The race
in brief

Interactive race map

Map tracker

The essential

Imoca

Message de l'imoca Singchain Team Haikou

It is going well. We are now under masthead code zero with one reef in the mainsail and we are tramping along at 15-16kts. It is partly overcast with the sun just poking through. It is nice and warm. It is much nicer then smashing upwind which I think we did for eight or nine days! It has been good, It is great to see how Jackie manages the boat and how he does everything anyone else can do and how he is just careful to not get into difficult situations and that means making sail changes early, the result is we are making good calls in a timely fashion. Right now, as far as you can guarantee these things, he would be a certainty to finish his Vendée Globe.
Mike Golding
Imoca

Message from IMOCA Initiatives Coeur

It is super hot here now. The trade winds are blowing and we are still flying along towards Martinique. We are almost in the final 24h and we keep pushing hard on the boat speed, the strategy and keeping an eye on the competition that is close by.
I can feel the fatigue of the last ten days so despite there only being 24h to go we still keep resting when we can (sleep in the daytime heat is hard)
We are also getting out our homework and studying the notes we made about the weather and strategy for the approach to Martinique and the section around the coast into the finish which can be tricky!
It’s so hot but there is quite a lot of spray on deck but occasionally we get to stick our head out and enjoy the breeze (spray, and flying fish)
Sam

The Coffee Race going back to its roots

At the present time, a small coffee plant is sailing across the Atlantic. It has been named, “Café-Fé.” Tanguy Le Turquais and Félix de Navacelle were given the task of taking it home to its ancestors. It will join the plantations in Martinique, where the premier league of coffee was relaunched: the arabica typica plant.
Read the rest of the article
Class40

Message du Class40 Legallais

For several days now, the days have looked like one another. The wind angle changes from day to night. We deal with that by changing tack, going from port to starboard to head west in the same direction as the wind. We try to make the most of these shifts to gain a few extra metres and extend our lead over the rivals we are fighting against at the moment. It’s great to be back with them. There is La Manche #Evidence Nautique with whom we have been close for ages, but gradually we have got away from them. Now, we are more or less twenty miles ahead, which is good.
Captain Alternance was 100 miles ahead in the Canaries and we got back up with them yesterday evening. It was all down to small positioning choices. We overtook them this morning and are now 15 miles ahead.

I’m spending a lot of time on the weather, as that is the major subject. Go north or south or in the middle with the trade winds fading away shortly? In the mid-Atlantic, the wind that should take us to Martinique is missing. So, the choice is to go right around this area, which isn’t that simple. North is more physical. As things are going we’re on a route to the South, but there is still time to change to avoid the large area of light winds ahead. We have until tomorrow lunchtime to decide where to position ourselves.

Message from IMOCA New Europe

Hi everyone!

From this morning we are finally sailing downwind!

After 9 days and nights of upwind it is a big releaf. Aperat the big job we had to do to set up new sails. 

As soon as wind angle alowed we set up the Code 0 and were reaching for  a while. Wind was very gusty and shifty at the beginning and sails required permanent attention. 

At the same time we got problem with main autopilot linear drive and had to slow down and replace it. Hopefully we have a spare one. 

While those exercises wind shifted  clockwiseand decreased in speed  and the algle become too open for the code 0.

We changed to A3 and now trying to keep  good speed. 

Weather conditions are good, but there are many clouds with shifts and gusts around.  Also we observe big swall - about 3 m long waves from North. All this makes us hesitating to use bigger kite.

Atmosphere is good on board, our litle team works nicely !

Irina and Szabi

Imoca

Message from Imoca L’Occitane en Provence

It’s not going too badly today on our little boat. We get the impression that we’re learning something new each day. Yesterday, we tore our big gennaker. Alan (Roberts) had to climb along the stay to try to repair that and it seems to be holding. We’re going to need it until the finish in theory. 
Today, it’s hot inside the boat and it’s more like the real trade winds. We had squalls this morning, but there aren’t any clouds now and there’s 20-22-23 knots of wind. At the helm, we’re bouncing up and down a bit and it’s like a Turkish bath in there. We’re pleased to be where we are. As keen racers, we would have liked to have stuck with those ahead, but we’re doing what we can with what we have.
Clarisse Crémer

ASK THE TEAM YOUR QUESTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA