Rhythm of the Race PRB and Kingfisher are looking fast and evenly matched, no give in either skipper or boat.

Standings table 

Top 3

1. PRB 36:4 North 23 West 
2. Kingfisher 35 North 24:5 West 145 miles
3. Sill 30 South 31 West 575 Miles

 
Fleet round up section

Michel Desjoyeaux will have under 1000 miles to sail later today.  His lead has increased 19 miles as PRB is now 145 miles ahead of Kingfisher.  The winds are kind and from behind enabling the top 2 to sail at 15 knots.

Sill seems to have a serious hold on 3rd place.  Roland Jourdain's lead over Active Wear is 372 miles.

Sobedo and UBP continue to be the closest pair.  Sobedo has a slim 8 mile lead, while UBP has a 1 knot speed advantage.

Group 4 has stepped out on Gartmore to a lead of 192 miles.  Better yet for Mike Golding he has a 6 knots speed advantage on Gartmore.

Yves Parlier has sailed Aquitaine Innovations around Cape Horn.  He has a finish eta of 20 March.  Race officials will allows him to eat food rations from his survival equipment in order to stretch his food.

Skipper Communications

Yves Parlier Aquitaine Innovations "I passed Cape Horn yesterday at 2037hrs. Excellent passage. My fourth and they are never the same. I passed this time quite close to the rocks, under spinnaker with the odd glimpse of sunlight, snowcapped mountain tops, dolphins. I really took the time to enjoy it thoroughly. Amazing scenery!...The Vendée Globe this time has taken one step forward in the realms of performance. I would have like to have been one of the skippers who finished under 100 days."

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "There are these breakers which just swamp the boat completely, the sea and wind are both powerful, even a little too much...For the finish, I think Saturday is a plausible scenario, but when the wind dies down a little I will be able to refine that estimate...On Friday I might be able to start thinking about Victory in the Vendée Globe… For now, I only have the right to hope for it, but not to say it and above all not to write it! While that finish line is still in front of me, I can’t think about victory."


Marc Thiercelin Active Wear ", I’m stuck in this anticyclone and the wind is playing with me, it’s so hard to navigate. I’m trying something, which only the condemned man would do, it’s my last chance though, I’m trying to sail round the system the other way. It will elongate the miles for me but I should get stronger winds – let’s face, what have I got to lose now? The top two have shot off, so I’ll do anything to come back on Bilou...For me the race was mostly played out in the Doldrums on the way down. I was just 20 miles from the leader then. I’ve done nothing but try and come back since then...It’s my last solo circumnavigation, in a race. That is definite. When you’ve finished 2nd once already, you have more to lose than to gain. I’ve worked so hard for this edition of the race. I shall arrive with my head high though. I might do it again in a crew. The solo round the world race has changed, now it’s all centred at the chart tables and on technical capabilities. For me, I’ve relied much more on my own sense as a sailor."


Dominique Wavre UBP "These boats are not only much more adapted than those sailing 4 years ago, but they are close-matched too – there’s been a real fight out here. In fact, paradoxically speaking as soon as you improve the security measures of the boats, you improve their capabilities, their overall performance."


Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "IT’s difficult to give an ETA because of the ridge… but I think I should arrive during the week end !"

Current Weather Leaders have as much as they want in both wind and waves.

Weather Forecast Continued good sailing winds.

What does it all mean

Saturday looks as if it could be the day when Michel Desjoyeaux crosses the line and adds another French sailors name to the Vendee Globe winners list.