After a glassy calm morning the breeze was perfect at midday for the start from Espirito Santo. The start line was an “Australian Gateway” formed by our twin Aussie Beneteaus, Storyteller and Southern Princess dressed overall with Don and Anne of Harmonie along to help. These three boats have now finished their World ARC 2008 rally, the Aussies to make their way home and Harmonie to spend more time in this beautiful part of the world before rejoining to go home with World ARC 2010. The fleet sailed off down the Segond Channel saying goodbye to the finishers on the VHF and wishing them well. Left in an almost deserted anchorage John Hunt said “Thank you and goodbye this is Southern Princess standing by on 77 because it’s become a habit.”

Chantelle crossed the line first closely followed by Strega whose crew had performed a very slick genneker hoist just as the gun went. Tallulah Ruby was third across but Branec, the French trimaran who always make a spectacular sight under sail, very quickly overtook all and was the first out of sight.

The boats have around 1,200 miles to go before sailing through a pass in the Great Barrier Reef and making landfall in Australia. There as they approach, the unfamiliar sight of a sunset dropping into a landmass instead of the sea will mark just how far these boat have come. For the ones that started with the ARC in Las Palmas or other ports in Europe this is now the far side of the world.