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The Vendée Globe race leaders are emerging from the Doldrums and into the SE’ly trade winds. Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) is about 80 miles to the west of his stable mate Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) and has been making double figures boatspeeds since last night. Ahead of them it looks like a race…

One week on exactly since Nico Lunven (HOLCIM-PRB) set a new solo 24 hours monohull distance record, Paprec Arkéa solo skipper Yoann Richomme dramatically bettered that mark this morning on the Vendée Globe, before running out of track and hitting the buffers as he and the other leaders of the solo…

Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) has seen his lead shrink slightly overnight in particular to Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) and Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) but he still has a useful 38 miles buffer on Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil).

Having battled for the best part of three days to the escape Doldrum like conditions which have prevailed in place of the trade winds that would normally have been accelerating the Vendée Globe fleet south at speed, now it is time for the real thing.

Patience is a virtue which is being tested for the skippers of the Vendée Globe fleet as they continue to try and escape from a wide band of light and variable winds at the latitude of the Cape Verde islands.

Vendée Globe leader Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) has seen his lead shrink progressively as the skippers chasing behind him and to his west have held on to wind for slightly longer than he has, the British skipper descending south into light, light airs again.