Marie Galante within 2,000 miles….

The outcome of this first transatlantic race of the year is proving very tough to call. Led by Armel Tripon on the leading vessel Gedimat, two boats are following the orthodromic (direct) route. Currently lying 3rd in the general ranking, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent is on a route slightly more to the south. Two other groups, made up of the majority of the 25 Figaros still in the race, have also chosen a southerly trajectory, an extreme one in the case of Nicolas Troussel on Financo, who is attempting to go around the anticyclone, thereby picking up the trade winds that will take them as far as Marie Galante. In short, at the moment it is still anybody’s race for the taking…

In fine fettle, the Gitana Team skipper is currently in his 10th day of racing and delighted to have now come within 2,000 miles of the finish line.

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent is still very much in the reckoning. Although there’s a long way to go yet, he has had a magnificent race since departing from Belle-Ile-en-Mer. In perfect control of the boat and his physical condition thus far, the man from Cancale is savouring these hours spent at sea in the upper echelon of the race ranking.

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, skipper of Domaine du Mont d’Arbois in today’s midday radio chat:

“Since yesterday evening, the weather conditions have been quite bizarre. I saw the front descend quite clearly at nightfall: first, a dense stormy band and then large squalls. The wind picked up to 37 knots, and then the transition phase snapped in. The wind switched from a southerly direction to west south-west, while dropping quite fast to 8 or 6 knots. By the early morning, there were only 4 knots of wind. I’m now preparing myself for the transition to the next front with a wind that has risen back up to 20-22 knots and a sea that’s starting to be choppy. I’ve only got two tricky passages to negotiate before I could, in theory, reach the trade winds that will take me as far as Marie Galante. My morale is very good, even if the race is far from finished. The field’s still open and I prefer being where I am. Everyone’s starting to see the results of their earlier options and it’s an interesting configuration in as much as there’s a large gap between first and last places in the ranking (ed’s note: over 500 miles separate Armel Tripon from  Eric Peron at the rear of the fleet). But that doesn’t necessarily mean a lot at this stage, as the race will be won or lost by the way the wind shifts are exploited. The only slightly irritating aspect is that the most southerly contingent will finish up with a sun tan, whereas we might not be so lucky!”

Ranking 3 April at 3:00 pm :

Place – Bateau / Skipper  – Latitude / Longitude – Dist. 1er

1st –  Gedimat / Armel Tripon  – 36 39.03′ N / 33 55.64′ W
2nd –  Suzuki Automobiles / Eric Defert  – 37 23.89′ N / 33 44.09′ W à 32.5 milles
3rd –  Domaine du Mont d’Arbois / Thierry Duprey du Vorsent – 34 22.64′ N / 31 00.83′ W  à 54.4 milles
4th – Theolia / Robert Nagy – 32 57.96′ N / 30 00.72′ W à 59.1 milles
5th –  Art Immobilier Construction / Daniel Dupont – 34 17.36′ N / 29 56.01′ W à 100.1 milles
6th –  Luisina / Eric Drouglazet – 28 54.74′ N / 26 56.85′ W à 132.7 milles
7th –  Les Mousquetaires / Bertrand de Broc – 28 54.82′ N / 26 50.81′ W à  137.6 milles
8th –  Groupe Céléos / Ronan Treussart – 28 50.46′ N / 26 34.87′ W à 149.5 milles
9th –  A.ST Groupe / Marc Emig – 28 54.41′ N / 26 32.11′ W à  152.4 milles
10th –  Cercle Vert / Gildas Morvan – 27 44.99′ N / 25 54.15′ W à 166.5 milles
….