Compression and respite The ups and downs of the day

By the end of the afternoon, the gap was only around twenty miles. In the IMOCAs, the leader Macif Santé Prévoyance (Sam Goodchild and Lois Berrehar) had significantly widened the gap in the Bay of Biscay. 

The chasers' battle is intense, with a head-to-head between Charal (2nd, Jérémie Beyou - Morgan Lagravière) and Allagrande Mapei Racing (3rd, Ambrogio Beccaria - Thomas Ruyant), and some serious resistance behind from Association Petits Princes – Queguiner (Elodie Bonafous-Yann Eliès) and 11th Hour Racing (Francesca Clapcich - Will Harris).

THE ISSUES. Technical Issues and New Starts

After the big weather there have been technical problems big and small.  There are "small fixes," like Louis Duc (Fives Group - Lantana Environnement, IMOCA) talked of. Sometimes, the damage is more significant. The Courbon brothers (RDT Logistic - Forvis Mazars, Class40), who had already had to stop in Ouistreham, had to pull into Cherbourg due to a crack and a leak. Luca Rosetti and Matteo Sericano (Maccaferri Futura), often cited as outsiders in the Class40, have set sail again after electronic issues were resolved in the port of Cherbourg.

MISIG in Roscoff 

Conrad Colman and Mathieu Blanchard (MSIG Europe, IMOCA) arrived in Roscoff after losing their radar and experiencing autopilot problems. Joël Paris and Goulven Marie (Rêve à porte de vue – Qwanza) are expected to leave Ouistreham tomorrow. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires en Peloton) climbed the mast after a halyard problem. And Justine Mettraux and Xavier Macaire (Teamwork-Team Snef IMOCA) broke their J3 hook. "We're hopeful of repairs soon," explained Justine.

THE SENTENCE. "This isn't the coffee route, it's the tapas route!" 

The Class40s will have a two-leg race: the first to La Coruña, which the frontrunners will reach on Wednesday, and the second to Fort-de-France. And in this respect, Corentin Douguet (SNSM Faîtes un don!) is not far behind: "We're not off on a transatlantic voyage, just a trans-Biscay. It's not the coffee route right now. For now, it's the tapas route!"

THE ANECDOTE. When bananas can't stand the pressure

Things were slamming hard this morning aboard Engie - Dessine-moi la high-tech when Axelle Pillain took out her smartphone to immortalize the moment. The Frenchwoman on her birthday was delighted, after a difficult night, that her Class40 had held up well. "We managed to keep our two aerials, it's a great victory." However, with Aina Bauza Roig, she couldn't save everything: "we lost some bananas which were violently crushed in the boat!"