The race
in brief

While the ULTIM leaders Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas (SVR-Lazartigue) try to wriggle clear of a testing Doldrums phase and the Ocean Fifty fleet pass the Cape Verde island group led by Basile Bourgnon and Manu Le Roche (Edenred 5) 37 Class 40s restarted their race from Le Havre to Martinique from the Galician haven of La Coruña. Their 3200 nautical miles stage is expected to take the leaders into Fort de France about 14 days and looks certain to offer typically two options, to go south on a less clear, defined strategy which may strengthen or diminish in the next 48 hours, or to stay north on a classic Atlantic route, bashing upwind into a succession of low pressures before being able to fast reach south west towards Martinique. And the IMOCA leaders have been engaged in a very close battle round the Canary Islands with Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris on 11th Hour still holding the lead ahead of a pleasingly international, diverse top 5.

Out on the Atlantic the coffee is still brewing on the Atlantic stoves. It's been almost a week since the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR left Le Havre, and the skippers are all still at their own respective starting lines. It's the big day in La Coruña for the Class40s, who will set off at midday UTC for the 3,200-mile leg to Fort-de-France. The Ocean Fifties are rounding their last mark before heading into the trade winds towards the Caribbean. The IMOCAs are slowly restarting near Fuerteventura, the Canary Island that doesn't quite live up to its reputation as a paradise for wind sports. As for the ULTIMs, they're entering the Doldrums, the perfect opportunity to challenge SVR Lazartigue's lead from Ushant.