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The World ARC fleet are currently progressing well on Leg 3 of the Rally and most are between the one third and halfway mark on their journey from Galapagos Islands to French Polynesia. The winds have actually proved to be more substantial than expected for the beginning on the trip and all the fleet are now enjoying good trade wind conditions in 15-20 knots, ‘over their left shoulders’. The seas have been a bit bumpy, which has slowed their progress a little and made it less comfortable onboard - but few can complain at the conditions overall.
There was, however, some other news from Samsara. They report that they have discovered a crack in the structure that surrounds their rudder. The crack opens when the rudder is under load. They have done some repairs to strengthen the area and think the problem is stable. However, they may try to add more strength to the area with fibreglass but the confused seas will make this difficult. The fortunate news is that they are in the middle of the fleet and still progressing well at about 6-7 knots. They know there are other boats around them if they need help or materials.
With overall progress being so good, the fleet are expected to arrive in Hiva Oa as planned between 18-25 March after 14-21 days at sea. It’s the longest passage of the route but thankfully the winds are currently making it as swift as possible.
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