After six days of racing with 3,300 Miles now separating the leading Ultimes from the last Class40, the first signs of wear and tear are appearing on board the boats and fatigue is putting the sailors to the test.
The new Verdier 11th Hour Racing Team – Mālama design, launched last August, has been the fastest in the IMOCA fleet over the last 24 hours with nearly 427 miles covered.
The gap is closing at the head of the fleet and matches are emerging at all levels. There are now six of them fighting at the front (LinkedOut, Charal, Apivia, Initiatives-Coeur, Arkéa Paprec and 11th Hour Racing Team – Mālama) as they approach the Canaries.
Already passed the Canary islands are the Ocean Fifty multihulls. There’s nothing to separate Primonial and Koesio.
Sebastien Rogues and Matthieu Souben the co-kippers of Primonial took the lead Friday after making a long starboard tack to the west of the Canaries before gybing south and avoiding the islands. Since then, Koesio has come back and the two are racing neck and neck.
The Charles Caudrelier / Franck Cammas pair is making good headway in the Ultimes, still on port tack, towards the doldrums which they should enter Sunday. Behind, Thomas Coville and Thomas Rouxel on the damaged Sodebo 3 are 480 miles behind the leaders.
The first 40-footers are finally slipping south into the Portuguese trade winds. The conditions they have had to deal with over the last six days have been exhausting and the return of the wind signals the start of a more stable rhythm on board.
Transat Jacques Vabre – Positions 13 November at 09:00 hrs
CLASS40
1. La Manche #EvidenceNautique – Distance to destination 3414,31
2. Redman – Distance to destination 3416,56
3. Edenred – Distance to destination 3422,66
OCEAN FIFTY
1. Primonial – Distance to destination 3864,81
2. Koesio – Distance to destination 3864,89
3. Leyton – Distance to destination 3930,63
IMOCA
1. LinkedOut- Distance to destination 4235,52
2. Apivia – Distance to destination 4256,86
3. Charal – Distance to destination 4257,06
ULTIMES
1. Maxi Edmond de Rothschild – Distance to destination 5612,78
2. SVR – Lazartigue – Distance to destination 5717,96
3. Actual Ultim 3 – Distance to destination 5769,2
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