At the moment it is looking good for the leaders, they have the low pressure above them and the high below, to their south, and are running down a corridor of breeze. The further they climb north the more wind there is, stray too far south and it goes much lighter. Getting the balance right is one thing, but so too is sailing the fleet.

Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) has taken the hitches north and seems to have profited, leading ahead of Sam Goodchild (FOR THE PLANET). After a series of problems, not least with his pilot and wind instrumentation, Jéremie Beyou (Charal) seems to have found decent speed again and is up to third and challenging Goodchild. Problems for Thomas Ruyant(FOR PEOPLE) – damaged rudder system and torn mainsail – have annulled his charge for the moment. 

But in the meantime, “it is almost an ideal scenario” according to Race Director Hubert Lemonnier.

 “For the moment all the signs are positive that things should go smoothly for the entire fleet, for the first who could arrive on the evening of Saturday December 9, or for the last who shouldreach Lorient on Tuesday or Wednesday”, summarized meteorologist Christian Dumard on Tuesday morning, December 5, during his daily bulletin.

Even with a bigger system coming in for the second part of the week there is the choice to avoid the worst of it by staying in the south. According to Dumard it is a question of do you want to push for the win or for a key result or do you want to stay safer, get to the finish and pocket the Vendée Globe qualification. 

Meantime in Martinique, Jean Le Cam is preparing to leave, likely tomorrow, on what is going to be a truly solo test across the Atlantic on his new Tout Commence En Finistère – Armor-Lux.