A tight low pressure system has developed just to the south of the leaders and Yannick Bestaven has 29 knots of wind from the north-north-west and has speeded up averaging 16 knots over the past 4 hours. Charlie Dalin in Apivia is now nearly 100 miles behind with 14 knots of wind from the same direction. This low is due to move south and east, giving the boats favourable winds to propel them towards Cape Horn.
170 miles behind Apivia, Thomas Ruyant in Linked Out has west-south-westerly winds of 33 knots having narrowed the gap to the lead by almost 60 miles. There are 280 miles between Linked Out and Bureau Vallée. All have winds from a westerly direction and are making the most of them. Bureau Vallée has averaged 20 knots over the past four hours although it has less wind than the boats in front, but probably calmer seas.
The predictions show these westerly winds holding for the next five days which will put the fleet very close to Cape Horn, just as a severe gale, with 40 knots of wind, arrives there from the Pacific.
Jean Le Cam holds 6th place 1 mile closer to the next waypoint than Boris Herrman. Sam Davis’s husband Romain Attanasio is in 14th place, 1,000 miles off the lead, averaging 16 knots, 3,600 miles ahead of his wife. (Grandparents have their uses when both parents decide to sail off around the world!)
There is then empty ocean for the next 900 miles to Alan Roura in 15th place. Pip Hare is still in 17th and Miranda Merron in 23rd, 2000 and 3500 miles behind the leader respectively.
So we can expect some good speeds from the leading group for the next few days and only the size of the waves will restrict how fast they can go.