The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race leaves the Pacific for the Atlantic this week, bidding adieu to chilly climes and low pressure as the longest leg of the annual regatta wraps up to be replaced with the longest sprint.
Four boats have now left the Southern Ocean, with Cape Horn proving both a rite of passage and a new beginning as the fleet head to Rio de Janeiro to wrap up the fifth leg.
Magnus Olsson and his crew aboard Ericsson 3 led the way around Cape Horn at 17:00 GMT on Wednesday. Torben Grael and his Ericsson 4 company were two hours and 26 minutes behind after 31 days of sailing.
This comes in stark contrast to the situation 13 days and 4,000 nautical miles (nm) ago, when Ericsson 4 led by 32 minutes before its chief rival pulled off one of the most spectacular strategic moves in this or any other race to steal the lead.
Behind this pair, Ken Read and PUMA picked up the points for third place at 20:46 GMT on Wednesday, with Green Dragon chasing them round at 02:15 GMT the next day.
Ericsson 3 gains even more kudos after having left the Chinese port of Qingdao to start this leg nearly seven hours behind Ericsson 4, PUMA and Green Dragon.
Ericsson 3 barely stopped to catch their collective breath at Qingdao in the wake of a grueling three-day voyage there from Taiwan. That voyage saw the boat's hull sustain huge damages that led to the 10-day suspension of the fourth leg, which ran from Singapore via Taiwan to Qingdao.
After successful repairs, the boat resumed the race and joined the rest of fleet as they were ending their long stopover in Qingdao.
Speaking in a radio interview on Wednesday, skipper Olsson said that rounding Cape Horn was one of the greatest achievements of both his career and his life.
Whoever dares to take on Ericsson 3 will have their work cut out for them, he cautioned, adding that his team would be working harder than ever to finish the race in pole position.
"We have the motivation and the spirit to fight to the bitter end, that is for sure," he said.
The three forerunners are now approximately 50nm west of the Falkland Islands, with less than 2,000nm to the finish.
Cape Horn island is widely considered to be the most southerly point of South America. The waters around the cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs. These dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.
PUMA's Ken Read certainly viewed the crossing of it as a major milestone.
"It is a privilege to be let through these gates, the entrance to which must be earned and not simply taken," Read recorded in his personal blog. "We broke out the Cuban cigars and whisky. Casey got naked again ... on the bow, waves crashing over him... Dear Lord. Welcome to my world."
It was also a key moment for Irish-Chinese outfit Green Dragon, which passed by the Horn on St Patrick's Day - a timely coincidence that skipper Ian Walker described as "fate".
Meanwhile, a few hours away from the exit of the Southern Ocean, Telefnica Blue was racing to stay ahead of a chasing storm that threatened to engulf them with 50-knot winds.
The leading four boats are expected to arrive in Rio somewhere in the middle of next week. After a short rest, they will have to get ready for the in-port race to be held on April 4.
(AP via China Daily March 20, 2009)
