures cannot be used as is for record validation.

Positioned at 07:00 UTC at 49°49.9’S and 154°28.8’W, the race leader held a 19.3-nautical-mile lead over its pursuer, CREDIT MUTUEL, skippered by Antoine Carpentier and Alan Roberts, in the 05:00 rankings. This rival also posted impressive average speeds, having covered 443 nautical miles in 24 hours.

The GLOBE40 fleet is preparing to face very harsh weather conditions, with winds of up to 50 knots and waves of up to 6 meters forecast for Monday at latitude 50°S. This low-pressure system is moving eastward and will first affect the fleet of the “pointy” Class40s, which may choose to head further north over the weekend to find less challenging conditions. This fourth leg of the Pacific crossing is proving to be the demanding and challenging race we expected.

Race map: To follow the race

 Episode 3, “La Réunion,” of the GLOBE40 Around the World web series