Vendee Globe leaders go further south, fleet is in for a windy night

8:30 PM Mon 22 Dec 2008 GMT

'Foncia. VINCENT CURUTCHET / DPPI / Vend?e Globe' Vendee Globe 2008 &copy

Three low pressure zones stretching across the race course from front-runners to rear markers look set to ensure everyone has a windy night tonight. Those on the western edge are still skirting the edge of a low which will see winds averaging 50 knots affecting the west of the Kerguelens, with a second storm brewing in the next 48 hours.

In the middle of the fleet a low is deepening to the south-east of Heard Island and looks set to bring violent winds from tomorrow through to Wednesday - making for an exciting Christmas Eve, even if for the skippers it is going to be spent slaving over GRIB files, rather than a turkey. These winds are set to move northwards, towards the south of Australia. For the leaders, a low that formed over Cape Leeuwin last weekend and then headed off towards Tasmania is now moving towards the south of New Zealand, generating some strong gusts in the thundery squalls.

In this evening's update, the boats with most favourable conditions seem to be in the second row - Vincent Riou (PRB) in 6th making the most ground in 24 hours, with fifth-placed Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) also clocking averages of over 18 knots. Fastest over this afternoon has been Jean-Pierre Dick, whose rudder repairs to Paprec-Virbac 2 seem to be holding with speeds creeping over 20 knots.

Further and faster... the leading pair in the Vendee Globe, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environment) are now at 54 degrees south, and still sailing south-easterly at 15-16 knots.

Surging east, the front-runners will pass the Greenwich Meridian line of 180? in less than twenty-four hours. As the skippers cross from the west to the eastern hemisphere, they will each 'gain' one day. But there may be other gains to be made before the next ice gate. Behind the front pair, third-placed Seb?stian Josse (BT) and Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux, 4th) have gybed onto a more northerly line. On this afternoon's rankings Josse has lost nearly 50 miles on the leader in the past 24 hours - but with the New Zealand gate at 48? and another low pressure system developing to the east of New Zealand, there could yet be mileage to be made as the fleet climb north again.

Meanwhile the next duo, Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) and Vincent Riou (PRB) have picked up the pace, taking 20-25 miles back out of Foncia's lead since this morning's 11h (GMT) update, on the edge of a low pressure system. The front is expected to be stormy and very gusty, with gusts topping 50 knots when it reaches the pair.

Another close pair, Sam Davies (Roxy, GBR) and Marc Guillemot (Safran), is in a high pressure ridge of light winds. Sam Davies is still gliding along at 7-10 knots, however Marc Guillemot's speed has slowed as he has been trying to effect repairs to Safran's main track: 'I went up the mast twice this morning, but in vain. It was gruelling. I had a helmet on and knee pads, fortunately, as I really got shaken around. In spite of the fact that there were only 5-8 knots of wind in the area - that's why I decided to give it a try - the sea is really causing some awful movements. It's both exhausting and extremely dangerous. I don't think I can carry out these repairs, without anchoring, for example to the south of New Zealand.'

By driving north, Brian Thompson (GBR) has also managed to find calm conditions for making further repairs to Bahrain Team Pindar. Further west, the middle of the fleet are expected to feel the effects of a very active low which will be generating winds in excess of 40 knots, gusting to 50 knots.

After Yann Elies' safe delivery to Royal Perth Hospital this morning, there has been further news from some more retired skippers. Bernard Stamm's Chemin?es Poujoulat, on board the French supply vessel Marion Defense, is expected to arrive at Union Island mid-January. Jean-Baptiste Desjanty (Groupe Maisoneuve) is currently 285 miles from Port Elizabeth in South Africa, while Unai Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia) is headed for Bilbao, Spain, and is currently around 260m south of the Cape Verde Islands.

From this morning's radio broadcasts:

First Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia):It's not up to me to ease off first. If others think we're going too quickly, they can ease off. I don't see a race in that way. I'm just going a little bit faster than Bilou. Before I was going two knots or more faster. The pilot is just a stupid machine. It's up to the skipper to decide how fast to go.

Second Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement):Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Michel's speed or the others behind? Clearly Mich is easing off to be just that bit quicker than us.

11th - Dee Caffari, Aviva (GBR):Tomorrow there's a big weather system coming through and you can feel it in the sea now as the waves are getting bigger. I think we'll have 40-50 knots so I need to survive that, and then the weather looks a little nicer for Christmas, which is good because I have found some presents on the boat!

It's been a very difficult week. The problems with the other skippers have had a big effect. It's been very emotional watching the sad news, and then the rescue, and it's hard to feel as though it's still a race, at the moment it feels a bit more like survival.

It's strange to pass the Capes this way round. What is even stranger is the speed at which it happens. For me that's quite a strange concept - but I'm enjoying it! It's a little more stressful, but the miles are clocking by so I'm liking going east.

10th - Brian Thompson, Bahrain Team Pindar (GBR):I've put on a big patch of floorboard today, and bolted and glued that on. Now I'm going to do some laminating, hopefully before this low comes in. I've worked all yesterday, all last night, all day today, and all tonight. it's been a long process. I did get an hour and a half's sleep this morning, but I'm very focussed on getting it done before the wind comes in.

It's been an interesting challenge but I'd rather be out there racing - the conditions are just so marvelous for sailing now. It's very, very odd to be doing just 9-10 knots when you could be doing 18-19. It's a bit like a day in the English Channel now, the waves are a little bit bigger but bright sunshine and puffy white clouds. Compared to the whole Indian Ocean this was the ideal time to do these repairs, so that was very lucky.

But there is a big gale coming, and unlike most of them where the wind's north-westerly when it comes in, so you're basically running easterly, the wind's going to be north or even slightly east, so it's going to turn into a beam reach, which will load up the front of the boat more. And there's nowhere really to get out of it, other than going south which wouldn't be a very good idea.

1600 HRS GMT. Rankings, (FRA, unless stated)

1- Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at 11494.7 miles to the finish
2- Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environment) at + 67.6 miles to leader
3- Seb Josse (BT) at + 204.6 miles
4- Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) at +244 miles
5- Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) at + 493.6 miles

Selected International

8- Sam Davies, GBR, (ROXY) at + 1474.2 miles
10- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 1830.9 miles
11- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 1939.5 miles
13- Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 2545.1 miles
14 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 2965 miles
15- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 3049.3 miles
16- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 3194 miles
18- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) at + 4013 miles