Vendee leader looks set for record
Passing the Azores Michel Desjoyeaux will have to keep his speed up if he is to miss out on a muscular beat across the top of the Bay of Biscay before reaching the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Even with the upwind work, only disaster may save the 2004-5 Vendée Globe mark
set by Vincent Riou of 87 days, 10 hours and 47 minutes. For Desjoyeaux to
break it, he needs only to cross the finish before 23h49 on February 4th. This
seems probable, as his latest ETA is between January 31st and February 1st.
Should he achieve this the skipper of Foncia will improve on Riou’s time by
around four days, sailing around the world in 83 days.
Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s.
Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; Top 5 of 12 now competing):
1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, 1221.4 nm Distance to finish
2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 769.6 nm Distance to leader
3. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 1094.9 nm DTL
3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted – Redress Given
4. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 2140.8 nm DTL
5. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 2173.0 nm DTL