Transat Jacques Vabre start - LIVE

James Boyd reports on the monohull start from on the water off Le Havre

NB: This article will be updated as the start progresses (according to how sea sick we feel...)

1400 - with an hour to go to the start all the spectator boats are heading out to the start area. All the Open 60s are out here in various states of readiness. Pindar has her full main boldly hoisted but is bearheaded. She is being shadowed by her support ship/party boat the Hatherleigh which appears to have half the population of Scarborough on board.

Dominique Wavre has one reef in. Virbac has one reef and her trinquette up as has Team Cowes. It's sunny, although it is looks like it is shortly to become quite overcast with considerable cloud build-up to the west. It is also quite lumpy out here. As is usual for a race start in France there is all manner of craft out on the water here from naval and coastguard vessels all the way down to dinghies and jetskis.

1425 Sill is down to leeward under one reef and trinquette. Team Cowes have dropped their headsail. Conrad Humphreys and Paul Larsen on their Open 50 Motorola are looking comfortable with one reef and the staysail. PRB single reef and no headsail at present.

1445 Shore support crew being unloaded from Pindar and Team Cowes. Pindar are now down to one reef (sissies). Emma Richards is steering as Mike Sanderson grinds (start as you mean to go on)

The wind is around 15 knots from the west. The sea however is much lumpier than it should be from the sea state.

1450 most boats are along the northern end of the line. We are at the southern end near Pindar and Loire Atlantic. Pindar getting their headsail up.

1500 Gun goes. Pindar hit the line on the nail on port tack with the Open 50 Loire Atlantique. Race committee come on the VHF saying 60eme Sud and Loire Atlantique are over. Pindar port tacks the fleet, bulk of the fleet starting on starboard.

1505 Mollymawk screaming back towards the line. Uncertain why.

Pindar and Team Cowes are on port heding out to the right hand side. This could pay well as with get them into more stable sea conditions away from the entrance to Le Harve and the mass of spectators.

Surprisingly none of the leading boats have decided that they will go with Pindar. Pindar looks to be building a significant lead but at such an early stage in the race has separated massively from the pack.

The leading bunch still on starboard with PRB, Sill and Ecover in that order. Virbac has tacked and had to do a big duck on these boats. It will take them some time to get all trimmed in again.

The bunch are starting to peel off now onto port. Sill has completely fluffed their tack and are now in irons, major trouble, even from this distance we can here raised voices from the cockpit as various toys are being chucked out (!).

1520 Golding has held onto starboard and is heading into the speectator zone. Great view here as Ecover crosses a few boatlengths behind us. They're doing their tack now - you can see all the foils as they heel over, windward daggerboard is still down, fair bit of work to get the boat set up again.

Ecover, is going like a rocket - very impressive, has a little more speed, but tons more height, is making gauge on PRB to leeward all the time. Sill is a little burried now. Looks like the left has paid, with a nice shift going their way.

Now we have the meeting of the sides, as Pindar and Team Cowes come back over. And its a big loss, Pindar will be in fourth, Team Cowes fifth.

Ecover establishing strong controlling position on fleet, as spectator boat is tuning away positions are:

1. Ecover
2. PRB
3. Virbac
4. Pindar
5. Team Cowes.

The Daily Sails' updated form guide: Pindar and Ecover rocket ships up wind.