Rhythm of the Race Fine trade wind sailing for the front pair, then calms, with good progress from 7th place on.

Standings table 

Top 3

1.  PRB 17 South 26 West
2.  Kingfisher 19 South 28 West + 88 miles 
3.  Active Wear  23 South 30 West +387 miles
 

 

Fleet round up section

Day 74 sees  much of the fleet paired up in a series of match races.  UBP skipper Dominique Wavre mentioned the match racing pairs from mid ocean.

Its true.  Leader PRB is paired with Kingfisher 88 miles back.  Both boats have gained the trade winds.  Kingfisher is the faster of the boats by .7 knots.  PRB has broken out a new staysail.  Now the skippers begin their approach to the Doldrums.

The next pair is 3rd place Active Wear and 4th place Sill separated by 71 miles.  They have hit the calms and are under 5 knots.

5th place UBP is separated by only 35 miles from Sobedo.  They are also under 10 knots of speed.

Whirlpool is currently without a close sailing partner.

Two British boats are the next duo.  Gartmore-EBP leads Group 4 by 315 miles.  Group 4 is 3 knots faster.

The boat that won the last edition, Voila Fr. leads the 50 footer VM Matériaux by 18 miles.  

 

Skipper Communications

Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "We’ve got a breeze from the east now. It was really bizarre, all of a sudden the wind swung in all sorts of directions and went very light, and then a cloud came over and as the cloud came over the wind flicked to the east at 14 knots....So now we’re reaching along with the genoa and full main...I’ve been looking at the cloud formations at the Equator for more than a week now, trying to decide where to cross. Its going to be critical. Its the next hurdle."

Josh Hall EBP-Gartmore "weather I expect us to be fast for the final 6000 miles. Its strange how we have started to regard thousands of miles as not so far at all.....my perceptions of time and distance have changed hugely during this adventure. I am sure the last 1000 miles will be the longest of the race though as I will probably be looking at the miles to go and the
time every minute!!"

Dominique Wavre UBP "But both of us have been stuck in this for a few days. I’ve come to a halt for a whole day! Even with the current I started creeping backwards and had to furl the genoa so as not to damage it...Otherwise it’ll be a match race in pairs until the end from here."

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "I’m getting my beautiful kevlar staysail out of the hold – my last secret weapon...We have three – four days of sitting on the same tack, and then we’ll haul in the sails nice and flat and climb steadily up the North Atlantic...I have a special staysail just for this last stretch upwind home...My knowledge after seven Figaro seasons, as far as managing my sleep and time on the boat has served me well up until now."

Thomas Coville Sobedo "I really enjoy photographing the skies out here with every colour imaginable. It’s magical out here and reminds me of the Doldrums."

Current Weather Trade Winds for the top 2.

Weather Forecast Steady trades for several days.

What does it all mean

Josh Hall mentions how his ideas about distance have changed.  If the close pairings remain, 4000 to 6500 miles remaining for these boats should pass quick as can be.