What it’s like racing double-handed around the world in a 40-footer

As as the Globe40 race sets off from Sydney today, Rupert Holmes reports from the half-way stage of the double-handed round the world race in Class40s

We are deep in the South Atlantic on a screaming reach, riding the leading edge of the semi-permanent cold front that extends thousands of miles south east from Brazil’s Cabo Frio.

Boat speed is peaking at 18-19 knots and we’re violently slamming into the waves ahead that engulf the entire vessel with spray and, occasionally, solid water.