"The crew of City of Cape Town has gone into party mode after their surgical crossing of the South Atlantic, but the tussle for the other podium places in the Heineken Cape to Rio yacht race is far from over.After briefly falling off the pace Xtra-Link, skippered by Dale Kushner, has stormed back into contention after finding some stiff breeze and is presently in third position on handicap behind Mike Robinson’s Ciao Bella, which was last reported to be sailing in light northerly winds.
After Wednesday’s 24-hour run Xtra-Link was only 180 nautical miles from Rio and Ciao Bella 281nm. Both yachts are expected to cross the finish line on Friday. The ever-improving Yachtport SA, currently in sixth place on handicap, is also set to arrive on Friday.“The past 24 hours had us experiencing one of our wheels failing and we have been sailing a very awkward angle in about 15 knots of wind, with it sometimes allowing us to hold the asymmetrical, albeit very tight, and sometimes not leaving us wanting for more power,” said Kushner. “We lose out when it is not flying. The sea has built up again in the wind, making it a little bumpy again. Xtra-Link has requested six hours redress for coming to the rescue of Izivunguvungu, which sent out a distress call for more fresh water, but a decision on the matter will only be heard after the race
Perie Banou II, which has been caught up in light east winds and smooth seas, has fallen back on handicap from third place to fifth behind line honours winner Prodigy. Skippered by 71-year-old Jon Sanders, the ageing 39ft yacht had a daily run of 125,7nm and is still 716nm from the Rio coastline.
Spirit of Izivunguvungu has reported no further problems after their rehydration in the mid-Atlantic, and is lying in eighth place with 431nm to sail before reaching Rio.Meanwhile, the Cape to Rio’s line honours podium filled on Wednesday evening when Richard Fearon’s 63ft Grand Filou II arrived to take third place behind Prodigy and City of Cape Town. “We should have gone north,” reflected Juergen Enning, owner of the yacht, “but we still had a great crossing.”Grand Filou II crew member Jonathan Cole, a sailing instructor at Izivunguvungu, has flown back to South Africa following a death in the family.Wolf Seitz, navigator on board Prodigy, has also returned to SA because of business commitments "
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