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9:53 AM Thu 18 Dec 2008 GMT
In the Vendee Globe Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) posting the highest average speeds this morning, making over 20 knots, leads by just under 30 miles (90 minutes) from Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement).
Seb Josse back in third, gaining 10 miles since yesterday afternoon.
Duels from front to back across the 3400 miles that the Vend?e Globe fleet spans.
The Vendee Globe may be about extreme solo performance, but the power of two is a motivational spur all the way down the Vend?e Globe fleet from Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) just 29 miles in the lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), to the British pair Sam Davies (ROXY) and Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) and the English-French tussle between Dee Caffari (Aviva) to Norbert Sedlacek, AUT (Nauticsport-Kapsch) sailing with France's Raphael Dinelli (Fondation Oc?an Vital). One of the strengths of this amazing contest to date has been how rivals have been evenly matched down the fleet. So far, there has neither been one boat launched off the front of the fleet, not struggling to keep pace with a rival.
While Michel Desjoyeaux has his foot down again with a speed of 20.5 knots recorded this morning, Roland Jourdain is having to work hard to avoid seeing the gap widen. Jourdain managed to survive his 'bogey' day yesterday. On December 17th in the Vend?e Globe he had to withdraw with keel failure, and last year on the same date his mast collapsed in the two handed round the world race.
Undaunted, for the moment the skipper of Veolia Environnement is keeping pace, diving south with Mich' Desj', he is managing the situation well and the gap is not going beyond thirty miles as the pair race, both now south of 50 degrees, towards the next ice security gate just under 300 miles ahead.
Ninety four miles behind Foncia, it's a case of 'now me, now you' with S?bastien Josse (BT) and Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux). In terms of distance to the finish only 1.5 miles separate them as they battle it out for third place with their eyes on another goal: maintaining the pace to stay up with the frontrunners.
In the second group there are more duels going on: between Le Cl?ac'h/Riou and Guillemot/Eli?s there are 33 miles. In spite of damage to his mainsail luff track Guillemot does not seem to be compromised, opting for a southerly route, while Eli?s has gone north. All of the second group have now passed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, and under most normal weather circumstances are more than a day behind the leaders.
Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) is making east at 10-11 knots more than 400 miles to the north, he is still in 20-25 knots of wind trying to repair his rudder mechanism.
Sam Davies passed the SW Australia Ice gate this morning and has gained a small handful of miles on Brian Thompson, while Dee Caffari is managing to keep Arnaud Boissieres in here pocket, 18 miles behind her still. Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) has still maintained good speeds overnight although he is compromised by pain in his elbow.
Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos II) continues to make good progress NE despite his keel problems. Passing north of the Kerguelen Islands Jonny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis II) appears to have gained a few miles on his nearest rival Rich Wilson, USA, (Great American III).
Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) in his daily message,'You're going to laugh, or smile at least. As I keep looking behind me through the door, I can't remember which is port and which is starboard, green and red. You could say 'Apart from a question of pride, it doesn't really matter, as you don't need to know!' But I do.
It is useful as the stern ballast tanks of which there are four, 2 on the right and 2 on the left are emptied and filled using 2 intakes, one on the right and one on the left and beside each of them there are 4 cords with a green and yellow ball on the end for starboard and a red and white ball for port. So it's simple in theory. Except that as the boat is heeled over, we fill the windward tank from the leeward side, so at the moment for example, the starboard intake for the port tank. So I have to keep asking myself the question. The strange thing is that at night it's easier as the navigational lights are on an I just take the ball with the same colour as the side I want to fill. In short, a simple thing becomes a real pain in the butt, just because I keep looking behind me. What if I looked behind using a mirror and was colour-blind. That would really get confusing.'
0400hrs HRS GMT. Rankings, Thursday 19th December 2008
(FRA unless stated)
1. Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at + 13091 miles
2. Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at 29.5 miles
3. Seb Josse (BT) at + 94 miles
4. Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) at + 94.5 miles
5. Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) +311.2 miles
Selected International 10. Sam Davies, GBR, (ROXY) at + 958.2 miles
11. Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 1066 miles
12. Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 1051.2 miles
14. Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 2059.9 miles
15. Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 2407.7 miles
16. Rich Wilson, USA, (Great American III) at + 2500.9 miles
17. Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 2748.4 miles
19. Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport.Kapsch) + 3424.5 miles
by Vendee Globe media
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