By Thomas Campion — La Solitaire du Figaro
The fleet has now split into two distinct groups as the long push towards Pornichet intensifies. With Nicolas Lunven still calling the shots up front, the race leader sits just under 330 miles from the finish. The sailors have covered 120 miles since yesterday, but tougher conditions lie ahead. Light winds are forecast along the remaining course, making progress towards Pornichet slow and unpredictable for these singlehanders.
Patience is the order of the day on La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec as we enter the back end of day two. After an impressive recovery, the chasing pack has launched their counterattack and are now threading between the leaders and the coast. The charge has been led by Paul Loiseau (Région Bretagne CMB Espoir), Pierrick Letouzé (Normandy Offshore Program), Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV) and Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif 2025), with François Jambou (Yuman) following in their wake. A group of 21 hungry hunters is now steering west towards the shoreline, hoping to find more breeze near the coast under cover of darkness.
Further north, Nicolas Lunven (PRB) continues to hold his line and position from the start of the day, with Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) and Martin Le Pape (Paprec) swapping second place behind him. The fleet is spread across a north-west to south-east axis as sailors hunt for any pocket of breeze that might fire up the engine. Unfortunately, the wind god seems to have clocked off for the day, leaving the fleet to make what they can of very light airs. Tonight promises to be another active shift for these competitors, and when dawn breaks tomorrow, the new pecking order could make for some surprising reading. Fair winds and following seas to all.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
