Vendée Globe

Not one of the ten competitors still at sea has a VMG in excess of 10 knots. That has to be a first in this Vendée Globe! Dominique Wavre on Temenos should still finish overnight though. He is expected from around midnight and has until 0600 GMT to enter the channel to Les Sables d’Olonne. After that time there will not be enough water to pass through until later in the afternoon. He is currently racking up speeds of around 9.5 knots, with 61.7 miles to go to the finish (distance calculated at 1830 GMT).

Sébastien Josse on VMI is still 120 miles from the finish but the good news is that he has wind in his sails again and is on a direct course. Over the past half hour VMI has been making 8 knots, which is considerably better than the 4.2 knot average he clocked up over a four hour period! Virbac-Paprec is also becalmed, 160 miles SW of the island of Florès in the Azores. He is continuing on a Northerly course, trying to track down more pressure. Jean Pierre Dick is doubtless glued to his barometer, if it climbs up he pulls the helm towards him and if not he pushes it away from him! Joé Seeten on Arcelor Dunkerque has got back 4 miles on Hellomoto over the last two rankings and has a deficit now of just 16 miles. Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet is easing along gently in the trade winds of the northern hemisphere, Benoît Parnaudeau on Max Havelaar Best Western still suffering light winds contrary to his belief this morning that he was free of its clutches. He has been averaging just 2.7 knots over the past four hours. Anne Liardet on Roxy is continuing to make up her deficit on Parnaudeau and has made 237 miles over the past day in relation to his 109. In the anticyclone Akena Verandas and Benefic are virtually making the same progress. 140 miles for the first of them, 137.6 for the backrunner. KJ

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