In the 5h rankings, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) climbed two places from tenth to eighth (in these rankings, Vincent Riou, was nevertheless not positioned).  Bilou's westerly option has begun to pay off. Yesterday in the first rankings of the day, he was 164 miles behind Peyron, while now the gap is cut to 121 miles. Bilou has now overtaken his old friend, Jean Le Cam, back in ninth place. By moving off to the west, Bilou hopes to avoid getting slowed down as much in the Doldrums. However, he will need to watch out, as the Doldrums may not have had their final word.

Jérémie Beyou sums up the situation facing the frontrunners tonight by quoting a famous meteorologist, who said, "When you leave land behind and go to sea, you completely change your time - space continuum: what takes just one minute on Earth, will take hours at sea. You have to learn to adapt."  He then adds his own personal thought about the current predicament,   "In calms like these, sailing just four miles can take several hours. And it's not over yet..."

 

Loick Peyron: “I’m well rested, which is preferable given what lies in store for us. It’s currently 32°C inside Gitana Eighty and the water temperature is 29°C”. Loïck Peyron can’t resist a hint of mischievousness: “I’m considering the possibility of having a little dip, especially if the wind continues to drop away! It’s gradually easing, very slowly. I think we’ll hold onto this for another 24 to 30 hours at this pace. Today the exit would seem to be located 300 miles ahead if all goes well. However, as we all know, launching into predictions here smacks slightly of utopia. You have to bear in mind that it could change for the better or worse without warning! For the time being it’s sunny, which contrasts with previous days and there is still no sign of the classic Doldrums”.
“I forced my way down last night so as to position myself directly in line with the chasing pack. I may serve as a pacemaker to them of course but I didn’t want to find myself in an extreme situation. I am happy with my new position. My strategy is clear; to make headway to the south and above all not think about it too much. I’ve made my decision and I’m calmly sticking to it! I will be the first little boy to give sweets to the nasty lady and I really hope I don’t have to leave her too many…”.
 “I’m helming a little in the shade but I sometimes leave the pilot to helm whilst I keep watch. You have to be on top  of things as some very fine and tricky trimming is required. All’s well aboard though. I still have some fresh food in the locker and I’m making the most of it in this heat. I’m thoroughly respecting the rule of five fresh fruit and vegetables a day!”

"I have less than 6 knots of wind at the moment. The grib files forecast a little more for me today. It feels like I’m already in the Doldrums, even though I’m still some 200 miles away. I’m making 6 knots of boat speed. We’re being shaken up by a slight swell and the boat is struggling to find a favourable point of sail. This zone of high pressure has been slowing me down since midday. I felt it gradually creep up on me in the early hours and the situation hasn’t really sorted itself out since."
Dominique Wavre (Temenos)
 

"Since the start I've become more like a boar rather than a civilised being!  A boar, because I've grown a beard and worry about my machine and the weather, and am completely obsessed by my performance. The boar's only concern  is to be ahead of the pack and make sure he has enough to eat in the evening. Take advantage of these final sentences that remain understandable, before I become increasing inward looking.  This race is tough and takes over.  While it is a pleasure to share my feelings and experiences, I get the feeling that the further I go, the different the language we speak. 20 knots under spinnaker, is a bit too much.  Got to go now!" Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore).

 

The skipper of Cheminées Poujoulat is currently sailing downwind off the Canaries, and covered  277.9 miles over the past 24 hours. Pushed along by a steady trade wind, the Swiss sailor was pleased with the conditions he has been experiencing since Cape Finisterre. Ranked 24th, 1133 miles from the leader, of all of the fleet, he made the best progress today.