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12:20 PM Fri 5 Dec 2008 GMT
Six days after he first lead this Vend?e Globe race, Yann Eli?s is back on top of the fleet after he took Generali past his rival Seb Josse (BT) last night. The pair crossed tracks during the night with the Finot Conq design now just 22 miles to the north and slightly east of BT, computing to a lead of just two miles over the Farr designed BT.
After more than 40 knots during the night, the winds have slackened off for the leaders as have corresponding speeds. Wind is expected to rise again.
120 miles between front of fleet and 10th placed Michel Desjoyeaux who last night reported a personal speed 'record' of 30.44 knots, his best yet on his Open 60 Foncia.
After a challenging night of high speed sailing the winds look to have dropped, with quieter spells, particularly to the south, nearer the centre of the depression which has provided the pack with up to 40 knots of NW'ly wind.
North-south divide develops as fourth Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) dives 240 miles below the track of third placed Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) the most northerly boat.
Jean-Pierre Dick's investment in the south sees Paprec-Virbac 2 now 225 miles under the track taken by Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) who is just less than 40 miles ahead of him third place. Peyron has been quickest through the night, gaining 14.7 miles on leader Generali. Dick's course is 155 miles south of that of leader Elies.
Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover) also made his desire to go south known yesterday evening when he gybed just after tea-time (GMT) and his course has taken him to 78 miles north of the more extreme route of Paprec-Virbac 2. They have the Kerguelen security ice gate as their long term waypoint to pull them back north, 590 miles ahead.
And while Eli?s and Josse race as a 'duo', so to do Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) and Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) in the sister-ships. Jourdain spent his fourth place with his choice to move down to the south of Le Cam and now lies sixth, 12.9 miles behind Le Cam.
Chasing hard, 15.3 knots is the highest average speed among the top 20 over the last 24 hours, a 'score' shared by both Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Sam Davies, GBR, (Roxy). Desjoyeaux has stuck to a more northerly course and is now 30.4 miles behind Golding.
Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos II) and Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) are well passed the west extremity of the first gate, and seem set to pass some 60 miles to the north.
Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia), with his damaged rudder cassette, has been making slow, but steady progress NE.
0500 HRS GMT. Rankings, Friday 5th December
1- Yann Elies (Generali) 17757.5 miles to finish
2- Seb Josse (BT) at +2 miles
3 -Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) at + 12.8 miles
4 - Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at +51.5 miles
5 - Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) + 53 miles
Selected International
9- Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) at + 89.6 miles
12- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 256.8 miles
13- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 437.8 miles
14- Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 530.1 miles
15- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 682 miles
16- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 684.3 miles
18 - Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 748.5 miles
19 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 806.3 miles
20- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 946.3 miles
21- Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia) at + 1255.9 miles
23- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1428.2 miles
25- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) +1621.2
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by Vendee Globe Media
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