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7:25 PM Tue 18 Nov 2008 GMT
The lead swings back and forth between Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) and Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) as the Vend?e Glob vanguard slows into the stifling uncertainty of the Doldrums. The top spot has been held five times each by Le Cam and by Peyron since early yesterday (Monday) morning, according to the published intermediate position reports.
Tonight the advantage line has swung back in favour of Peyron, as Le Cam - aided perhaps by his three soft toy 'stowaways' - Bibi the puffer fish, the Pink Panther, and L?on the hedgehog - makes his move back from the extreme easternmost position.
Le Cam has consolidated, coming west to be 55 miles east of Peyron's navy blue hulled Farr design. VM Mat?riaux is now second again with a deficit now of 22.5 miles.
In the East North Easterly breeze the leading pack crabs south and west in steps towards the favoured crossing point to break through the sticky, light winds of the Doldrums.
The gains of second wave of three - Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) and now Yann Elies (Generali) have now reduced - and behind them Mike Golding, GBR, the top international skipper with Ecover 3, has taken a painful 30 miles loss since the last report as he, too, tries to gain a more westerly position. Golding lies eighth.
But while the gains and losses may oscillate with the direction - South or West - that the leaders need to make, all are spending hours studying every the different meteorological files available to them as they seek to line up on the most pain free Doldrums route.
After a long hard night, changing sail combinations in the more fickle breezes, anticipating the moves of their rivals, and trying to stay on top of the weather situation, it has been an equally difficult day. Heat and humidity on board the leading boats leave the skippers dripping with sweat. And tonight promises to be as long and tricky. No one wants to be separated from the pack as they work their way through the light, usually random winds.
'The Doldrums look quite active and difficult with the weather models not really coinciding, and so at this time it is important not to lose miles, because certainly the first to emerge always gets the advantage. I think it will be a slow crossing but from what I can see there should be breeze to get us through, even if it is slowly.' Said Ecover 3's Mike Golding this morning.
Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) continues in the fast lane, working rapidly on a western course. After starting again two days after the leaders, he has gained more than 225 miles on the leaders, passing Britain's Jonny Malbon (Artemis) to gain 18th place this afternoon.
Voices at Sea
S?b Josse (BT), 3rd at +38.7 miles:'The sea is calm and I'm sailing at ten knots with the wind from astern. It's better than last night, when I came to a standstill for a few hours. I had a lot of manoeuvres to do and a series of tacks. I was kept busy on the winches. We don't really have the normal pattern of trade winds. They are already disturbed by the Doldrums. I think we should reach them tomorrow (Wednesday) late in the afternoon. But it's not easy to be more precise, as the situation keeps changing with each satellite photo, between yesterday's and this morning's. In any case, we'll all be arriving there at the same time. The routing programmes show us (the leading group) arriving at the Doldrums with only ten miles separating us.'
Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) 16th at + 345 miles: 'I am getting there. Every day I get more confident. Aviva is doing a great job and I could not really ask her to do much more, now I just need to get her in the right place now.'' I have to look at the bigger picture now, the short term gains look good for the day to day running, but it is a long way round the world and it is important for me to enter the Southern Ocean with a group of boats to race against, otherwise it is a very lonely place to be.
Sleep is more difficult because it is getting hotter and I am constantly thinking about if I have made the right decisions and am on the right sail plan.'
Michel Desjoyeaux in French (Foncia), 18th at +456.3 miles: 'I'm sailing permanently between 15 and 17 knots having found some wind that wasn't really forecast. I was just about to hoist the spinnaker and in the end I had to sheet in the sails. Ahead it looks a real mess, and meanwhile, I've moved up a few places. It was about time the trend was reversed.'
Vendee Globe Rankings, - Tuesday 15:00 HRS GMT (FRA, unless stated)
1- Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) 21,357.2 to the finish
2- Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) at + 22.5 miles to leader
3- Seb Josse (BT) at + 38.7 miles to leader
4- Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at + 48.5 miles to leader
5- Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) at + 61 miles to leader
Selected International
8- Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) at + 92.4 miles
11- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 222 miles
13- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 223.7 miles
15- Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 238 miles
16- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 345.1 miles
17- Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 413.7 miles
18- Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 456.3 miles
19- Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia) at + 536.9 miles
20- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 539.2 miles
23- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) at + 871.8 miles
24- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 1190.1miles
25- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1601.5 miles
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by Vendee Globe media
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Hamilton Island, QLD
