"Roxy is still gliding along "Black Pearl" style happily on her own under big gennaker, which has enabled me to cash in some good sleep into my "sleep bank"! I think I have managed at least 8 hours in the last 24, and I must be almost back in credit!

Genevive - the big gennaker - is enjoying stretching her cloth out in the sunshine after having been cooped up in Roxy's port bunk for rather a long time! But soon, we will have the usual struggle between her and me to get her rolled up, back down in the boat again. That manouver takes at least an hour, as we (me and Genevive) have to get down the forehatch, through the small hatch in the mast bulkhead, over the keel rams, in front of the nav station (without touching any of the switches!) round 90°, then folded into the bunk!

Another little treat today - the Roxy boys have told me I'm allowed to open the Christmas decorations box, so I've been putting up tinsel, and I've even got a christmas tree!"

Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message

The Vendée Globe race directors are beginning to calculate the dates for rounding the Horn, the third of the legendary capes in this circumnavigation. If the leaders keep up the current pace covering 350 miles a day, the leaders should be rounding the tip of South America early in the New Year on 2nd January. They still have around 4000 miles to cover before that...
 

Bernard Stamm and his Cheminées Poujoulat are still aboard the Marion Dufresne, which is continuing her mission as supply vessel in the Indian Ocean. She is currently at Amsterdam Island, 750 miles north of the Kerguelens. They will be finishing their voyage in early January in St Denis (Reunion Island). As for Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty, he has almost completed his voyage. The skipper of Maisonneuve was only 285 miles from Port Elizabeth (South Africa) yesterday evening. Finally, Unaï Basurko (Pakea Bizkaïa) intends to sail all the way home by himself. He is heading for Bilbao, and yesterday was 260 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands.
 

The frigate HMAS Arunta arrived in Fremantle this morning at 3h10 GMT. He was immediately transferred to the Royal Perth Hospital.

Jean-Baptiste Epron's declaration after a short conversation with Yann Eliès in Perth this morning: «The Arunta moored up just after 3. We spent five minutes with Yann before he was taken off. He is in a suit which protects his chest and leg. He is talking very slowly due to the medicine. The medical team are with him and the captain came to say goodbye. Yann thanked him and they agreed to see each other, when he is better. The ambulance was waiting just outside. there were 6 or 7 in the team to take him off. You can tell that he cannot stand moving and is still suffering in spite of the medicine. I think he was pleased to see us and was waiting to go to hospital. It's not easy leaving him like that. With Philippe (editor: Laot, Team Generali's technical director), we'll be setting off in a few hours to recover his boat. That will be one thing less to worry about.»
 

The frigate HMAS ARUNTA arrived in Fremantle at 3h GMT and moored at Victoria Quay. Yann Eliès was taken off and is currently being transferred to the hospital.
 

Yann Eliès's boat is due to be recovered in the next few days by Philippe Laot and Jean-Baptiste Epron from the Generali team. The two men are due to arrive in Australia tomorrow, where they will use a motor boat to get to the area and then sail the boat back with a short-handed crew. The 60-foot boat is currently drifting northwards, 700 miles south of the coast of Australia. She still has the same sails up (three reefs in the mainsail and staysail) and is equipped with two beacons indicating her position.