Vendée Globe

The pace at the front of the Vendée Globe fleet changed up the gears today as more favourable NW’ly winds eased the leading pack clear of Cape Finisterre. Chasing the aftermath of a vicious cold front which hit them during Monday evening, the leading group have had a little more wind than the chasing group and a split of about 20 miles has opened up.

After surviving the challenge of the second night, it has been a day to deal with the aftermath maximise sail area, press hard and clean up any problems, get some rest and build a racing rhythm.

Barcelona Race winner Jean Pierre Dick held a slender lead through the morning on Paprec-Virbac 2, while Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) – who stayed about 30 miles further inshore at Finisterre -has emerged this afternoon with a small lead of 1.5 miles over Dick.

The leading pack, comprising Gitana Eighty, Paprec-Virbac 2, Veolia Environnement, PRB, BT and Brit Air have just 12.3 miles between them after just over 48 hours of racing. Paprec-Virbac 2 has erred towards a slightly more westerly position.

While Britain’s Mike Golding on Ecover 3 is the top international skipper and now lies eighth, compatriot Alex Thomson is due back in Les Sables d’Olonne on Wednesday morning after sustaining a hull crack which was letting in water. Thomson explained to his shore team today that an earlier problem with a ballast tank had leaked more than 1500 litres of water. Only when he was mopping up that problem, and after the worst of the winds had blown through did he realise that a crack in the port side of the hull, between the aft keel box and a bulkhead, was letting in water. After seeing winds peak at 42 knots, Thomson told his shore unit that the winds had settled to between 25-30 knots, when he crashed off a wave. The damage is said to be ‘localised’.

Eighth places Golding has climbed three places through today and is chasing 38 miles behind Armel Le Cléac’h on BritAir, the sixth placed of the breakaway posse. Conditions are likely to be fairly settled in moderate N’ly and NW’ly winds for the downwind slide as the leaders point nearly directly at Madeira. Golding reported that winds as the cold front passed over peaked at 53 knots.

Dee Caffari (Aviva) told today’s live radio vacations (live daily in English on www.vendeeglobe.org) that she had lost a few miles with one or two issues as the wind peaked, but that she was well into ‘recovery’ mode and pressing on with more sail up:

 “The first 48 hours have been really hard on the boat and on me both physically and emotionally. So it is really nice to be in better conditions and a nicer sea state. I can actually feel like I can start living again. My top score I saw was 48 knots but I think I may have stopped looking at that point. It was not the most pleasant but we got through it. The start was awesome. We were in the right place at the right time. The boat just wanted to get going and we just headed off into the horrible weather and so we are really happy. I did have a few setbacks as the front came through and I lost some valuable miles.”

Jonny Malbon (Artemis), is in 19^th place, sticking to his strategy to do all he could to preserve himself and his boat through the worst of the storm, and he, too, was recuperating and settling down to try and regain the miles he has lost on the leaders:

 “I had a 60 foot piece of rope around my keel this morning so I have spent a few hours trying to get that off which was not much fun. It was pretty horrible until the front came through which was very, very sudden. I had 47 knots and just a white out, with rain and a horrendous sea state. The boat was slamming very hard, everything was moving about the place and so it was pretty scary.  I am not particularly happy with where I am, but the guys who have pushed on have done an amazing job.”

Meanwhile Steve White sailing Toe in the Water celebrated his 36^th birthday no doubt pleased that his plan to simply survive the first storm had paid off. He makes respectable progress, and gained to lie 16^th.

Race leader Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty), said: “ I've got all the sails out on deck and the conditions have really eased off… The wind is between 15 and 20 knots and Gitana Eighty is sailing on a long clean swell. There is a huge contrast between the current conditions and what we went through during the first thirty hours at sea.  I have known worse winds in the Bay of Biscay , particularly in the 2002 Route du Rhum, but this time it was the sea state that was particularly nasty.  The boat was really getting pummelled.  I haven't had time to do a thorough check-up, but everything seems fine. Our first achievement was making it in with the the frontrunners after the storm. Others weren't quite so lucky and I'm thinking of them.  To begin, with it was the sea state that stopped me from sleeping, then last night, there were the manoeuvres on the deck, which only allowed me to grab some short periods of rest.  Gradually, I had to hoist all the sail, as the wind eased off after the front went over.  Now, the conditions should enable me finally to get some rest.”

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