Skippers in the VolvoOceanRace grow one day younger.

The Boats in the VolvoOceanRace have left the New Zealand waters and are now sailing in the Open Waters of the  Pacific. Not hindered by landmasses, apart from a tiny island here and there, they now can choose their own strategically fastest route to Cape Horn, the next target. 

Today all VOR Skippers will grow 1 day younger, as they pass the date-line on longitude 180, where the East coordinates switch to the West coordinates and the date is decreased by one. Read on this phenomena in the book: Around the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne), and the adventures of Phileas Fogg.

Normally the best is to sail as far South as possible, as the distance to the Cape Horn will be less; check it out by the orthodromic circle: the shortest distance between 2 points on our globe.

However, it will depend also on the ice-gate, put by the VOR organisation to prevent accidents with growlers and ice-bergs and of course some depressions. Normally depressions with high winds move from West to East and if you can hook one  a fast tow will bring you some advantage.

Do follow the progress of the fleet in my daily updates progress chart, see also TAB above.

For some insight in the strategics do read the blog from Mark Chisnell.