Which side will pay?

An update on the Figaro's two handed Transat AG2R

Positions at 0300GMT

Pos	Boat	Crew	Lat	Long	DTF
1	CERCLE VERT	Gildas MORVAN Dominic VITTET	27 30 N	042 07 W	1276
2	DELTA DORE	Jérémie BEYOU Christophe de PAVANT	27 00 N	041 38 W	1295
3	PORT TREBEURDEN	Romain ATTANASIO Nicolas BERENGER	25 57 N	041 06 W	1297
4	BOSTIK FINDLEY	Charles CAUDRELIER Antoine KOCH	26 14 N	041 16 W	1298
5	BANQUE POPULAIRE	Pascal BIDEGORRY Sidney GAVIGNET	24 57 N	040 42 W	1299
6	Trophée BPE Saint-Nazaire - Cuba	Jeanne GREGOIRE Samantha DAVIES	26 25 N	041 07 W	1303
7	PETITS PETONS	Christophe ARTAUD Laurent PELLECUER	26 54 N	041 13 W	1308
8	GROUPE SCE - LE TELEGRAMME	Armel LE CLEAC\'H Nicolas TROUSSEL	24 25 N	040 20 W	1312
9	GEDIMAT	Armel TRIPON Damien GRIMONT	28 09 N	041 48 W	1312
10	THALES	Erwan TABARLY Jean Luc NELIAS	26 08 N	040 41 W	1326
11	TRISKEL-BROKERLINE	Marc THIERCELIN Eric DROUGLAZET	24 33 N	039 45 W	1350
12	GROUPE COUPECHOUX	Jean-Marc SPARFEL Benoit LEQUIN	24 30 N	039 44 W	1350
13	GUYADER L'ESPRIT DE LA MER	Philippe MASSU Patrice CARPENTIER	24 11 N	039 38 W	1352
14	MAISONS PIERRE	Marc LEPESQUEUX Bertrand LECHARPENTIER	25 53 N	040 01 W	1356
15	CHARENTE-MARITIME SCUTUM	Gérald VENIARD Yannick BESTAVEN	25 46 N	039 51 W	1358
16	ENTREPRENDRE AU PAYS DE LORIENT	Yannig LIVORY Tangi CARON	26 34 N	040 09 W	1362
17	SKIPPER AG2R	Rodolphe JACQ Bertrand de BROC	24 28 N	039 30 W	1363
18	DEFI SANTE VOILE	Benoit PETIT Thierry CHABAGNY	25 39 N	039 45 W	1367
19	D'AUCY	Bruno JOURDREN Jean-Christophe MOURNIAC	24 58 N	039 18 W	1374
20	MARSEILLE ENTREPRISES	Jean-Paul MOUREN Alexandre TOULORGE	26 11 N	039 44 W	1376
21	MONACO MARINE GROUP	Alberto SPINA Olivier de ROFFIGNAC	26 36 N	039 08 W	1408
22	RAYNAL ET ROQUELAURE	Christian BOS Pierre-Yves MOREAU	25 16 N	038 48 W	1411
23	CONNIVENCE	Jacques EINHORN Eric PERON	25 24 N	038 45 W	1415
24	BEZIERS MEDITERRANEE	Yannick CANO Arnaud BOISSIERES	25 27 N	038 39 W	1416
25	FTH-THIRARD / CAEN LA MER	Jean-Baptiste DEJEANTY Barnabé CHIVOT	25 21 N	038 40 W	1419
26	EGERIA	Sander BAKKER Ian MUNSLOW	26 02 N	038 30 W	1428
27	L'ESPRIT D'EQUIPE	Lionel PEAN Florence ARTHAUD	26 55 N	038 21 W	1455
28	SPACETIME	Jan HAMESTER Jens HULSEBUSCH	27 15 N	038 32 W	1456
29	AURELIA FINANCE	Hervé FAVRE Guillaume NEU PIETRI	26 26 N	037 46 W	1482
30	SOR TMC	Christophe BOUVET Arnaud GUILLOUET	27 41 N	038 05 W	1487
31	LITTLE BLACK SHARK	Antonio Pedro DA CRUZ Olivier DE LA MOTTE	24 35 N	032 50 W	1722

Somehow Gildas Morvan and Dominic Vittet appear to have more horsepower on their Figaro than the other competitors in the two handed Transat AG2R. Despite being neck and neck with the second placed boat yesterday, at this morning's position report they have again pulled ahead, now lying 19 miles ahead of Jérémie Beyon and 2002 Solitaire du Figaro winner Kito de Pavant on Delta Dore. Yet none of the fleet has made great progress over the last 24 hours. Even the leaders have only sailed 129 miles.

Gybing downwind the fleet are continuing to fan out. Among the leaders 2003 Solitaire du Figaro winner Armel le Cleac'h is taking the southerly route and in theory should be sailing in marginally stronger conditions - yet le Cleac'h reports that he is still waiting to get into the Trades. Quite how this will benefit him in the long run remains to be seen as the closer to the Caribbean the boats get the more the wind veers from the northeast to due east.

Conversely former Mini Transat winner Armel Tripon is taking the most northerly route. This side of the course usually allows competitors to sail the final miles of the course at a hotter angle however on this occasion a low pressure system is developing well to the north and competitors sailing the more northerly course are likely to see a more northerly component to the wind.