Vendée Globe

All of the competitors in the leading group are in the process of choosing where the best place is to enter the Doldrums. The trade wind will stay with them until the Doldrums (at around 7°north) but it will continue to die away in the coming hours. It will be more and more difficult for the leading boats to make headway south. The first thundery squalls associated with this tricky zone are on the horizon for the sailors today or tonight.
Those chasing on behind are stepping up the pace in strengthening trade winds as the ridge of high pressure is squashed to the west of the fleet. The trade winds are being shifted easterly and consequently that could be an advantage for the second half of the fleet, allowing them to reach good speeds.
Sylvain Mondon
Météo-France