Loïck Peyron, the leader of this 10 ème edition has just spent almost two days at the helm of his Maxi Solo Banque Populaire VII trimaran and his fatigue is being felt. The breaks are very short and the skipper has even fallen asleep several times at the helm, risking going off course The sea is starting to flatten out: the best news we've had for 48 hours! But it is moving a lot, a lot even. The wind is still very unstable: it goes from 25 to 40 knots in the squalls and we keep adjusting the pilot. The conditions up to now have been dantesque. Tonight, it's much better: there's a moon, a few clouds, not many boats, and the big maneuvers are about to begin. It can only get better. By tomorrow it will be much more comfortable. I spent a lot of hours at the helm and even with this boat being wide, I almost put it on the roof by falling asleep at the helm: by falling, I brought the boat down and by the time I put it all back together, I had a few gray hairs!"
This morning, off Porto, the sea is starting to get organized even if the wind is still unstable, between 25 and 40 knots. More than 150 miles from the Iberian Peninsula, maritime traffic is no longer a problem and it is under two reefs and jibs that the leaders are sailing in this NW'ly flow that will propel them to Madeira, which they should pass by this Tuesday evening.
On the IMOCA and Multi50 side, the Bay of Biscay is still very eventful. Yves le Blévec and Erwan Le Roux will pass close to Cape Finisterre this afternoon and the 60-foot monohulls have decided to head further out to sea (150 miles), in line with François Gabart. Their objective is to get closer to the Azores high to cut as close as possible to the trade winds.
The Class40s are still a long way from the Iberian Peninsula as they are sailing in a very unstable West-North West sector. Next night, the weather conditions are likely to be difficult off Cape Finisterre with winds of 25 to 35 knots and heavy to rough seas. They will have to head west to avoid the maritime traffic and the continental shelf, which makes the waves chaotic. Sébastien Rogues is gradually shifting his position, while Alex Pella is focusing on speed.
In the Rhum class, a duel between the monohull of the Italian Andrea Mura, which follows the IMOCA offshore, and the trimaran of Anne Caseneuve, which glides within the Class40 pack in the heart of the Bay of Biscay.
The number of the day
The first Ultime led by Loïck Peyron has already sailed 600 miles while the last Rhum Class has only sailed 60 miles.
