A difficult night, and a “pincer” manoeuver by the opponents. At the 7:00 am check ofFriday, July 12, the Class40 IBSA was in eighth position, one hundred miles from the leading group and about 700 from the finish line. Once the push of the depression ended, the fleet, approaching the European coast, found itself in a new weather condition, characterised by little contrary wind.
In the East, the leading group managed to maintain a better average speed, while from behind the new North option – opened by Ian Lipinski and also pursued by other teams, starting from the rear – doesn’t seem to be a bad choice, and should be closely monitored.
At the centre is Class40 IBSA, which at dawn began to come back with a North tack, parallel to the distant coast of Portugal, to defend her position and prepare for “landing”. The wind doesn’t help: average speeds have decreased substantially, and today will be a decisive day, with a weather which is still difficult to interpret.
For Alberto Bona it’s time to clench his teeth and put everything on the table once again, in order to play his cards well in yet another upwind run.
Meanwhile, the images published on the social media profiles of Alberto Riva – who has landed in Flores, in the Azores, together with its crew – are truly heart-wrenching. The team of Acrobatica is physically well, but it is clear how much the three sailors were tried by the shipwreck. Flores is also the destination of Ambrogio Beccaria, who temporarily repaired the damage on board Alla Grande Pirelli and now will have to face a low before mooring safely.
