Foncia return from undercover manoeuvres, ghost mode, in second place at 5.4 miles behind leader Virbac-Paprec 3 on this morning’s 0400hrs ranking.

The leading duo will have had a pretty full-on evening and night. It's looking like they have between 40 and 45 knots of NW’ly breeze as they ride the front edge of the depression to their south. The Roaring Forties are living up to their name.

 

They are fast approaching the first security gate, Foncia to the north of the western end, and Virbac-Paprec 3 to the south. So at the moment there is little to separate the leading duo after 25 days of racing, indeed while they were in ghost mode, Foncia passed the longitude of Gough Island less than one hour after Virbac Paprec 3, at 1513hrs UTC on Sunday 23rd.

There is a theoretical advantage to Foncia in that they can dip south any time they have satisfied the security gate, while Virbac-Paprec 3 still have to make 20 miles of north before the east extremity of the gate. And the leading boat this morning has 800 miles to make to the longitude of Cape of Good Hope.

MAPFRE, in third place, in a more SW’ly wind, have been quicker than the boats which are pursuing them and still have the best VMG of the fleet overnight. Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez passed the longitude of Gough Island last night at 0210hrs UTC, 80 miles to the NE of the island and this morning have some 485 miles to the western end of the first security gate.

Estrella Damm are back up into fourth place, gaining on Groupe Bel overnight, and Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes have 140 miles to go to pass the longitude of Gough Island. There is just 25 miles of lateral separation north-south with their French sparring partners on Groupe Bel, Kito De Pavant and Seb Audigane and this duo are in around 25 knots of SW’ly wind this morning.

In sixth Renault ZE Sailing Team are second quickest in the fleet this morning and have just 47 miles direct line distance to Groupe Bel and 70 miles to their Barcelona-based rivals on Estrella Damm.

Mirabaud, Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret, had a steady night, still not feeling the best effects of the westerlies and the low pressure, though they now have around 20 knots of breeze and are 150 miles to Estrella Damm.

The middle order race remains tight and competitive and if there is a chance that the fleer can escape into the Roaring Forties in something resembling the same fairly compact form then an engaging race in the Big South would be on the cards.

Neutrogena in eighth is just 60 miles from Mirabaud.
But Dee Caffari warns this morning that she feels that GAES Centros Auditivos is not our of the woods yet, and still may be snared by lighter winds again later tomorrow.

Central Lechera Asturiana is the most easterly of the next group, some 90 miles to the NE of Hugo Boss, with FMC still further to the west. This chasing pack looked to have gained some traction out of the worst of the high yesterday evening, but speeds this morning indicate otherwise, Hugo Boss, We Are Water and FMC making VMG’s of five knots or less overnight.