Rhythm of the Race Good pace, but the rich get richer as PRB is fastest at 15 knots.

Standings table 

Top 3

1.  PRB 54 South 63 West
2.  Kingfisher 56 South 78 West + 562 miles 
3.  Sill  55 South 85 West +847 miles

Fleet round up section

Showing a course of 024°, Michel Desjoyeaux has sailed PRB around Cape Horn and is on the homebound leg of the course.  According to fellow competitor Yves Parlier, Desjoyeaux is in good shape, "I think Mich is in time to break the 100 day circumnavigation. Christophe Auguin was quite slow coming up the Atlantic. Michel has a big lead and if there’s no technical problem then he’ll have no problem keeping that."

The boats closest to him on the other side of Cape Horn basically held place.  Kingfisher gained 11 miles, Sill lost 12.

Desjoyeaux passed the landmark last evening.  Of the 3 previous winners his lead of nearly 600 miles is 2nd best.  

Skipper Communications

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "I¹ve done it ­ I¹ve passed Cape Horn! It¹s been tiring, the weather isn¹t top, 30/35 knots in the squalls. I¹ve not even had the time to sip some champagne!...We¹ve seen various Islands since the race started: Crozet, Kerguelens, Macquarie and this, the final landmark in the Vendée Globe."

Michel Desjoyeaux at Cape Horn
Photo by: Michel Desjoyeaux

Josh Hall EBP/Gartmore "Yesterday afternoon was quite beautiful here with 35-40 knot winds , a big swell and bright sunshine.....we have been flying along at speeds of up to 24 kts on the surfs. I had nearly forgotten what it was like to go fast!!"

Simone Bianchetti Aquarelle.com "I didn’t anchor as that would have taken me half a day. I thought about going to say hello to Yves Parlier but the island is quite dangerous because of the rocks and I have no charts of the area. I really wanted to see him though but I couldn’t take the risk."

Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "Motion horrid, boat slamming - I am at 45 apparent and am trying to leave forward ballast out so as not to load up mainsail too much. Speed is down to 11kn, as I try to keep North as I can."

Catherine Chabaud Whirlpool "My aim is to gain as much distance to the north so as to position myself for the deep low which should arrive tomorrow (Wednesday). Wind speeds should reach 50knots according to the wind charts received so far; speeds could even attain 60 to 70 knots. If I’m in the north, I hope to limit speeds to 50 knots. The charts do not seem very pessimistic and I’ve notified Meteo France that they should keep a close watch on the region."

Yves Parlier Aquitaine Innovations  ". Tomorrow I’m going to cut into the mast and delaminate the layer of carbon inside. All being well, tomorrow night I’ll do a test run to see if the extension piece is holding."

Current Weather With the gaps in the fleet developing boats are experiencing different winds.  Leader PRB has wind at 350°, while 3rd and 4th have wind from 231°.

Weather Forecast Desjoyeaux will continue to be favored with following winds as he heads north.

What does it all mean

It all looks favorable for Michel Desjoyeaux to become the 4th French sailor to capture the Vendee Globe.