"It's the most astonishing thing that has happened to me in the race! After 23 days of racing (the longest I have ever raced) I have entered the south, which is smiling and sunny. Blue skies and calm seas, but the dark colours suggest a different mood!  A few sea animals and lots of birds.  The sun is shining enough to offer me autonomy using the solar panels and I haven't started the engine for two days.  Yesterday was a day for cleaning up and repairs.  This is the first time I have been anywhere with such clear skies, so many nuances of colour and with an impressive range of animals presided over by a magnificent albatross ... "
Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve) in his daily message

 

"I've had a busy day so far today. I have removed as much water as possible from the whole boat. That means crawling around in all the dark bits on your hands and knees with a bucket and sponge, all the while hoping that the pilot will be ok. If it had a problem, then it would be very unlikely that I could get up on deck to sort it out before it became major.  You can hear the boat accelerate, and decelerate on the waves very clearly, and the motion of the hull, how much she rolls, gives you an indication as to how well the pilot is coping. Still it's a nervy time especially when you are surfing at 20 knots!! Anyway the pilot coped very well, and I got as much water as possible out of the old girl. Luckily the boys have provided me with some very amusing sponges! They are the kind of sponges that you would buy for your mum at an exotic beach retreat. Great in bath I'm sure? but they appear to actually repel water! Now this makes mopping out bilges good fun, and really quick!! I think it is quicker to let the water evaporate than use the sponge! They look like natural ones, so top marks for greenness, but zero for practicality!"
Jonny Malbon (Artemis) in his daily message yesterday evening

 

"Hi there,
Time of passing Kerguelen Gate: 23h 01' 15''(UTC) to the north of the western end of the gate.  The wind has now strengthened considerably.  First there were just 30-knot gusts with a steady 18-20 knots.  Not easy to get sails just right, especially downwind. By daybreak, at around 3h UTC, the wind had strengthened to a steady 30 knots and came around, so now I'm close reaching.  Just changed the sails again, but don't think it will last.  Managed to get some sleep between manoeuvres.  Going back to bed now."
 
Bernard Stamm, (Cheminées Poujoulat), in his night message

"Hi there, During the night, my veranda slipped on a banana skin.  The boat broached in a fairly powerful squall.  On her side, ballast on the wrong side.  In a calm, I managed to gybe.  The result is it's game over for the wind turbine.  There are only three blades left.  Everything else appears to work.  I was afraid I'd broken the battens, but all is fine."
Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas)

 

Today, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), currently in second place 37.5 miles from the leader,  sailed the greatest distance towards the finish.  Between 19h UTC on Sunday evening and this evening, he covered 364.7 miles.   

 

“I came to a standstill for 5 hours solid, my sails flogging. The core of the zone of high pressure passed over the top of me. I found myself in no wind at all, rolling from left to right, trying to get the most out of the slightest zephyr in a bid to make headway. It feels as if the fact that I was managing to make headway at 1 knot had little to do with all my efforts, but rather the residual swell and the surface current. I’ve really slept very little, and when I do try to rest for a few minutes, your mind doesn’t switch off. It’s a lot easier to fall asleep in 40 knots. The mainsail flogs endlessly, which is very bad for the battens and the material. The headsail rubs against the stays and the spreaders and you really feel as if the gear is being massively fatigued with no gains at the end of it. This type of situation is always hard on the nerves. You think about the others who are in the process of making good their escape at high speed, which is even more trying than the fatigue. In this case you make yourself a coffee, you tell yourself there’s still a long way to go, and you get back to work on deck. Fortunately, if you can use such a word in this situation, at times like these, there is always a lot of work required to get the boat making headway. That stops any negative thoughts creeping in and when the wind kicks back in again, you are fiercely determined to try to make up your deficit.”
Dominique Wavre (Temenos) in his daily message