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11:57 AM Thu 29 Jan 2009 GMT
Michel Desjoyeaux has his bow pointed at Les Sables d'Olonne and will soon have just three figures registering on his 'distance to go'. But the Foncia skipper has a testing few hours ahead as winds strengthen and a front passes over him this morning which could assault him with 45-50 knots gusts and squalls.
Yesterday evening, Desjoyeaux made his way straight through the middle of the Azores Islands; sailing downwind 13 miles from the coast of the main island of Sao Miguel, which he left to starboard.
A night of high averages, between 15 and 17 knots leaves him 791 miles ahead of Veolia Environnement although this morning Mich Desj has slightly eased off. The strong winds are set to stay with him throughout the day, although will ease off slightly this afternoon. Clocking up daily distances of over 300 miles, he is now expected to finish on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
Well clear of the gentler winds of the Azores high pressure system, Roland Jourdain has Armel Le Cl?ac'h on Brit Air only 350 miles behind (553 miles in a direct line). While he is making a better course, some 150 miles to the east and closer to the rhumb line track, Brit Air will be slowed as Le Cl?ac'h reaches the high pressure ridge today. Following Foncia's route Veolia Environnement is heading for the Portuguese islands, but his wind angle will be much less favourable sailing on the wind this morning.
Sam Davies had 80 miles still at 0600hrs GMT still to sail to ease Roxy back into the Northern Hempisphere. She is making fair speeds and is gaining progressively from being able to sail a higher, more easterly angle although the advantage line was fluctuating with the rapidly changing conditions. She was 56.6 miles ahead of fifth placed Marc Guillemot this morning, sailing nearly three knots quicker than Safran which is hobbled in the light weather by a reduced mainsail area.
Brian Thompson has now made up around 600 miles in ten days on Marc Guillemot and Sam Davies and this morning is just 179 miles behind Safran, but unfortunately his chance of capitalizing still further are hampered by his slow speeds. Bahrain Team Pindar appears to be snared by a calm on the edge of the Doldrums and is making just 1.4 knots this morning, after a productive 294 miles 24h run, only bettered by Mich Desj who made 338.5 miles. Dee Caffari is catching fast, making 13 knots and is 183 miles behind Thompson.
Steve White in ENE'ly winds is back up to making nine knots making fair progress on Toe in the Water while Rich Wilson is on port tack in 25 knots of NW'ly breeze but should be set for a spell of rough weather, caught between two low pressure systems he is expected to see 50-60 knots gusts. And Raphael Dinelli and Norbert Sedlacek, AUT (Nauticsport Kapsch) have 25 knots SW'ly winds, 1049 miles and 1142 miles respectively to Cape Horn.
The latest ETAs established by Sylvain Mondon of M?t?o France on the basis of the positions yesterday evening and yesterday's weather models:
Foncia :
ETA between 15h GMT on 31st and 18h GMT on 1st February
Veolia Environnement:
ETA between12h GMT on 2nd and 12h GMT on 4th
Brit Air :
ETA between 12h GMT on 5th and 12h GMT on 7th
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message:'I have been savouring another magical moment tonight. It's unusual, as there is not much wind, and normally in the light winds I am frustrated to not be going faster, but tonight (I don't know why) I'm zen and just enjoying it - how can you not? I should be getting some sleep, but I can't drag myself away from the cockpit, where I sit, under the stars with the full sails towering black silhouettes above me. Roxy is trickling along on a flat sea, and the air is so warm I'm in my T-shirt. There is a ship a few miles away trundling past, his nav lights twinkle on the horizon.
It's hard to describe, but it is just a great moment, out here alone with my Roxy boat, with peaceful conditions that allow me to look back and think about everything we've done together so far! But sleep is important, so now I am going to get some rest. I have decided that the quality of my sleep is related to how fast Roxy is going! When she's going really fast I seem to sleep so much better! So, I think I should count sleep in miles and not in hours.... for example, 2 hours sleep at a speed of 7 knots is equivalent to 1 hours sleep at 14 knots - i.e. 14 miles sleep. So, seeing as we're not going too fast tonight, I need a few hours sleep to get a decent rest!'
1500 HRS GMT. Rankings
1 . Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at 1090 miles to finish
2 . Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at 791 miles from first place
3 . Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) at 1141.7 miles from first place
4 . Sam Davies (Roxy) at 2209.7 miles from first place
5 . Marc Guillemot (Safran) at 2266.3miles from first place
6 . Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) at 2446.1 miles from first place
7 . Dee Caffari (Aviva) at 2629.1 miles from first place
8 . Arnaud Boissi?res (Akena V?randas) at 3293.5 miles from first place
9 . Steve White (Toe in the Water) 4149.9 miles
10 . Rich Wilson (Great American III) at 5410 miles from first place
11 . Rapha?l Dinelli (Fondation Oc?an Vital) at 7013.4 miles from first place
12 . Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport - Kapsch) at 7092.1 miles from first place
RDG . Vincent Riou (PRB). 3rd . 30 boats started.
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by Vendee Globe media
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