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24 February 2026


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CONGRATULAZIONI  SCARABOCCHIO !!!
CONGRATULAZIONI  ita10267 !!
CONGRATULATIONS  BRENTGRAY !

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Our second ocean race of the year, inspired by the leatherback migration, turned into a fast and highly tactical contest. The leading boats completed the course in under 13 days of sailing time — an impressive pace over such a demanding distance. Of the 145 registered vessels, 98 crossed the starting line, while a determined 137 set their bows toward North America. At the gun, the main fleet settled onto a broad reach on port tack, with only a handful choosing a tighter close-hauled course. As the wind gradually veered from northwest to west, conditions increasingly favoured the chosen route. Eighteen hours into the race, however, a bold alternative emerged: around a dozen boats made a pronounced turn northward, clearly aiming to avoid the high-pressure system developing ahead. The gamble initially paid off, giving them a 10-nautical-mile advantage over the main fleet. Yet within eight hours, that margin had evaporated as the breeze evened out. By then, the fleet had stretched across a front more than 100 nautical miles wide.

Day four brought another encounter with a high-pressure system. This time, the western group rounded it more effectively and gained the upper hand over their eastern rivals. But the advantage proved temporary. On day six, a low-pressure system off the coast of Japan reshuffled the standings once again. The western boats found themselves trapped to leeward with headwinds, while the eastern group capitalized on favourable following winds. Within 24 hours, the fleet was remarkably level once more. By day eight, a series of eastward gybes signalled the beginning of classic race-border and coastline tactics. For the next 36 hours, competitors balanced the trade-off between minimizing distance sailed and preserving performance.

After 11 days at sea, it was time for the decisive final gybe toward the finish. The leading pack was compressed within 20 nautical miles, and debate arose over the optimal timing. The presumed podium contenders delayed their gybe slightly — a decision that would define the outcome. In the end, two distinct but equally viable approaches to the finish line emerged. The result was extraordinarily close. Just 1 hour and 11 minutes separated the two main groups. Positions 1 through 8 approached from the south within a span of 1 hour and 10 minutes, followed by the next ten boats from the north within just five minutes. The official course distance measured 6,041 nautical miles. The winner, however, sailed 7,369 nautical miles in total. The longest distance covered was 8,318 nautical miles, resulting in a 105th-place finish, while the shortest sailed distance was 6,177 nautical miles, finishing 73rd — a testament to how routing choices shaped this race as much as raw speed.

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