There was no frostbiting on Sunday, Feb. 14.

The third leg of the Around Alone race takes the sailors from Auckland, New Zealand, to Punta del Este, Uruguay. This route exposes the skipper and boat to the treacherous and fearful Southern Ocean, where winds of 25-30 knots are routine and storms can bring blasts up to 45-50 knots with 30-foot waves. Two previous skippers in the Around Alone have died, both of them while sailing in the Southern Ocean. One sailor noted, "realistically you will see probably three or four storms between here and Cape Horn with winds over 60 knots. It's pretty rugged sailing." Isabelle Autissier, from France, who has been dismasted twice before in the third leg of this race, commented, "We expect coldness and seas, bad weather and high waves." She continues, "dismasting is not a big deal. You can always do a jury rig. That is not the really dangerous case. Being turned over (and the boat nor righting). That is the real danger." In addition, it is difficult for airplanes to reach distressed race boats in the more remote reaches of the Southern Ocean. Race spokesman Dan McConnell says, "The distances are pretty big (in the Southern Ocean). You can get 1,000 miles or more away from anything down there." To mitigate some of the dangers, one boat is carrying experimental self-righting gear and another has inflatable flotation bags. Also, this year the boats are equipped with a type of tracking system called a GPIRB, that should enable search and rescue teams to reach distressed vessels faster.

As of Feb. 14, only 97 miles separate Class I leader Marc Thiercelin (Somewhere) from third -place skipper Giovanni Soldini (Fila). Isabelle Autissier (PRB), in second place, was 42 miles behind Thiercelin. Thiercelin, whose average speed is 16.6 knots, has broken the 24-hour singlehanded speed record for the second time this leg. He registered a new mark of 396.5 miles between the 0340 Greenwich Mean Time position reports on the 13th and 14th of February. Class II front-runners, approximately 500 miles behind the Class I leaders and encountering rather calm conditions, were also grouped closely. Leader Mike Garside (Magellan Alpha), 2) J.P. Mouligne (Cray Valley), and 3) Brad Van Liew (Balance Bar) were all within 61 miles of one another.

Isabelle Autissier's report from the Southern Ocean, dated Feb. 14: "A fairly peaceful day, with two jibes...The weather is squally, and I have to keep a close watch on my heading. In the gusts, the boat shoots off pretty brutally. A little while ago, I was knocked off the chart table bench and landed on my head." Not many would describe sailing across the Southern Ocean alone at over 16 knots of wind while being hurled off a bench as a "fairly peaceful" experience!

Brad Van Liew, from the US, writes "Today (Feb. 14) is my 31st birthday and I am having a good ole time. I have an excellent special pasta dinner planned and some wine to wash it down with. The weather has subsided to 20 knots for the occasion and the wind is starting to come around which indicates the next front is on the way. Basically, it's just your standard birthday in the Southern Ocean."

Next Sunday, Feb. 21, ESPN2 will air the GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week at 1 p.m. Local sailor John Thomson, sailing Solution, won first place in the Farr 40 class. With him on board were Gary Knapp, Stretch Ryder and Tony Reaper, all familiar names in sailing circles.