With the Azores High blocking the direct route, the pair are making a NW’ly course. Hence as they move further west, diverging away from the theoretical, direct route to avoid the centre of the ‘road block’ - the lightest winds – so a small mileage gain falls to Jourdain by virtue of the fact that he is closer to the direct course to Cape Finisterre.

The skipper of Veolia Environnment is a knot slower this morning than Desjoyeaux and 524.4 in arrears.

150 miles south of the Equator Armel Le Cléac’h should be in the Doldrums conditions, but the weather for him seem less haphazard and while his speeds have been down they have remained consistently steady. He is 506 miles behind behind Veolia Evnironnement.

Still struggling in the absence of anything resembling the normal trade winds Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Sam Davies (Roxy) continue to do their own thing.  The Breton is sticking close to the coast 30 miles off Brazil and his speeds have varied with the intensity of the thermal help. More than 200 miles out to sea Davies is still struggling in high pressure, frustrated at the absence of the trade-winds which were so beneficial for Desjoyeaux and Jourdain.  Trapped by the lighter for nearly four days now, Brian Thompson’s advance has seen the Bahrain Team Pindar reduce his deficit to Roxy to just 350 miles, from over 1000 miles at Cape Horn.

Similarly Steve White has been one of the skippers who has done well to stay with the bands of pressure. He has made more nearly 250 miles on Arnuad Boissières who was still making just 6.6 knots this morning to Toe in the Water’s 12.4.