Here are the current positions (Aug 19)   This map should be clickable to the live tracker.  One of the discouraging aspects of this competition is that multihulls were excluded.  They were not in the original.  There were two trimarans.   Donald Crowhurst's Tiegenmouth Electron, and Nigel Tetley's Victress.   Both were 40' ketch rigged trimarans, and both had structural issues, the latter due to being pushed to hard in rough seas in the belief that Crowhurst was in the lead.... That's a story in itself.   Note that Robin Knox Johnson's Suhaili's position from 1968 is also shown on the map.     The story of this incredible competition is worth reading..... Check out A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols.



Having spent two winters in almost complete isolation in the remote wilds of Montana with only a dog, a horse, and 800 sheep, where no lights, roads, powerlines, or often even fences could be seen, getting a supply drop by the owner of the herd once every 10 days, a transistor radio my only link to the outside world, I have a very good idea what extended isolation does to the soul........ They have been out there 49 days so far.  Allowed to use the Sat phone only to report boat condition to a designated person who's job is to keep track.   They must navigate using a sextant and paper charts.  Foolishly, the race organizers set check points inshore that the racers must pass, which introduces significant danger due to shipping lanes, etc.   The last check point was at Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, the next is at the Cape of Good Hope.  

                                                                                           H.W.