STEVEN MANN, Cape Town | Friday 5.45pm.
THE American maxi yachts Sagamore and Zephyrus IV reached the half-way mark in the Cape to Rio yacht race on Friday and are set to shatter the race record of 14 days and 15 hours if the ideal weather conditions hold.
“Sagamore has sailed the furthest, but Zephryus is leading the race on handicap,” said race spokeswoman Ronelda Visser.
“At this rate they will arrive in Rio before the race organisers and could get there in 12 or 13 days.”
Most of fleet has had to contend with huge sea swell and gale force winds, which the faster boats managed to skirt.
Five of the 80 boats which left Cape Town last Saturday are already out of the race, including the yacht La Bamba, which sank after springing a leak on Wednesday night.
The La Bamba’s six crew was rescued by another competitor, Island Flight, which originally planned to leave them in Port Nolloth and continue with the race.
However the wind conditions forced Island Flight to alter course for Luderitz in Namibia, and it expects to arrive there on Sunday.
Visser said while Island Flight would quit the race, it planned to make the crossing to Rio in a few weeks.
The other boats to have abandoned the race are Alseba, IGS Freight-Trac and IPS Sheraton.
Visser said the yacht Impact Encore had broken a forestay, but was hoping to get spares from a ship at St Helena island.
14