“Four hours of effort, with Molly LaPointe clipped on to the mast, were needed to drop the sail and secure it at the second reef,” the women’s team explains. This setup, of course, holds the trimaran back, but it ultimately matches the reduced sail plan dictated by the incoming weather.
The plan, therefore, is to wait in the lee of the Azores and set off (again) toward the finish line, north of Brest, as soon as conditions in the area become more manageable. Christian Dumard, shore-based router for the Famous Project CIC, tells us more:
“After careful consideration, the crew decided to wait. The reasons: a heavy sea state, with waves expected between 8 and 9.5 metres, winds over 45 knots and gusts of 55-60 knots. It’s wiser to wait offshore for around thirty hours and get back underway on the morning of Saturday the 24th, to finish in conditions that will still be demanding (6 to 7 metres of sea and 35 knots / gusts 45-50 knots) for an ETA on Monday morning the 26th.”
The initial ETA, originally set for Saturday 24 January, is therefore pushed back by two days. The first round-the-world voyage by a 100% female crew should thus come in at 57/58 days - and be officially ratified as such.
Come on girls, go, go!
