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Leg 1 - Portsmouth to Buenos Aires
The first challenge is to exit the English Channel and reach northern Spain. If they pick up the usual westerly the teams will have a head wind all the way. The north easterly trades found between 30 and 40 degrees north should speed things up, as well as possibly catching the Canary Current around the North Atlantic gyre.
The Doldrums are the next thing to contend with as the teams near the equator. The Doldrums is a funnel shaped band of calms and squalls that moves constantly. According to Phil, the Doldrums are where the race can be won and lost. The decisions made can mean the difference between a quick passage or days of little wind. Then it's out against the south easterly trade winds between 30 and 40 degrees south, before maybe catching the Brazil current to Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires in November - Heat and humidity levels begin to rise and there can be occasional heavy showers.
Leg 2 - Buenos Aires to Wellington
This is a long leg over cold waters with big waves. The teams must round Cape Horn and pass through Drake's Passage. They will be going against the Atlantic Circumpolar Current and the prevailing westerly wind. They are sailing at a warmer(!) time of the year but still need to look out for icebergs. However, it is still so cold that the crews can't spend more than 20 minutes on deck at a time as they sail in the Southern Ocean.
Wellington in January - The warmest and driest time of the year.
Leg 3 - Wellington to Sydney
Getting in and out of Wellington can be tricky (though the harbour is sheltered) as wind can funnel through the Cook Strait. Sailing across the Tasman Sea at this time of year is possibly the nearest thing to sailing in the Mediterranean, although it is a wide body of water and can get rough. There is a possibility of thunderstorms but should otherwise be fine. The East Australian Current runs southwards down the coast, and needs to be taken into account. Sydney Harbour itself has light fickle winds.
Sydney in February - Very warm and humid, with coastal showers possible.
Leg 4 - Sydney to Cape Town
As soon as the teams leave Sydney and enter the Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania, they enter rough seas. It is one of the most infamous stretches of water - prone to very fast moving active low pressure systems. The teams pass north of Kerguelen Islands on their approach to the Cape of Good Hope. It is often windy around Cape of Good Hope, but if the high pressure systems that sit either side of Africa join up, this can make reaching Cape Town quite tricky.
Cape Town in April - Autumn, so beginning to cool down. Still a dry time of year.
Leg 5 - Cape Town to Boston
The teams will need to move quickly away from shore and pick up south easterly trade winds this time. They will face the Doldrums again, and need to watch out for storms along ITCZ. The teams will hope to get into the Gulf Stream along the eastern seaboard of the USA, although this can give quite a rough ride! They will face a battle through the northeast trade winds before getting in to Boston before the start of the hurricane season.
Boston in June - Starting to get warm and humid.
Leg 6 - Boston to La Rochelle
The most direct route is not necessarily the quickest in this leg, as heading back to the Gulf Stream can mean more wind and current. The Azores high is established at this time of the year, giving a westerly wind. The approach to La Rochelle is through the Bay of Biscay basin, which can be very choppy even in summer!
La Rochelle in June - A hot wind can blow from inland France as we saw in 2002, giving above average temperatures.
Leg 7 - La Rochelle to Portsmouth
The race committee set the course dependent on the weather conditions at the time, to make sure that the teams don't arrive before their fans! A knowledge of local winds and sea breezes can make all the difference as the teams race along the coast to the end and a hero's welcome!
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