Atlantic Express: Tschüss 2 Powers Ahead

The Transatlantic Race 2025 is organized by the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club, with support from the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Storm Trysail Club. Six days into the West-East Transatlantic Race, Christian Zugel’s Volvo 70 Tschüss 2, co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has raced over 2,000 miles and is the clear leader for both Monohull Line Honours and the overall IRC win. “For the first few days of the race, we had a variety of conditions, mainly driven by sea temperature changes. The plan is panning out—but everybody sticks to the plan until it punches you in the face,” commented Tschüss 2 navigator Campbell Field, taking nothing for granted. A standout feature of their progress has been precision navigation through the Gulf Stream’s meanders. “We picked up over three knots of current in one area and nearly four in another,” explains Field. “Sea temperature has been a big indicator—we saw it drop from 25°C to just under 8°C in a matter of hours.” Their 24-hour distance run has peaked at 491.5 nautical miles, averaging 20.5 knots. With 3.8 knots of favourable current and sustained speeds of 18–19 knots, they’re pushing hard. “We’re not cutting corners—we passed just a mile off Point Alpha,” says Field. “We’ve got 1,600nm to go, and anything can happen, but right now, we could beat the previous boat’s elapsed time.” That time—10 Days, 9 Hours, 1 Minute, and 42 Seconds—was set in 2019 by Wizard, now racing as Tschüss 2. Current projections show a finish nearly two days faster. Their main challenge is staying ahead of a cold front expected within 48 hours. “It’s all about placing ourselves on the leading edge. We’re running our own race, and if we stay smart, we’ll finish strong,” Field concluded. #rorcracing #TransatlanticRace #nyyc #ircrating