Into the Trades

Leaders increase their gains on the chasing pack in the Transat Jacques Vabre

Positions at 0900

Pos	Boat	DTF	DTL	vmg	Lat	Long	spd	crs	spd	crs	spd	crs	spd	dist
							Inst		1hr av		4hr av		Over 24hrs
	Open 60s
1	VIRBAC	2329.9	0.0	12.7	22 38.12' N	23 55.44' W	16.0	198	12.7	195	11.6	195	9.6	231.5
2	SILL	2443.0	113.1	10.8	25 23.00' N	26 40.00' W	12.0	192	10.8	192	9.5	188	8.8	210.7
3	ECOVER	2491.8	161.9	11.7	25 12.20' N	23 00.80' W	11.7	206	11.8	209	10.6	200	7.9	188.7
4	PRB	2530.1	200.2	5.5	26 09.24' N	23 53.08' W	8.0	257	7.7	243	7.5	235	8.1	195.4
5	TEAM COWES	2540.9	211.0	8.9	26 42.40' N	25 10.32' W	10.3	227	10.1	225	9.8	225	9.2	220.1
6	CARREFOUR PREVENTION	2578.1	248.2	5.2	27 01.40' N	23 49.88' W	8.0	246	5.7	223	8.2	227	9.0	214.9
7	VMI	2589.9	260.0	8.1	26 45.08' N	22 25.84' W	10.8	195	8.2	191	6.7	200	7.5	180.1
8	ARCELOR-DUNKERQUE	2735.8	405.8	4.0	28 17.48' N	19 27.40' W	4.5	213	4.1	216	2.9	217	6.5	156.4
9	GARNIER	2790.6	460.7	4.7	29 04.04' N	18 46.60' W	3.1	230	5.0	188	5.9	192	6.6	158.4
10	LOIRE ATLANTIQUE	2918.7	588.8	3.7	30 11.28' N	15 57.24' W	3.6	208	3.7	208	4.3	208	7.4	178.7
11	60ème SUD	2965.9	636.0	5.0	32 29.96' N	19 32.92' W	6.0	236	5.6	230	6.6	213	6.4	153.1
12	ADECCO	2993.5	663.6	7.4	30 38.10' N	13 42.66' W	7.2	217	7.5	217	8.5	215	8.3	198.6
13	TIR GROUPE	3148.6	818.7	3.4	33 36.48' N	13 54.80' W	8.2	147	6.0	154	6.3	153	7.2	173.0
ABD	CIMENT ST LAURENT
ABD	OBJECTIF 3
ABD	CHEMINEES POUJOULAT-ARMOR LUX
ABD	PINDAR
	60ft tris
1	GROUPAMA	2485.8	0	15.9	24 25.50' N	20 39.30' W	19.8	249	16.3	193	18	181	14.2	340.1
2	SERGIO TACCHINI	2548	62.3	16.6	24 43.68' N	19 11.92' W	20.2	196	19.4	175	18.1	173	13.7	328.9
3	GEANT	2559.4	73.7	13.5	25 48.18' N	20 55.20' W	14.2	223	14.2	223	13.8	205	13.9	333.2
4	BELGACOM	2616.8	131	13.4	26 21.42' N	19 37.56' W	18.8	238	17.6	246	12.8	227	11.6	278.1
5	BISCUITS LA TRINITAINE	2729.6	243.8	11.1	29 25.92' N	23 06.36' W	15.3	153	14	161	10.5	170	13	311.3
6	SODEBO	2794.8	309.1	6.5	29 00.72' N	18 33.20' W	16	211	6.5	202	8.2	207	10.2	245.3
7	SOPRA GROUP	2803.8	318.1	9.7	30 31.16' N	22 21.64' W	13.2	233	13.4	242	11.7	228	13.3	320.1
8	FONCIA	2835.6	349.9	2.4	29 07.12' N	17 02.56' W	3	182	2.4	210	5.7	200	9.5	228.2
9	BONDUELLE	2837.3	351.6	1.9	29 11.20' N	17 07.36' W	1.1	195	1.9	212	5.4	207	9.4	226.5
10	GITANA	2852.2	366.5	11.7	30 15.28' N	18 45.08' W	18	236	15.4	245	12.9	250	8.6	206.9
11	BANQUE POPULAIRE	2854.1	368.4	3.6	28 46.36' N	15 33.84' W	10	155	12.2	136	7.9	169	8.5	205.2
12	BAYER CROPSCIENCE	3063.9	7	0	33 03.72' N	16 18.92' W	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-0.1
13	BANQUE COVEFI	3181.1	695.4	5.2	35 05.48' N	15 56.80' W	7.3	188	5.3	201	4.3	190	9.5	229.1
ABD	TIM
	50ft multihulls
1	MOLLYMAWK	3398.7	0	8.8	36 40.64' N	11 09.52' W	10	221	9.9	222	9.5	220	8.7	207.7
ABD	ATLANTIC NATURE
	Open 50s
1	HELLOMOTO	2984.2	0	7.4	32 21.60' N	18 14.28' W	7.4	214	7.5	213	7.2	219	7.2	171.9
2	STORAGETEK	3032.3	48.1	7.4	32 09.72' N	15 34.72' W	8.3	214	7.5	212	7.2	213	7.2	173.7
3	DEFI VENDEEN	3070.9	86.7	4.1	33 29.60' N	17 03.40' W	2.2	225	4.3	220	5.1	222	7.7	183.8
ABD	LABESFAL
ABD	BRANEC III

Over the last 24 hours the leaders in both the Open 60 and multihull fleets have further extended. Jean-Pierre Dick and Nicolas Abiven on board Virbac are 113 miles in front of second placed Sill, still way out to the west. As Alex Thomson mentioned to us last night, on the red boat they are hoping that the westerly option will provide them with a hotter angle to tackle the trades. At present this seems to be far from the case - if the wind kicked in for Sill last night, her average speed over the last four hours has still be a full two knots slower than Virbac. It seems likely that Virbac is sailing in better pressure further down the course.

Meanwhile the leaders in the 60ft trimaran class are cruising past the Open 60 leaders to the east and at substantially faster speeds. At 0900 all the boats had gybed back to the west with Franck Cammas and Franck Proffit on Groupama in the lead by 62 miles. The only boat still on the southerly gybe was second placed Karine Fauconnier and Damian Foxall on Sergio Tacchini. Their newer Irens design has continuously been sailing faster over the last four hours than Groupama.

On page two Mike Golding describes life on board Ecover

60ft trimaran positions for 0900 Sunday and Monday and winds for 0900 today



Quikscat radar wind image confirms the boats are into trade winds