For 50 days, the North Road rowers have been fighting against northern and northeastern winds to avoid getting further south, trying to keep up with the Great Circle Route. As they are getting closer to the finish line, winds from the south are now blowing them northwards instead, impacting the sailing plan they had been scrupulously observing for several weeks. Fortunately, this was obviously just a new incursion of the ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone), which shift in the Americas moves from north to south, resulting for about 36 hours a high occurrence of south to southeastern winds with heavy rain against the fleet. Nevertheless, these unfavourable weather conditions have led to a sharp fall in the distances travelled and have affected the morale of the skippers, now confronted with doubt.
As for Jean-Pierre whose lead has slipped during this episode, the fear of not being able to cross the line is becoming more and more vivid. It is a gamble, being acted out over a number of options.
For the North team, the bets are off, all of the rowers have taken their decisions, for some just in time, and hope now that the proof will bear out in the coming days. The group of seven Northerners at the outpost has been splitting into two distinct options.
The first choice accepted by five rowers (Jean-Pierre Lasalarié, Harry Culas, Salomé Castillo, Antonio de la Rosa and Laurent Etheimer) is to keep their focus on the original heading by speeding towards the first barrier of unfavourable streams in the hope that it can help their descent to the South, such that they in turn would swap low enough in the second stream – favourable this time - to successfully approach the coast and cross the finish line into the area bounded in the south of Iles du Salut. This involves losing a little more than 2,30° latitude over the 8° longitude that lies ahead. Nevertheless, with a well established wind from the north-east, this could prove to be a powerful strategy.
The second option being adopted for the moment by the skippers Olivier Bernard and Olivier Ducap and probably later on by a few others following consists of diving into the maelstrom to bypass through the south while benefiting strong currents. It would allow them to reach a rather low position and be perfectly in axis with the finishing line.
Neither of these options, however, for the time being seems to be superior to another, but we will soon be well informed.
For the moment, the team of closest rivals keep a step back over the progression of the rowers in front, still waiting a few days to choose a route over the other before arriving at a decision.
Meanwhile, Didier Torre and Patrice Maciel have rejoined their route further south at a speed frequently climbing close to 3 knots. They may have finally reached the beginnings of the famous South Equatorial Current they have been seeking for so long. They would then see their efforts rewarded and audacity proven successful.