Rhythm of the Race The Doldrums bunch the leaders up.  Struggling to make headway, there are 7 boats wallowing within 60 miles of each other.

Standings table 

Top 3

1.  Aquitaine Innovations Yves Parlier  5:4 North 23:5 West
2.  PRB Michel Desjoyeaux 6:2 North 25:2 West + 20 miles 
3.  Sill Roland Jourdain  6.5 North 26:1 West +45

Shot of the leaders.  Kingfisher on the left of the image is at 26° longitude.  Leader Aquitaine Innovations with the green and blue logo on the mainsail is at 23° longitude.

Courtesy of:

Fleet round up section 

The leading boats fill a spectrum of longitude from 23° (Aquitaine Innovations) in 1st to 26° Kingfisher in 6th.  5 of the 7 are either at 25 or 26 degree (PRB) is at 24°.

All are sailing in under 10 knots of wind. Wind direction is NE by East.  Sill has used a westerly Doldrums approach to return to the leader board.  Others to the west also seem to have gained.  Right now, it looks like those to the west are hunting and gaining on Aquitaine and PRB.

The fleet is down another boat and skipper duo.  Bernard Stamm has withdrawn.  He is the races 2nd skipper to do so.

Skipper Communications  

Richard Tolkein This Time - Argos Soditic "I’ve gone 280 miles in the last 24 hours. It’s very hot, about 30 degrees, and I’m heading directly South, perhaps too East but I’m pleased with the performance."

Mike Golding Group 4 "Team Group 4’s ETA at the Canaries is now around the 23rd November. I don’t know where that puts me overall, but it doesn’t feel that I am going slow. I think I’ve put in some good miles."

Bernard Gallay Voila Fr. ". If I negotiate the Doldrums well I could get back up with the main fleet who are all becalmed there right now."

Joe Seeten Nord Pas de Calais/Chocolats du Monde "Flying fish are really tasty! I prepare them by slicing the fillets, marinade them in lemon juice and fry them with a knob of butter...eaten fresh they are delicious."

Josh Hall EBP-Gartmore "It’s been raining so I am filling up my water reservoir. I sleep for ten minutes, the wind changes, sleep for ten minutes, the wind changes...but the boat is perfect, life couldn’t be better, and I’m getting a suntan!"

Pasquale de Gregorio Wind "Everything is great on board, yesterday the boat wasn’t going so well, and I tried every kind of sail configuration...all a good training for the Southern Ocean."

Thierry Dubois Solidaires "We have no choice but to go through this, and there is no point getting cross about this even if it’s harder than yesterday."

Patrice Carpentier VM Matériaux "I am really in a very good form! The weather is fantastic even it’s a bit too warm inside as I need a bit of air."

Roland Jourdain Sill "I only had two knots of wind, it’s getting better this morning but nothing glorious."

Thomas Coville Sobedo "The worse thing is this swell when there’s no wind, as it really tests the rig...I am always thinking ’is it going to break?"

Ellen Macarthur Kingfisher "At the same time I have managed to make good all my repairs, and done an enormous amount of boat maintenance over the last two days...I haven’t been wasting my time! "

Michel Desjoyeaux PRB "Parlier, where is he getting his wind from? Well, it’s snakes and ladders out here..."


Current weather conditions  For the Doldrums bound leaders light winds from the easterly quadrant.  

Weather Forecast For the leaders wind eventually filling from the SE.

What does it all mean

It would seem that the boats to the west may have the best position.  However, Yves Parlier has managed to keep the lead regardless of position.  For all the Doldums skippers it will be more high concentration light air sailing with gains their for the taking.