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Class40

T'quila's Brian Thompson today

Class 40 Brian Thompson GBR T’quila: “  We have always been sure we would take the southerly route. We did a RORC Transat with Argo (MOD70) and all the multis took that route but with there were more tricky transitions you end up slower than your polars. And so we had that experience, and seeing no trade winds below Martinique is quite an unusual phenomenon and so we are banking on there being trade winds before the finish that we can sneak in underneath the light airs, into the finish downwind. For sure the boats in the north are going to come in hot, reaching fast but that is a long way off. And for sure our boat is well suited to these conditions, it is quite fast in these conditions. And so we may as well go with what we are best suited to. It won’t play out for another week. And we have our own group here with La Boulanger and Inter Invest and we are racing with them. We have gybed on to starboard and are heading towards Martinique and should cross a few bows. Then the next gybe will determine how far we go south to find the best of the tradewinds. Now is a long, long starboard. We had a couple of days alongside Everial and that was good for both of us as we both went faster because we were alongside each other. Meantime we are well rested, especially compared to our last TJV when the pilot was not very good and we were getting 1.5 hours off at a time as the pilot was not very good.”
Brian Thompson
T'quila
Imoca

Will Harris, Malizia Seaexplorer, today

Will Harris GBR Malizia Seaexplorer, “All is well. We have a slightly different sail selection to the other boats and with our boat we prefer It to be a little bit windier. Although we are keeping up with the others we would love a little bit stronger winds for these final few days into the finish, that is what we are due to have and so hopefully that is what we are due to have. And in this tight pack we have we might be able to catch back a few miles on them. I think the front two boats Thomas and Yoann are going to be very hard to get. But from third back to Charal we could definitely if we sail fast and make some good choices we might have some nice close finishes at the end. It is a bit like Groundhog Day out here. We do one or maybe two gybes a day and then after that it is straight line sailing and maybe identifying where the next shift will be. I do think the next few days will see things change up a bit with a new system coming in from the north which will bring those northern boats in. There might be the chance to then get up to the north for these stronger winds into the finish bit that means crossing a lighter wind zone, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out to the finish.”
Will Harris
Malizia Seaexplorer
Imoca

Message from IMOCA Hublot

It’s hot! The wind hasn’t been as strong over the past few hours, which means we have been able to open the cockpit hatches to get some fresh air inside. We have settled into a routine and changing over fell into place naturally. In terms of racing, it’s all down to small moves to get the most out of the wind and changes in its angle. There are no big differences here, but over the distance if you add up all the small gains, it could make a difference. We’re not doing too badly for now. It’s very unusual to see the fleet split in two. We can’t see how we will end up in relation to those who went north. We’re doing what we can within our pack. It’s funny watching the gybes and the compromises being made between sailing higher or lower.
Simon Koster
Ocean Fifty

Messsage from Ocean Fifty Solidaires en Peloton

We have just over twenty knots of wind. We’re waiting for some squalls at daybreak. I am busy watching the wind and sails, as the wind is changing. Yesterday afternoon, we carried out our move to get in position for the finish, so lost some miles in terms of the distance to the finish. We could have gone further, but we did what we wanted to. I think we should pass Diamant Rock at around midnight UTC. It will depend a lot on the angle of the wind, which is changing a bit. We are remaining vigilant as it can all come to a sudden end. We’ve been pushing hard for ten days. Now is the time to remain cautious and focused.
Quentin Vlamynck
Class40

Message from Nicolas Andrieu (Class40 - Allagrende-Pirelli)

This morning, aboard Allagrande-Pirelli we are fighting two battles. Firstly, a closely fought contest with IBSA, with whom we have been sailing since Cape Finisterre for more than a week. Sometimes, we lose a mile due to our speed and then regain a mile thanks to our trajectory. We keep checking our speed by looking at the rankings to compare with our rival in the same conditions. Being so close is tiring, yet stimulating. 

The two boats are pushing each other towards higher speeds. Then, there is the battle carried out from a distance with the northern group, led by Xavier Macaire and his Groupe SNEF. 

We chose our options a few days ago, but are watching their progress in the North. According to our routing, we should meet up again on the day before the finish. Only then, will we know which was the right option. For now we’re doing what we can, trimming all the time and stacking and spending long hours at the helm.  It’s a fierce battle and exactly what we came looking for in this Coffee Race. 

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