Simon needs to be patient, JingKun Xu at Cape Horn

 He has no choice right now other than to find a next level of patience and stay focused on looking after himself and his boat to avoid last minute pitfalls which could compromise his chances of third place and being the first Les Sables d’Olonne ‘homegrown’ skipper to finish on the podium. He has just over 160 miles still to sail, down from the Point de Bretagne and should be in this evening or overnight depending how the winds evolve. 

Beyou vs Goodchild vs Meilhat et al

Some 2200 miles or so back down the track the tussle for fourth and fifth is continuous, Jérémie Beyou (CHARAL) is about 22 miles ahead of Brit Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE). They are still about a week out from the finish and have two major obstacles between them and Les Sables d’Olonne. There is a high pressure ridge which they are negotiating now with speeds reduced to about ten knots and then a very big, quite nasty low incoming, as Goodchild explains, 

“I am hanging on to Jérémie OK, for some reason it was easier in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. I don’t know what he has found or if it is just the conditions which have changed a bit, he has put a few miles on to me recently but I am happy to be hanging on, it is conditions which he is normally pretty quick and so I am just trying to cut the losses and see what the rest of the race has for us.” 

He explains, “

Goodchild concludes, "And from Sunday time we have a big depression coming in which looks pretty nasty it has over 50 knots in it and over eight to nine metre waves, it is not looking that straightforward, trying to get through there without losing too much time and distance, without damaging the boat which is tired, is going to be a difficult one. For now we don’t have much of a choice, but hopefully it will have evolved into something much kinder, much nicer with an option B which is kinder. But we will see. We are looking at it now. There are no options really, there may be an option round the east but we have to get through the ridge first. At the moment there are three options, go into it and try to be careful, one which is try and skirt the south of it where there is a bit less wind and waves, and the third option is slowing down and letting the worst of it blow though and then go in the back of it, but that would be annoying to basically wait for the others. At the moment these are the options but at the moment there are three days, maybe four before we have to make that decision. But right now we are just watching and hoping it evolves into something nicer or a bit less powerful. Home is starting to feel a bit closer, it is the first time in his Vendée the race is starting to feel a bit long, I suppose that is something to do with the proximity to the finish which is next week. I am trying to not over think the finish and just trying to keep sailing like I have been for the last couple of months.”

This main group is now just west of the Cape Verdes and remains pretty compact, just 320 miles or so between Beyou and Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer) who is now tenth, Switzerland’s Justine Metrraux (TeamWork-Team Snef) is in an excellent eighth place 130 miles behind Nico Lunven (HOLCIM PRB).

Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement-Water Family) in 11th is leading Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitaine en Provence) out of the Doldrums and into slightly better speeds, only seven or eight metres between the two whilst Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) is about 93 miles behind in 13th.  

And there was a huge moment of triumph last night for Chinese skipper JingKun Xu (Singchain Team Haiku) who crossed Cape Horn last night at 23:29hrs UTC

Just before he got there he said: