It is a misty, drizzly morning in Les Sables d'Olonne with just light winds to lift the flags. There is a mood of excitement that this Vendee Globe is drawing safely to a close and the host town will turn out in numbers this afternoon to welcome back Raphael Dinelli. He is only a matter of a few small miles from the line this morning.
Dinelli has closed overnight to the finish line and is just going to go very slowly to break the line during the middle of the afternoon and then move straight into the channel and then will enjoy the welcome, just as he did four years ago on the same boat when he finished in 125 days, ironically the same time to the day that he completed the course in 2005. He can be pleased with his race, not only for the way he has executed it and the fact it is has been ecologically clean, but on top of that he has sailed quicker because the course is over 1600 miles longer.
