At the latitude of the Canary Islands, on a route in the shape of an arc around the Azores high, the Maxi Solo Banque Populaire VII opens the way for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Sailing on the edge of this vast zone of high pressure is a dangerous game for the rivals of the blue trimaran, slowed down in moderate north-northeast winds. The high pressure is slowly shifting towards them and forcing them to redouble their efforts (gybes, sail maneuvers) to avoid being dropped. This afternoon, they were all moving 5 to 10 knots slower than the leader.
In 3 days, Loïck Peyron and his 100-foot boat have covered 1,719 miles (23 knots average speed). They are in the process of making the break with a 149 mile lead over Spindrift2 . The first estimated time of arrival (ETA) in Guadeloupe gives a finish in Gosier on Monday morning, November 10âeuros¦ To beat Lionel Lemonchoisâ?? record (7 days and 17 hours 19 minutes), the winner would have to cross the line before 7:00 am (metropolitan time). Is this feasible?
In the meantime, Loïck Peyron is not the only one to have made the cut. After only three days of racing, a few sailors have firmly established themselves at the helm in each of the classes.
Ultimates: All behind and Peyron in front
To the west of the Canaries, south of the Azores high, life on board the Ultimates has improved considerably. The trimarans are no longer jumping around between the waves. The sea is flat and the sun is out. The only problem: a relative lack of wind for those chasing after Banque Populaire VII . And while Loïck Peyron is taking off downwind towards the trade winds, his rivals are regrouping not far from Spindrift 2 . Since midday, all the sailors have been struggling with gybes to regain speed. This mild weather is anything but relaxing.
Multi50: Technical stop for Actual and duel in the lead
In the Multi50s, while former No. 1 Yves Le Blévec (Actual) has to make a second technical stopover in Cascais this Wednesday, it is Lalou Roucayrol (Arkema Région Aquitaine) and Erwan Leroux (FenêtréA-Cardinal) who are sharing the limelight with different options. 300 miles to the north-east of the Azores, the Multi50s are making headway upwind in around fifteen knots of westerly wind. They are waiting for a front to come through tonight. Lalou Roucayrol is betting on his position to the west to be the first to hit the steady winds.
Imoca: Gabart wary of Beyou
In the Imoca class, after the retirement of PRB, François Gabart (Macif) only has two serious rivals left for the moment: Jérémie Beyou (Maître Coq) and Marc Guillemot (Safran). They all seem to agree on the route to follow: to skim the southern part of the Azores archipelago. While waiting for the wind to strengthen tonight, many of them have taken out their toolboxes to repair the minor damage on board. And they have been recharging their batteries after 48 grueling hours. This was the case for Jérémie Beyou, back in attack mode after solving his headsail problems.
Class40: Kito new leader
Along with the Multi50s, this is the class that has been the most affected by retirements (8 in all). The latest was that of one of the favorites, Sébastien Rogues (GDF SUEZ). Today, even if the conditions are more manageable, the sailors are tested and tired voices testify to the hardness of the first three days at sea. However, the race continues and is taking on a strategic dimension. Kito de Pavant (Otio-Bastide Medical) took the lead this morning. He is leading the small group that is taking a more westerly route to meet the front expected this evening. For his part, Thibault Vauchel Camus (Solidaires en Peloton), 2nd in the rankings, has chosen to head further south: 80 miles of lateral separation between the two leaders.
Classe Rhum: Getting out of the gulf
The fleet of the eighteen Rhum Class boats still racing covers more than 350 miles! Between Anne Caseneuve's 50-foot trimaran ( Aneo ) and the 60-foot monohull of Portuguese Ricardo Diniz ( Parisasia.fr ), the weather conditions are radically differentâeuros¦ And they are going to be even more different with the arrival of a low pressure system this Wednesday evening. The solo sailors who are behind must pass Cape Finisterre as quickly as possible, as the deterioration is going to be brutal with strong SW'ly winds. The Italian leader Andrea Mura ( Vento di Sardegna ), clearly further north, will be the big loser of this wind change as he will have to sail upwind in headwinds next night: Anne Caseneuve, but also Wilfrid Clerton ( Cape to Cape Location ), who had a great crossing of the Bay of Biscay, should be back on track tomorrow morningâ?¦ Two skippers have declared their withdrawal: Julien Mabit ( Komilfo ) in Aber Wrac'h and Nils Boyer ( Let's Go-Pharmaouest/Gicquel Associates ).
