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12:44 PM Mon 1 Dec 2008 GMT
The leading three boats in this Vend?e Globe now stand at 39 degrees south, on the cusp of the Forties - the next four boats have plunged further south and are already there. It's time to pull out the thermals and put on their southern ocean heads?
Those showing the way - Seb Josse (BT), Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) and Yann Elies (Generali) - seem agreed on where they want to go, which is currently east. However, their tracks suggest a slightly different methodology for getting there: Josse's track is smooth, Peyron's shows constant adjustment, and Generali sailed the sharpest corner.
Behind them Armel Le Cleac'h (Brit Air) and Vincent Riou (PRB) have been matching each other virtually wave by wave, and are currently heading south-east, as is Bilou (Veolia Environment) - all currently averaging around 15 knots. Between the two, groups Mike Golding (Ecover, GBR) has been making ground to the east, and is now heading south-east, less than 100 miles behind the leaders.
After skirting close to the high yesterday, Sam Davies on Roxy (GBR) is now gaining miles to the south and is picking up speed again. Elsewhere there is a general movement to the east right across the fleet, following the high as it tracks north-east.
Michel Desjoyeaux has gained another place in this morning's (0400h GMT) rankings. After joking about eating British skippers for breakfast yesterday, he had a Swiss sailor as an early morning snack, moving further east of Dominique Wavre to pass him in the position reports and climb into 11th place, although Temenos is still further south.
Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Groupe Maisonneuve) has also snuck south than Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada), but so far the Canadian has held off the young pretender of the fleet in the rankings, with just 10 miles now separating the two boats for 24th place.
Having abandoned his plans to anchor off the island of Trinidade, Rapha?l Dinelli is currently about 500 miles off the coast of Brazil in Fondation Oc?an Vital, and is still seeking a suitable stopping point to repair his main halyard.
News from the Boats.
Attack of the baby squid - Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message
'Yesterday I saw some interesting wildlife. In the morning, Roxy was covered in little squid. So I guessed that we had been under attack during the night! Guillaume, one of the Roxy boys, would have had a whole meal out of what was on deck, but eating them raw like that is not my cup of tea! Later on during the day, I saw my first albatross and even a seal! I didn't realise seals swam so far away from land. Nice to have a bit of company anyway. It was such a busy Sunday and I am glad I got all my jobs done. I even had time for a last bucket shower, in the evening sunshine, probably the last time I chuck seawater over my head until after Cape Horn!
It was yet another beautiful sunset and Roxy was bubbling along under spinnaker. Just perfect sailing and hard to believe we are in the Southern Ocean. The sun dropped into the sea, colouring the sky oranges and pinks and turning the sea into an oily blue. The sky above, the colour of twilight, decorated by a slither of the new moon. It is good to see the moon again putting to an end these pitch black nights we were having, where it is impossible to see anything. The stars are less easy to see now. However once we are in the 'land of the shadows' for real, to see any star will be a treat as the sky is nearly always cloudy.'
Another broken car for Derek - Derek Hatfield (Algimouss Spirit of Canada)
'A bit of a shocker this morning to find another batten car on the mast broken and the batten hanging loose against the mast. As daylight came on I could also see damage to the mast track but once I could take a closer look by climbing up, it turns out that the track is damaged but not so much that the cars can go by. I had visions of the same thing back in Les Sables d'Olonne after the storm. I've replaced the broken car with a spare one and after three hours or so, am back up and running again. This is the second batten car that has broken and what is disconcerting is the fact that they are breaking and why? I will try and figure it out to prevent others breaking as I only have one spare left. '
Jonny Malbon (Artemis) in his daily message
'Feels like I have been in one massive squall for the last 24 hours - 20 - 28 knots of wind, thick cloud, and horizontal rain. Sounds just like England. Hope to have a little break in the weather at some point, but maybe not for 24 hours. Still, making good progress, and life on board is not to bad.'
0500 HRS GMT. Rankings, Monday 1st December
(FRA, unless stated)
1- Seb Josse (BT) at 19052.6 miles to the finish
2- Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) at + 25.5 miles
3- Yann Elies (Generali) at + 44.3 miles
4-Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at + 72.9 miles to leader
5-Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environment) at + 76.3 miles to leader
Selected International:
9- Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) at + 66 miles
12- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 227.9 miles
13- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 306.2 miles
14- Sam Davies, GBR, (ROXY) at + 360.4 miles
15- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 424.7 miles
17- Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at +625.4 miles
18 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 665.9 miles
19- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 703.5 miles
20- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 779.7 miles
21- Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia) at + 850.1 miles
23- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) at + 1327.1 miles
24- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1485.4 miles
- Front-runners reach 39 degrees, and begin to pull away
by Vendee Globe media
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Leonora Airport, WA
Windsurfing - Boards
Foiling - Wind Wing Foilboards
