Jean LE CAM (Bonduelle) has a 61.2 mile lead over Vincent RIOU (PRB) this morning. Mike Golding (Ecover), 3rd, is 113.6 miles from pole position. Vincent Riou and Mike Golding passed Cape Horn last night and so there are now three skippers that have left the Southern Ocean behind them.
Jean is 220 miles South-West of the Falkland Islands and 3700 miles from the Equator. A further two icebergs have been spotted by Conrad HUMPHREYs (Hellomoto).
There are now two more skippers past Cape Horn this morning, on the home straight to Les Sables d'Olonne. Vincent RIOU (PRB) rounded the cape yesterday night, 3 January, at 2045 GMT. In so doing Vincent took 57 days 08 hours and 43 minutes to round this third cape, 15 hours 30 minutes after Jean LE CAM (Bonduelle). Mike GOLDING (Ecover) passed this same longitude of Cabo de Hornos in the early hours of the morning, at 0115 GMT. The English skipper took 57 days 13 hours and 13 minutes of racing, 20 hours more than the leader and just 4h30 more than Vincent Riou.
The three of them are now sailing in the Atlantic and the gaps between the three protagonists have melted away since this time yesterday. With a lead of 190.6 miles at yesterday's 0400 GMT ranking, this morning Vincent Riou is just 61.2 miles back. Jean hit a vast zone of light winds into which Vincent RIOU and Mike GOLDING have also fallen in turn, Jean losing the most ground. A positive point for Jean is that he has been able to stop the haemorrhage since 1900 hours last when Vincent had got to within just 59.5 miles behind him. It is clearly a new start at the entry to the Atlantic. Jean is just 38 miles south of the Isla de los Estados, Vincent is 44.9 miles south-east of Cape San Pio (Tierra del Fuego) and Mike is 13 miles south-west of Cape Horn.
Further back Conrad HUMPHREYs (Hellomoto) is right in the middle of an icefield. Yesterday morning he reported the presence of two big blocks of ice along with another two at 1900 GMT. 'One is the size of Wembley Stadium' he wrote in one message of an iceberg located at 51°31 75' South and 178° 58 85' and 49' East. Impressive…
Meantime the tail of the fleet have been suffering low speeds. Anne LIARDET (Roxy) and Patrice CARPENTIER (VM Matériaux) are sailing upwind in a 15 knot easterly while Raphaël DINELLI (Akena Vérandas) and Karen LEIBOVICI (Benefic) are caught up in the clutches of a vast high pressure ridge under Tasmania. 5,400 miles separate Jean LE CAM from Karen this morning, a whole Pacific Ocean apart!