Rhythm of the Race According to the skippers very Figaro like

Standings table 

Top 3

1.  PRB 7 South 27 West
2.  Kingfisher 9 South 28 West + 94 miles 
3.  Active Wear  17 South 30 West +571 miles
 
Fleet round up section

Day 75 sees the skippers in a Figaro mindset.  Talk of helming all day, sail changes and reefs in and out.  At the front the of the fleet this gained Ellen Macarthur and Kingfisher 2 miles.  Last report had PRB faster than Kingfisher so Desjoyeaux could regain the lost distance.

Marc Thiercelin has sailed Active Wear to a 61 mile edge over Sill.

Thomas Coville the skipper who reports an all day helming sting, had got Sobedo to within 9 miles of 5th place UBP.

162 miles separate the British duo with EBP-Gartmore in front of Group 4.

Skipper Communications

Patrice Carpentier "My aim is still just to go as quickly as possible. This part of the race in the Atlantic is quite open. First goal is to get home though, and then without stopping. Thirdly to win the 50ft class. Then put as many 60’s behind me. I must preserve the boat too."

Thomas Coville Sobedo ". I’ve been helming like a real Figaro skipper between 5am yesterday morning and 5am today. I spent the whole day on deck...If the Vendée Globe is turning into a big Figaro race, I’m asking myself what the second leg will be!! Have you given us a pit-stop time to rest up in between? Well, you can’t really call the Vendée Globe a Figaro race, it’s not just about a ranking, an average speed. It has a real stamp of valour attached to it, as the solo sailors in it have to search for energy to continue where there’s none left. That’s what I find passionate about it. Parlier is showing us how legends are made, and perpetuating the Vendée Globe myth."

Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "Today has been a day of varied winds, and again - many sail changes, the temperature has increased further, and sleeping - especially during the day is difficult. It’s hard work pulling out and putting in the reefs."

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "I think that without my 7 seasons racing Figaro’s, I wouldn’t be where I am today on PRB. That helped me get a good boat. I just have to finish and hope to keep up this rhythm until the finish. The Figaro is a fantastic experience in terms of competition and strategy."

Current Weather Brest breezes at the front of the fleet.

Weather Forecast When you near the Doldrums the forecast is never certain, except that you'll have extremes of calm and extremes of squall.

What does it all mean

The Figaros that some of the skippers have sailed are one design boats.  The close racing with gains so hard to come by does resemble a one design fleet.