Complex final miles for the three musketeers, Cousin, Amedeo and Van Weynbergh

At the Azores, Fabrice Amedeo (Nexans-Wewise, 32nd) is preparing for a final depression which will give way to upwind conditions before finishing at the weekend. Finally, the Belgian Denis Van Weynbergh (D'Ieteren Group, 33rd) is doing all he can to deal with the breakage of his mainsail loop. Despite a grueling day yesterday, he continues to get there mile by mile, slowly getting closer to the finish. 

Manuel Cousin, "cautious" until the line!

All things being equal Manuel Cousin should finish his second Vendée Globe on Friday, a lighter note in his voice now as he approaches his home port "It's especially nice to find wind and speeds worthy of the IMOCA," jokes the skipper of Coup de Pouce. Last night, he was making around twenty knots and continues to make "an almost direct route to Les Sables d'Olonne". The sailor feels "on a mission" trying to pay attention to everything, being "on the lookout for all the little noises of the boat" which is "tired like the skipper". Before the finish, there is no question of letting up the pressure:

"I've had good, sustained wind for 48 hours and it eased off during the night. It's going to get pretty strong again in the Bay of Biscay before finishing close-hauled in moderate wind when arriving on the coast. The major difficulty is the maritime traffic, the movement of other boats, cargo ships, fishermen... It's important to remain cautious at all times!”

Fabrice Amedeo: "I know I've done the hardest part"

450 miles further south of Manuel Cousin, Fabrice Amedeo has just passed to the East of the Azores But the high pressures are a persistent obstacle to progress and he was been slowed for several days. The skipper of Nexans-Wewise says "I have had to cross two high pressure ridges and a high pressure center... The sequence is difficult and since the Canaries it's really been very slow. And now I'm going to have a complicated sequence until the finish. After 24 hours of light winds because of a new high pressure center, I have to cross a depression that will go down the length of Portugal. And I then have to finish upwind. It will make for an arrival at best at the end of the weekend."

Fabrice is motivated. "I think it's easier to accept being a week from the finish than three weeks. I'm not going to complain about these difficult conditions. And I know I've done the hardest part!" At the same time, the sailor manages to continue to enjoy the image of a beautiful sunset under Code 0. 

Denis Van Weynbergh, hanging in there despite mainsail halyard damage

Van Weynbergh (D'Ieteren Group, 33rd) has been sending short updates detailing the breakage of his mainsail loop yesterday morning. He subsequently explained he has managed to hoist his mainsail to the 2nd reef using the spinnaker halyard. 

"It's not an easy damage to manage. Yesterday afternoon, I raised and lowered the mainsail four times to try to find a solution. In terms of speed, I am in an area where there is not too much wind… I would be fine with my sail “up” but I will have to try to move forward. I hope it will hold, fingers crossed. And I will do everything to get closer to Les Sables d’Olonne!” The Belgian skipper is 1,300 miles from the finish. He should cross the line early next week. "Without much mainsail, he's really going slower and that's causing the ETA to slip," says Christian Dumard the race’s weather consultant. Denis is now expected around next Tuesday or Wednesday. Note that the line is scheduled to close on Friday March 7 at 0700hrs UTC according to the Notice of Race.