Since the passage of the Azores, Erwan Le Roux has taken the lead in the rankings by managing to get ahead of Lalou Roucayrol ( Arkema Aquitaine Region ), his main competitor. He who said "I'm going to eat Lalou "He has therefore succeeded in his challenge, and by a large margin, since he is ahead of him by more than 100 miles! There is still the rounding of the Butterfly Island to be done, but this should take place in better conditions than for the Ultimates. " It smells like a stable, you have to fight, you have to go! I went backwards every hour because of monstrous algae: it's amazing! It's the first time I've seen that in the West Indies. There is not much breeze. It's expected to ease off, there's going to be a change in the wind regime from this evening, it's going to set in. There are still squalls but they are classic squalls: behind me it was still fizzing, there are storms for my competitors behind. I prefer conditions like last night than squalls. My 100-mile lead allows me to attack the Tour of Guadeloupe with concentration and calm. I just want to do things the way we know how without pressure, calmly. We'll do our strategy as we decided with Jean Yves Bernot (my router). The arrival is scheduled in a few hours for the Guadeloupean breakfast, it's not bad!"
François Gabart likely to win
The skipper of Arkema Région Aquitaine should arrive in Guadeloupe five hours after the leader of the ranking but well before Gilles Lamiré, who will arrive at the same time as the first Imoca boat, on Friday. In this last category, François Gabart ( Macif ) is likely to win since he leads Jérémie Beyou ( Master Rooster ) of more than 100 miles. They are sailing in more optimal conditions than in the last few days with less maneuvers and squalls.
A leader stands out in Class40
In Class40, Alex Pella ( Tales 2 Santander ) is leading the ranking ahead of Kito de Pavant ( Otio-Bastide Medical ), Thibaut Vauchel-Camus ( Solidaires en Peloton ) and Yannick Bestaven ( The Curator ). He increased the distance and took a comfortable lead. The fleet is spread out over 1,200 miles, with the solo sailors sailing in groups of 2 to 5 boats.
In the Rhum Class, the fleet is still led by Anne Caseneuve ( Aneo ), followed closely by Wilfrid Clerton ( Cape to Cape Location ), Jean-Paul Froc ( Berto Group ) and Robin Knox-Johnston ( Grey Power ). The solo sailors who were delayed due to technical stops are stuck in a high pressure system that should last another 24 hours.
