Live

With less than 180 miles to go and a lead of 90 miles it would take something big and unexpected now for the win to escape For People. Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière are almost guaranteed the double in IMOCA - they are expected on the line around midnight Martinique time. But nothing is decided for the remaining podium places. Paprec Arkea (Richomme-Eliès) and For The Planet (Goodchild-Koch) are duelling downwind in the trade winds, swapping gybe for gybe with small gains and losses see-sawing back and forwards. Sam Goodchild and Antoine Koch have a small lead but are to leeward of Paprec Arkéa. If they can steal second it would be a remarkable double for the TR Racing stable – Ruyant’s team For People and For the Planet. And behind them the battle for fourth and fifth is just as intense between the two Manurd designs, Charal (Jérmie Beyou and Franck Cammas) and Initiatives Coeur (Sam Davies-Jack Boutell) which has just crossed again in front of the black and red foiler. Fort-de-France has already welcomed the eight multihulls in the ULTIM and Ocean Fifty divisions and now is steeling itself for a stream of IMOCA finishers over the next few days. Nine are expected between midnight tonight and midnight Sunday.

It is super hot here now. The trade winds are blowing and we are still flying along towards Martinique. We are almost in the final 24h and we keep pushing hard on the boat speed, the strategy and keeping an eye on the competition that is close by.
I can feel the fatigue of the last ten days so despite there only being 24h to go we still keep resting when we can (sleep in the daytime heat is hard)
We are also getting out our homework and studying the notes we made about the weather and strategy for the approach to Martinique and the section around the coast into the finish which can be tricky!
It’s so hot but there is quite a lot of spray on deck but occasionally we get to stick our head out and enjoy the breeze (spray, and flying fish)
Sam

For several days now, the days have looked like one another. The wind angle changes from day to night. We deal with that by changing tack, going from port to starboard to head west in the same direction as the wind. We try to make the most of these shifts to gain a few extra metres and extend our lead over the rivals we are fighting against at the moment. It’s great to be back with them. There is La Manche #Evidence Nautique with whom we have been close for ages, but gradually we have got away from them. Now, we are more or less twenty miles ahead, which is good.
Captain Alternance was 100 miles ahead in the Canaries and we got back up with them yesterday evening. It was all down to small positioning choices. We overtook them this morning and are now 15 miles ahead.

I’m spending a lot of time on the weather, as that is the major subject. Go north or south or in the middle with the trade winds fading away shortly? In the mid-Atlantic, the wind that should take us to Martinique is missing. So, the choice is to go right around this area, which isn’t that simple. North is more physical. As things are going we’re on a route to the South, but there is still time to change to avoid the large area of light winds ahead. We have until tomorrow lunchtime to decide where to position ourselves.