Dominique Wavre (Temenos) in eleventh place, 178 miles from the leader was very surprised today at how easy it was to get through the Doldrums.

"Things are going very well. The Doldrums has been rapidly devoured. We got through it without encountering any opposition. It was limited to a very slight reduction in pace for an hour, that’s all! According to the latest satellite charts the zone was pretty clear effectively and this is the reason that I didn’t see any big clouds appearing in the sky, as is normally the case. I was expecting a relatively easy passage but perhaps not quite to this extent. It’s certainly the very first time it’s gone like this. I’m still surprised about it!"

For the second day in a row, Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty bringing up the rear of the fleet, is awarded the title of today's best performer, having covered 340 miles in 24h between 16h on Thursday and 16h on Friday. The skipper of Groupe Maisonneuve, currently sailing off the Canaries, restarted the race a week after the initial start, in order to carry out repairs to the deck of his boat. 

 

After overtaking Steve White (Toe in the Water) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) is in 16th place, 273 miles from the leader with Dee Caffari firmly in his sights. Like the other competitors around him, he has certainly noticed the heat:

"I try to sleep when I can... As soon as I'm no longer under spinnaker, I take advantage to grab some rest.  As soon as the wind shifts, like it did during the night, when I was under reacher, I go for a sleep.  It's wet here all the time.  It's never-ending.  The air temperature is around 30°C and it didn't drop off during the night. As soon as you carry out any manoeuvres, you wear just you boxer shorts, or otherwise you'd die with the heat.  I just put on my trousers to protect my legs from the sun.  It could be a lot worse.  I prefer doing manoeuvres sweating like this, as a month from now, when I try to do the same manoeuvre, it will be with a temperature of just 5°C..."

Unai Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia) has opted for a route a long way to the east of the rest of the fleet.  He is currently in 20th place, 385 miles from the leader.

"I know it is risky because in this area the changes of the winds are very fast and unpredictable, but I have studied the different options and I have made a decision. If it goes wrong it doesn't matter, we will be some more miles from the leaders, but if it goes well Jonny and I will gain many miles to catch the leaders. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We are conscious that our project is one of the most humble of the Vendée Globe, but that doesn't mean we are not going to fight every mile in this race. "

 

"Not bad going now for 48 hours! I'm at 16, 16.5, 17 knots and the swell is building. I'm very happy about my option off to the west at Cape Finisterre.  I was 520 miles behind Algimouss and now there's a gap of only 344 miles. I've made up a third of the gap! "  Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Groupe Maisonneuve)

 

Armel Le Cléac'h (BritAir) on today's radio sesson:  "We're now in a world that is leaning over. I've set up my bunk to sleep with a heel of 20°. I'm pleased to have found the southern trade winds. There are still some heavy clouds, but we can feel that we're getting close to the Equator. We should be crossing tonight. I've put the champagne on ice… or should I say out in the heat?"

However, for Vincent Riou (PRB), the Equator crossing will be a bit quieter, "Nothing special planned for  when I cross the Equator.  The days of drinking alone are behind me, because it's not much fun.  I'll reserve the drinks for when I'm in good company. "