Rhythm of the Race Double digit speeds for the first 10 boats.

Standings table 

Top 3

1.  PRB 51 South 57 West
2.  Kingfisher 56 South 71 West + 562 miles 
3.  Active Wear  55 South 77 West +849 miles

Fleet round up section

Michel Desjoyeaux sails north in the Atlantic Ocean, while the next boats still sail east in the Pacific.  The exact distance of his lead is 630 miles.  Once again he has a speed advantage on 2nd and 3rd.  PRB is over 5 knots faster than Kingfisher which is suffering without full sail inventory.

Active Wear has pulled up into 3rd place, 849 miles from 1st.

Skipper Communications

Dominique Wavre UBP "I’ve just been knocked over by a wave there! It’s impressive stuff, a good 40 degree heel in one hit! The kettle’s still in one place though...You have to manage yourself, the stress and anxiety, which is different in solo mode than with a team. The difficulty of sleeping is the major factor.... That’s why skippers who are more in tune with a solo race like this will be the talented Figaro guys."

Mike Golding Group 4 "I’ve been watching ‘The Rock’ on DVD actually, I’ve got 12 movies, which I’m afraid I’ve run to death. When I eat my evening meal I watch a bit of a movie and pick it up the next day."

Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "I’m heading downwind, without gennaker, and I’ve lost speed, but otherwise there is not much else to report....I’m still 100 miles from Cape Horn, I should round this evening or tonight, I think."

Marc Thiercelin Active Wear "Yesterday I got really scared . My autopilot went crazy, I did a double S. All the battens I had changed broke, I heard a big « crack » and saw that the sail was torn. I spent most of the aftternoon, 4 hours in total, trying to repair it all."

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "With 600 miles advance, that’s 2 and a half day’s lead. If I can’t relax at that, when will I ever chill out!.... I have all my light weather sails whereas Ellen only has those for heavier winds."

Current Weather For the boats still in the Pacific typical windy and wavy conditions.

Weather Forecast Desjoyeaux will continue to be favored with following winds as he heads north.

What does it all mean

With Kingfisher lacking in sail inventory, it maybe up to Active Wear to take on pursuit of PRB.