Vendée Globe

Skippers all the way through the Vendee Globe fleet are looking for relief from the conditions which they are encountering, from Norbert Sedlacek in light headwinds, to Dee Caffari, Arnaud Boissieres and Brian Thompson who are fighting through strong winds towards Cape Horn and the Atlantic, while Michel Desjoyeaux will be looking forward to escaping into the tradewinds first.

After the worst of a vicious storm to the north west of Cape Horn British skipper Dee Caffari is walking something a tightrope at the moment, trying to push Aviva as hard as possible, doing the best to escape into her final the Atlantic before the worst of a second big depression arrives, whilst still trying to do as little further damage to her ragged mainsail.

With winds over 60 knots and mountainous seas, the trio who will be next to the Cape are being lead there by Brian Thompson. The Bahrain Team Pindar skipper admits this morning that he had prepared for every eventuality he could consider, ensuring he even had knives and torches in his pockets in case he was rolled over while he anticipated the beating they were going to take at the hands of a malicious depression.

Thompson gybed south at 2030hrs yesterday to parallel the Chilean Coast and at 0400hrs GMT had 280 miles to Cape Horn. Hand steering through some of the biggest swells, he likened the ‘exhilarating’ experience to taking a 60 foot snowboard through deep powder snow. The Akena Verandas skipper Boissières reflected last night on being knocked down twice.

At the front of the fleet Michel Desjoyeaux has been doing his best to deal with the advances of Roland Jourdain who has now cut his lead by 100 miles since Monday night. Jourdain has remained consistently in better breeze, around two knots quicker remaining on the same course, while Desjoyeaux tacked again at around midnight last night.

Behind them Armel Le Cléac’h has seen many of his hard won miles evaporating in light winds, while Sam Davies has been battling with massive fronds of kelp which have regularly attacked her daggerboards on Roxy, despite this she continues to make steady progress, quickest of the top five boats this morning.

Marc Guillemot was about 20 miles east of Port Stanley this morning at decision time as to how, or perhaps if, he will stop or slow to carry out the repair to his mast track. He has lost fewer miles in the Pacific by being forced to sail with three reefs in, and the ascent of the South Atlantic would be painfully slow under that sailplan. Imagine how Dee Caffari feels considering the prospect that she may only be able to continue under four reefs. She will not know what her actual prospects are until the strong winds subside.

Steve White, while he has been going briskly recently on Toe in the Water, is facing up to what could be his biggest test yet 1600 miles from Cape Horn. From this afternoon he will have at least 12 hours of winds gusting to 60-70 knots with seas to 8-10 metres, with squally showers of rain and thunderstorms. After relishing the long surfs and steady strong winds 48 hours, White will now see the dark, vicious side of the Pacific.

Rich Wilson has gybed back to the north again on Great American III, choosing to do so once he had reached about 100 miles of the track of a known set of icebergs. Norbert Sedlacek is perhaps showing signs of frustration with his slow progress in light headwinds, making a long northerly tack to try and escape over the top of the high pressure system which has been barring any eastwards course.

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