Vendée Globe

After a night spent struggling on the ridge of high pressure stretching out from the west of the Azores high, Foncia is now on the northern edge of the high-pressure area. But the situation is still not simple, as while a residual front is producing occasional light winds, its influence is declining with each hour. He will have to wait for the front moving in from the north-west to make steady progress towards the Bay of Biscay. Veolia is sailing in strong easterly trade winds, which will begin to ease off tonight, before he reaches the ridge tomorrow with light winds to negotiate to reach the disturbed flow in the North Atlantic. Brit Air’s programme will more or less be the same as Veolia two days later.

Off Brazil, Roxy and Safran are making headway north depending on the fluctuations from the easterly trade winds, which remain light and unstable. Pindar and Aviva are arriving in this transition zone after benefiting from favourable conditions with the absence of a thundery low off Rio last weekend. Akena closer to land is benefiting from stronger winds, but from the north-east implying upwind sailing.

Further south, Toe in the Water is preparing for the arrival of a new cold front offering fairly strong northerlies (25/35knots gusting to 40-45 knots) recreating a situation that has already been seen several times at the Horn. Great American III is passing the tip of South America with several active lows causing gusts up to 50-55 knots and 6-8 metre high waves. There is a similar system affecting Fondation Ocean Vital and Nauticsport Kapsch in the Pacific on the northern edge of a disturbed flow with strong winds and heavy seas.
Sylvain Mondon
Météo-France