Traffic Jam at BXA
Manon Le Guen _ Trin'40
If there were a maritime equivalent of a traffic forecast, it would certainly have warned of congestion at the BXA mark off the Gironde coast during the DRHEAM-CUP. At the time of writing, 19 boats have rounded the final turning mark, signalling the start of the last leg towards the finish. Well… "straight" might not be the right word, as the fleet now has to beat its way back up the French Atlantic coast into a headwind—hardly the most comfortable point of sail.
The Class40 fleet has been led since yesterday afternoon by Corentin Douguet (SNSM Faites un Don), who has sailed a superb race and managed to extend his lead this morning. The Lorient skipper currently holds an advantage of just over eight nautical miles over his closest rivals.
But the chasing pack has no intention of giving up. Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran Seafrigo), Luca Rosetti (Maccaferri Futura) and Achille Nebout (Amarris) are all in pursuit, while Robin Follin (Solano) is gambling on a more offshore option.
Battles Within the Battle
Further south, two tightly packed groups are also engaged in thrilling duels. After a difficult night of light winds and thunderstorms, they've finally found breeze again.
The first pack, spread over barely three nautical miles, features Pep Costa (VSF Sports), Mattéo Sericano (Lucente), Sophie Faguet (Défi Solidaire avec Elly et l'Arche), William Mathelin Moreaux (Patapain – Les Invincibles), Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) and Jules Bonnier (Plastic Odyssey), all fighting hard for a place in the top ten of this 10th edition of the DRHEAM-CUP.
Another tightly grouped pack has also just rounded BXA, including Mikael Mergui (Centrakor – Hirsch) and Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel). Thanks to a more direct reaching route, Italy's Andrea Fornaro (Influence2) has slipped past both Sasha Lanièce (Alderan) and Vincent Riou (Pierreval GoodPlanet) in one move.
One Mile at a Time
Back in the race after an unscheduled stop in Baltimore, southern Ireland, to repair #EmpowHer, Pamela Lee is smiling again, with one clear objective: finish the race and secure her qualification for the Route du Rhum.
"One mile at a time," she wrote philosophically on social media earlier today.
The first Class40s are expected to reach Lorient overnight.
