THE pressure is on for Isle of Wight solo sailor Chris Stanmore-Major as he nears Cape Town, the finish for the first leg of the Velux 5 Oceans.
Stanmore-Major, pictured, from Cowes, is currently in fourth position but less than 200 nautical miles separate the 33-year-old from his nearest rival, Canadian Derek Hatfield.
The first leg of the race, a 7,400 mile sprint from La Rochelle in France to Cape Town, was won on Sunday by American singlehander Brad Van Liew, who crossed the finish line after 28 days at sea alone.
The Velux 5 Oceans is made up of five legs, totalling 30,000 miles.
Stanmore-Major said: “I have weighed up my options and decided I have no alternative at the present but to take the most direct line from here to Cape Town and somewhat ignore the weather. By keeping my course straight and simply doing the best I can with what is thrown at me I remove at least one thorn from the equation.
“In my experience this is the only method of dealing with a weather report that is less than clear.”
Stanmore-Major, skipper of Spartan, is expected to arrive in Cape Town on Saturday for a possible photo-finish with Hatfield.
The next leg of the race, to Wellington in New Zealand, sets sail from Cape Town on December 12.
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