For the 22 duos still competing in the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre the range of weather to deal with is still wide, from those in depths of Class 40 still dealing with bigger winds and seas to the IMOCA Open 60 class where the tentacles of the Azores high pressure have snared several contenders in the south of the pack, more or less stuck in light winds while those skirting to the north of the system profit, but for how long?

Working the great circle route Virbac Paprec 3 and Hugo Boss are some eight miles apart on the water in first and second with Jean-Pierre Dick and Jérémie Beyou now over 100 miles ahead of third placed Banque Populaire. The group in the south, comprising Banque Populaire, Macif, Safran and Groupe Bel are slowed by the high pressure bubble. Leaders of the Multi 50 duel Actual slip south ever quicker today, whilst the pacemaker in Class 40, Aquarelle.com can look forward to easier conditions and a chance to consolidate on rest and recuperation.

After the succession of depressions which have battered the fleet since the start, the test is at the opposite extreme for the IMOCA Open 60’s working different flanks of a large high pressure zone. For both those in the north and those in the south the route out is uncertain. Those to the south should get into better downwind conditions first, but pay the price of sailing more miles than the leaders on the more direct theoretical course towards Puerto Limon.

This morning Banque Populaire, Macif, Safran and Groupe Bel are trying to extricate themselves. François Gabart and Seb Col on Macif made just 0.8kts VMG, Groupe Bel were sailing at 2kts and as often as not the stress is as much in the light winds as the big breeze.


In the north Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois have taken a dividend to rise from seventh yesterday to fourth on the standings on Gamesa but speaking this morning Golding explained that their gains may be temporary but little is clear on the weather files as to the longer term outcomes. And, still carrying the breeze down the track, making some 10kts still this morning, there should be a chance for Mirabaud’s Doninique Wavre and Michèle Paret to close miles on the group ahead, so too for the Burton brothers on Bureau Valley.

Having passed through the Azores between Terceira and San Miguel last night Aquarelle.com’s Yannick Bestaven and Eric Drouglazet have moderate NW’ly breezes this morning and a lead of 92 miles ahead of ERDF, with a spirited battle for third playing out through the Azores between Phoenix Europe Express and Groupe Picoty.

They said:

Samuel Manuard on Actual
"We are the only boat to be on to this side of the ridge now. While the IMOCA with fleet’s Banque Populaire and Groupe Bel, are now up against it and Maitre Jacques!
We are going due south, we are in good breeze, well established.
The good news is it's hotter, yesterday we were still in foulies. Here we are going well,... It's really beautiful!
We have several scenarios that lie before us. It is still early to decide, we'll see tomorrow night if we drive north to get to Saint-Barthélemy, or if we go to the south.
The weather is a bit confused now. The short term goal is to stay in the wind and gain in the west. We really enjoy steering, we have had some greatmoments. After we went through hell we get the rewards now! Every day we have a small bag that Sandrine has prepared before the start, it's very good”

Yannick Bestaven on Aquarelle.com
"It it gets quiet and peaceful. Finally! I have the time to listen to some music, type a few emails ... Until now it was impossible! We have not removed the foulies and fleeces yet. There will still be 20 knots tomorrow, but tomorrow it should be summer again and we well get everything dried
For the next 24 hours we should be fine because we got well west of ERDF, our speed is pretty good to go down in the south despite the weakening of the wind.
There will be a lot of light wind bubbles to avoid but is quite serene. I
'm not surprised at all to see Phoenix Express Europe behind us because it's a tough old Class 40 compared to modern ones.”

Kito De Pavant on Groupe Bel
"It's going to be long long way out here, the files are very pessimistic, the system has closed on us, I do not know how long we will stay in this area but it will be long!
It's worse than the last days in the winds, it's not comfortable at all, now it is sails flapping. It makes you stressed and it is difficult to manage. This option seemed good, but the gain is lost because the anticyclone has closed in ... We have just made a mistake that's it! The first days were hard, but no wind is very difficult to accept. To do something about it you need wind!”

Mike Golding (GBR) skipper Gamesa (GBR): “We will see whether if we can keep hold of the gains, it will depend on when the other guys can break through to the south.
A lot will depend on how accurate the weather files are but we have to get through some light stuff and we are in light stuff now. They will get out first but they will be further upwind and so the question is how it pans out. Theoretically we are supposed to be quite reach-y through this, even though it is quite light we are generally pointing in the right direction.
The last 24 hours have been very busy, lots of sail changes going from third reef and ORC all the way through the range up to Code Zero, which we are on now.
We are a lot happier in fourth, but it might be a false horizon, who knows?
Today it will be lighter, it should start to pick up a little later in the day but it is light across the course. It should head us and that should help push us through the ridge.
We don’t have wind instruments and so we are going to have a go at that in the morning, that will mean a trip up the rig to put a new wind vane on. And then we don’t have fleet broadband which is a pain because we can’t draw down weather, only by Iridium which is slow and expensive and we can only draw down very small files.
Bruno has a pretty good looking black eye, he is catching up sleep and we are both going to try and catch up on rest after the hard work of the last few days, and in fact even though the weather is getting lighter it has been probably one of the hardest working days because of all the sail changes.