The Great Comeback - 19th August
Published 11:49 on 19 Aug 2015
At sundown on the first day of the Rolex Fastnet moral on Persephone must have been at an all time low. Having made a reasonable start, ferry gliding across on the tide, Persephone drifted down past Gurnard and the wrong side of the first mark! According to an on board source it then took them 4 hours to get back against the tide to round on the correct side. On exiting the Solent the crew found themselves 73rd in IRC 4, in other words dead last. Then began a fight back, which must rivals Team Oracle in the last America's Cup. In almost windless conditions Persephone concentrated on keeping out of the tide and hunting down every single zephyr. Almost inconceivably by dawn on the first day they could see their great friends and rivals, With Alacrity, and had sailed themselves into second placed Sigma 38. The next 24 hours saw the two boats just a few miles apart with With Alacrity just having the edge. Once past the first Traffic Separation Zone Persephone made the significant decision to sail south of the Scillies in search of more breeze. With Alacrity opted to go north, finding less wind, more tide and near motorway conditions with so many classes bunched up due to the light condition. Persephone's gamble more than paid off; with the Scillies behind them the WARTS (With Alacrity Racing Team) were too! With more breeze Persephone pulled out a six mile lead. They have just rounded the iconic Fastnet Rock as first Sigma 38 and astonishingly 3rd in IRC 4. A quick text from Tim Goodhew says "Absolutely delighted to have rounded the rock first considering our rather disastrous first day! The first night recovery was crucial, we had different tide that helped immensely. Our split from WA at the Scillies returned huge gains which we now have the challenge of holding on to. Last night was breezy up to 20 knots and with fine Irish rain too". See you soon! Never again can the Sigma 38 be classified as too old and heavy for light winds and the old adage that races are won in light airs has never been truer. The race is a long way from over yet but Team Persephone have already achieved so much.
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Rolex Fastnet Sigma 38 Coverage http://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/Race-Updates-2015/...
Last updated 13:59 on 20 August 2015