Paprec-Virbac 2 leads Vendee fleet

11:35 AM Tue 11 Nov 2008 GMT

'Toe in the Water - Steve White - Vendee Globe' Mark Lloyd/ DDPI/Vendee Globe &copy

All the 30 Vendee Globe skippers were expecting an extremely tough opening 24-48 hours of racing, and that what they got with eight boats now having returned or on their way back to port since the start in Les Sables d'Olonne.

Those who rode it out the under fifty-knot gusts and six metre high waves with lashing rain, have made their tacks as the cold front passed over and the conditions have eased to give faster reaching conditions.

However, even if the wind suddenly veered by 90? and eased off in just a few minutes, that has not changed the sea state. They have not only tacked to head south-westwards, but have also had to hoist more sail, which has required a lot of physical effort. Jean-Pierre Dick on Paprec-Virbac 2 and Roland Jourdain on Veolia Environnement seem both to have timed this well after continuing westwards for as long as possible and they now lie in first and second, with 1.1 miles of difference between them. Lo?ck Peyron, leader yesterday evening on Gitana 80, chose to tack first and is now to leewards of the fleet, inshore, closer to the coast of Spain.

Sailing at more than 15 knots in the 25-knot NW'ly, the leaders will benefit from a sea that will begin to calm and a wind veering to a favourable northerly and easing off a little.

Mike Golding on Ecover 3 has gained two places overnight and is up to tenth, 41.4 miles behind leader Dick, and he has Dee Caffari on sistership Aviva, slightly offshore and to leeward, calculated to be about 12 miles behind him. Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar is up from 17th on yesterday evening's report to 14th and is on a more southerly heading than Golding and Caffari, mirroring Peyron's move to stay closer to Finisterre, Sam Davies on Roxy made one place to 15th.

Despite his last minute, rushed preparations Steve White on Toe in the Water appears to have ridden out the worst of it in good shape and lies 17th, 87.4 miles behind the leader Paprec-Virbac 2.

At 0530GMT this morning, Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia left the harbour in Les Sables d'Olonne: he is expected to set sail again imminently and restart the race to the south of the Nouck Buoy. Foncia has around 360 miles to sail to catch up the leaders, as they approach Cape Finisterre.

'Foncia set out again this morning at around 5h 40mins after a pit stop worthy of Ferrari. It's as if she was brand new. Many thanks to the support team and everyone at Nanni. The sea is still very rough, although the wind has eased off and gone around to the WNW' he reported.

0400h GMT rankings Tuesday 11th November :

1-Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) 23,333 miles from the finish
2-Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) 1.1 miles from the leader
3-Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) 5.5 miles behind
4-Armel Le Cleac'h (Brit Air) 5.6 miles behind
5-Vincent Riou (PRB) 7.7 miles behind

Selected International

10-Mike Golding (ECOVER 3) +41.4 miles
12- Dee Caffari (AVIVA) +53.2 miles
13- Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) +55.8 miles
14- Sam Davies (ROXY) +57.8 miles
17- Steve White (Toe in the Water) +87.4 miles

by Veronique Teurlay

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