The World ARC fleet are currently at sea approaching Australian waters. After departing Vanuatu the fleet sailed due west to a waypoint north of New Caledonia and they are now on a west-southwest course for Mackay. The weather was not so kind for the first two days at sea as a low passing to the south delivered unsettled conditions but the fleet is now enjoying good trade wind conditions with 15-20 knots south easterlies. The yachts are making fast progress with the first boats expected to arrive in Mackay Marina this Wednesday afternoon.
“…we've made good time and had some great sailing. It's a bit lumpy with a low pressure off of New Zealand pumping waves our way, but they seem to be smoothing out now and the wind is finally shifting to the Southeast. We're looking forward to putting the Gennaker up again later today, but as we're going 9-10kts on white sails we're not sure its going to be necessary!”
Russ and Laurie on NEXUS 11:00 7/21 18 33.4'S;156 09.9'E
At the time of writing Kathea is currently leading though the big cats Nexus and NDS Darwin are now posting higher speeds so the leader board may change before the fleet make landfall. Making landfall in Australia will also mark a significant achievement for the fleet as they will then have sailed the entire Pacific Ocean from East to West; a huge achievement.
A busy program has been planned for Mackay, kicking off with an Aussie style BBQ at the Mackay Yacht Club this Friday night, by which time the whole fleet is expected to have arrived.
Check the World ARC fleet viewer here.