News from the crews

Some news from Too Farr Out following their retirement from the race: “More fear than harm, we’re safe, settled next to Balade,” explained Guillaume. Everyone is doing well, including the boat, we should be able to leave tomorrow and head back to Nouméa nice and easy.”

Arearea Prony’s Paradise, IFP Patrimoine Muleque, and V5: reassuring updates!

Arearea Prony’s Paradise continues the race with a smile. “Great vibes on board, we’ve made up for lost time,” says Sophie. Despite a torn sail in the Grand Passage – “we did a bit of sail stitching” – the gear is holding up well. The boat even performs better than expected upwind. The only downside: limited access to weather files, only via Iridium. On board IFP Patrimoine Muleque, conditions are stable in the Grand Passage. With only three crew members, they rotate with one person at the helm, allowing them to conserve energy. Manageable sea, winds around 20 knots – everything’s going smoothly for them. Finally, V5, leading the fleet, is expected to arrive in less than 24 hours: “We’re fine, we expect to reach Nouméa this afternoon,” reports the crew. Minor issues with the hydraulic keel since the start – a known weakness on this model – but nothing to shake their determination. Despite rough seas, they are sailing steadily.

BNC – My::Net and BCI Brer Fox: obstacles to overcome

Today, BNC – My::Net faced a dip in spirits: “We were happy yesterday, not so much today,” Michel shared. We didn’t make the best choices, did everything backwards, maybe due to fatigue… Yet we started well going upwind, passed both Sydney 38s. Then one headed offshore, the other inshore, and we were stuck in the middle, in the calm. The wind was shifting constantly, we were even sailing backwards at times… After a small morale dip this afternoon, we’re back in the game for tonight. We hope to get back into the race.” Thankfully, no equipment issues… Unlike BCI Brer Fox: “Not a great time, our mainsail tore – two-thirds of it is gone,” explained Mathieu. The return will be in reduced mode: Brer Fox is continuing, but no longer aiming for performance.

Now more than ever, this New Caledonia Groupama Race reminds us that strategy, endurance, and solidarity are key to mastering this demanding circumnavigation of the Grande Terre.