by BWR news: Nandor Fa (Hun) and Conrad Colman (NZL) crossed the longitude of Cape Horn (67º 17 ’35 W) at 0613hrs UTC (0713hrs France, 0313hrs in Chile) this Monday morning. The duo, which in effect between them carry the hopes of their three nationalities (Hungary, New Zealand and USA) have now passed all three great Capes of this third edition of the Barcelona World Race and are released back into the Atlantic Ocean
Driven by the relentless strong winds of a final southern oceans depression giving 40 knots averages and 50 in the gusts, Nandor Fa (61) and Conrad Colman (31 years old) had to push themselves very hard in conditions that have left them no respite for the last week.
They passed the notorious black rock on the very southern tip of South America in 25 knots of wind and big seas 74d 18h 13min since they started the two handed round the world race in Barcelona, 31 December 2014.
Their elapsed time includes a technical pit stop of just over two and a half days duration in Bluff, South Island NZ, required to repair a running rigging fitting and replace two keel bolts.
Fa and Colman – who holds dual US and Kiwi nationalities – left the haven of Bluff on February 27 to begin the Pacific passage which they complete this morning.
Racing the newest IMOCA 60 in the Barcelona World Race fleet, designed by Fa and mostly built by himself, the oldest and youngest co-skippers in the race only paired up a matter of weeks before the start. Their first competition for the boat, and as a duo, is this three month race around the world.
Seamanship, courage, tenacity and an ability to improvise and innovate have been the hallmarks of their passage so far, at the outset dealing with long hours slowed in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, they had no choice but to watch the fleet race away from them, and more recently they have had many days of hard conditions in the Pacific.
It is the fourth time around Cape Horn for Fa, his third racing passage, last rounding in 1993 during the Vendée Globe. Colman rounded in 2013 leading the Global Ocean race on a Class 40. Spirit of Hungary is the seventh and final boat in the fleet of the third edition of the round the world race to make the return into the Atlantic.
SOH BWR CAPE HORN 2015 03 16 ©Spirit of Hungary DSC_0951-1
Leaders Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam on board Cheminées Poujoulat led the way to the mythical Cape on February 25 at 0:53 UTC
Neutrogena with Guillermo Altadill and José Muñoz and GAES Centros Auditivos with Anna Corbella and Gerard Marín imitated February 28 at 0:12 ET 12:32 UTC respectively.
We Are Water, sailed by Bruno and Willy Garcia rounded on Saturday, March 7 at 10:06 p.m. UTC. Four hours and 55 minutes later, they were followed by One Planet, One Ocean & Pharmaton with Aleix Gelabert and Didac Costa, on Sunday, March 8 at 3:01 UTC off the Chilean course.
Two days later at 11h48 UTC, Jörg Riechers and Sébastien Audigane on Renault Capturrounded in sixth place.