At 13h30 GMT, Michel Desjoyeaux was spotted south of the island of Yeu: the skipper of Foncia is therefore still due to reach Les Sables d’Olonne between 16h30-17h00. Sailing upwind on the port tack under staysail with one reef in the mainsail, he is averaging around ten knots in a 25-knot wind.

The harbour walls around the entrance to the port of Les Sables d’Olonne as well as the quayside in la Chaume are beginning to fill up this afternoon. Several thousand people are waiting, in spite of the bitter cold easterly wind in Vendée. Just off the shore outside of the harbour entrance, several boats are making their way out to greet Michel Desjoyeaux.

Roland Jourdain, who has been sailing without a keel since Thursday morning, is due to arrive in the Azores on Monday morning. Bilou has not yet decided whether he will be forced to retire or whether he will be able to continue his race to Les Sables d’Olonne. In case it becomes necessary for him to retire, two members of his shore team, Nicolas de Castro and Luis Guervos, are on their way to Ponta Delgada. Roland is currently sailing at 4.2 knots simply under staysail.

Yesterday afternoon, Michel Desjoyeaux crossed the ridge of high pressure and his progress was halted during the night for a few hours. This morning his speed has picked up again. In the 10h00 GMT rankings, Foncia was sailing at ten knots and is a mere 45 miles from Les Sables d’Olonne. However, he will have to deal with headwinds for a few hours. According to the latest information from Météo France, he is likely to be sailing in south-easterly winds, which will be backing easterly and strengthening to 20-25 knots around midday. This means that he will have to tack upwind with several changes of tack necessary.

Michel Desjoyeaux is set to finish this afternoon thus winning his second Vendée Globe. You can follow the finish live on the website: the crossing of the finishing line by Foncia, the entrance into the harbour in Port Olona, followed by Michel Desjoyeaux stepping ashore and climbing onto the podium in Les Sables d'Olonne. Half an hour or so after this, you will also be able to watch the press conference. Michel will be talking about his race and answering questions from the press.

“Roxy has already made it past 10°N, the conditions remain the same - bumpy and wet, but good wind and OK speed! I have had to alter course to avoid ships today - the last one being just an hour ago. This is a risky business, as it involves being on deck to adjust course and sail trim. Being night time, we are continually under the attack by kamikaze flying fish, and each "THWACK" makes me wince in pain! Their closing speed with Roxy must be quite fast, and impact painful or even deadly. Therefore, being on deck at night, I am at risk of getting a direct hit, and, having had several near misses, I can say that it is particularly unpleasant to receive a slimy, smelly flapping fish in ones face! Luckily I got away untouched this time! Unfortunately, though yesterday morning Roxy was a bit of a flying fish graveyard. The most disappointing find was that one flying fish had managed to get itself head-first into my tea-cup (which was sitting in a rope bag - a lazy way of doing the washing up!) So, no matter how much I cleaned my cup, I was certain that my morning tea had a slightly fishy taste to it -YUK! That will teach me to do my washing up properly! So right now I am keeping my fingers crossed that all is well on board Foncia. I hope Mich is enjoying his last night alone at sea. Tomorrow is going to be a very special day in Les Sables d'Olonne! I'm a little bit sad to miss this great moment, but at the same time, the thought of being in Les Sables d'Olonne is quite strange, and I think I am happier out here!”
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message