There are now eleven boats within 380 miles of each other at the head of the Vendée Globe fleet as they come close to halfway across the mighty Pacific Ocean. All these boats, with favourable winds, can cover that distance within a day. I do not remember such a close solo race around the world where the prize of the top place on the podium is within the reach of so many competitors. There is everything to go for after 17,000 miles of racing, but with 9,600 miles to go wear and tear will be on everyone’s minds. Although there is a gap of 200 miles between the two boats at the head of the fleet and the pursuing group of nine, that can disappear in half a day with even a small repair causing a loss of speed.
The High Pressure system which now lies across the path of the does not show any signs of dissipating before Sunday evening. The more favourable winds are tantalisingly close but keep moving at about the same speed as the boats. High Pressure systems are less predictable than Low Pressure ones so a slight movement is always possible, but who might get the best of it?.
Maître CoQ has retaken the lead from Apivia by 32 miles, and both are experiencing easterly winds so they are having to tack towards the east and Cape Horn. The decision to bite the bullet and beat eastward on the North side of the high has paid off for Yannick Bestaven so far. Bureau Vallée has made up some of the time it lost making repairs in the lee of Macquarie Island and is in 11th place, but with northerly winds so is eating into the lead. Jean Le Cam has moved into 3rd place but Boris Herrmann in Seaexplorer is only a mile behind.
Pip Hare is in 17th position, 400 miles ahead of Charal which has consistently shown greater speeds than any of the boats around it. Miranda Merron is still in 23rd place, whilst Sam Davis has overtaken Merci at the rear of the fleet.