Parking lot for front runners

For the first time since leaving Les Sables d'Olonne the leaders have run out of wind

Positions at 1900GMT

Pos	Boat	DTL	Lat	Long	Spd	Crs	Spd	Crs
					Instant		4hr average
1	BONDUELLE	0.0	26 04.32' S	21 06.20' W	10.0	106	9.4	116.0
2	PRB	20.7	25 34.48' S	21 06.00' W	9.3	106	9.2	114.0
3	SILL ET VEOLIA	101.4	24 48.84' S	22 21.56' W	9.1	110	7.6	109.0
4	VMI	135.1	24 13.44' S	22 34.80' W	4.4	158	3.9	141.0
5	ECOVER	207.0	23 56.96' S	24 08.00' W	11.0	114	5.8	142.0
6	HUGO BOSS	357.4	24 41.92' S	28 39.68' W	11.0	200	10.0	203.0
7	VIRBAC-PAPREC	419.1	21 51.32' S	27 16.84' W	5.1	190	5.1	154.0
8	TEMENOS	454.2	20 42.64' S	26 55.84' W	11.0	162	9.7	151.0
9	ARCELOR DUNKERQUE	503.1	19 07.44' S	26 23.00' W	10.4	161	10.8	157.0
10	HELLOMOTO	520.9	17 11.92' S	24 31.60' W	11.1	186	12.0	174.0
11	UUDS	525.6	19 24.32' S	27 18.08' W	8.1	175	8.3	178.0
12	SKANDIA	527.5	17 25.72' S	24 59.72' W	11.7	187	12.6	179.0
13	PRO-FORM	529.8	16 31.16' S	23 54.00' W	12.3	174	12.7	171.0
14	VM MATERIAUX	656.8	16 18.00' S	27 29.22' W	10.2	141	10.3	154.0
15	OCEAN PLANET	715.4	14 22.40' S	26 15.24' W	11.3	194	10.3	174.0
16	AKENA VERANDAS	1029.4	9 15.36' S	28 13.24' W	10.1	174	9.9	183.0
17	ROXY	1119.2	7 44.88' S	28 42.08' W	9.1	192	10.1	187.0
18	MAX HAVELAAR BEST WESTERN	1141.9	8 17.28' S	30 04.80' W	9.3	202	10.1	190.0
19	BENEFIC	1205.4	7 46.80' S	31 10.40' W	9.6	184	9.7	188.0
20	BROTHER	1440.4	0 13.32' N	26 21.24' W	8.1	202	8.9	213.0

For the first time since the start of this Vendée Globe, the pace of the leading boats have slowed as the cold front they have been sailing down has slowly slipped out of reach (le Cam made better progress through the Doldrums than he is doing at present.

Since this morning Bonduelle and PRB have pulled back around 30 miles on Sill and VMI. Oddly the latest position report shows a diverse range of courses for the frontrunners - the front three all heading southeast or ESE, while VMI and Ecover take a more southerly course and Alex Thomson continues to head southwest in the high pressure system.

Today former illbruck (and soon to be Team New Zealand) navigator Ian Moore gave his take on what's happening weather-wise: "It is not by any stretch of the imagination easy. There are two pieces of high pressure one to the north east and one to the south west and there is a stationary and slowly dying cold front stuck between these two high pressures and that cold front is going to get weaker and weaker. The only active part of that cold front is now to the southeast of the entire fleet and it looks like the entire fleet is in the dying bit of the cold front and that has created the big slow down.

"People when they saw the cold front, they saw it as an opportunity to use that band of usually quite strong pressure to be able to get down the track. It showed early on that you could use the pressure on the cold front, now it has moved to the south east too quickly, so everyone is going to be trapped by the same piece of weather."

Then area left by a dead front where there tends to be no gradient is known to meteorologists as a 'coll'.

So everyone is trapped - what should they do? Go southwest as Alex Thomson has done? "It is a high risk strategy. I’m not saying it won’t pay. Initially he will struggle because he may be sailing into less predictable position. If the coll remains stationary the problem is he will have to beat out of there. It will be southeasterly and he will have no choice but to sail west of south. If the high stays where it is he will have to beat all the way down to somewhere useful. If you were further to the east as long as you are not stuck in the remains of the cold front you are more likely to have better angles."

However with the two high pressure systems set to join up and consolidate to the southwest of the boats, Moore feels there will eventually be more breeze to the west.

Ultimately the object of the exercise at this stage, says Moore, is to head south for 30-35degS to pick up the first of the westerly wind associated with a Southern Ocean depression. The faster the boats get to the south the bigger advantage they will gain in the Southern Ocean. Their progress over the next 48 hours will be crucial to their positions in the first weeks of Southern Ocean sailing.

"I think everyone is going to have to wiggle a little bit to the south because they will want to be on the other side of the cold front because the models show the wind filling in there," concludes Moore.

Despite seeing Vincent Riou closing in on him, to as little as 15 miles today, Jean Le Cam was his usual matter-of-fact self during this morning’s radio chat session. “It’s a long time since we’ve had such slow speeds. It’s very tranquil. As a result you end up hoisting a sail and then the wind changes and you have to drop it again and put up another; then that’s no good so you have to repeat the process all over again. As for my strategy, I’ve chosen to be here and I don’t know if it’s the right choice. What is sure is that these are options we are going to have to live with for a few days.”

As a result of the cold front dying prematurely compared to what some of the forecasts from 48 hours ago indicated, the lead le Cam and Riou have pulled out isn't as great as what was originally predicted.

Still on the hunt in second, Vincent Riou (PRB), nick-named Vincent the Terrible by Jean Le Cam, seems more preoccupied with catching his prey. "Jean is the one who has been the first to hit this new weather system. He is leading the way and we’re reaping the benefits. In these circumstances it’s nice to be the hunter but I may well be the hunted in the near future."

On Sill et Véolia, skipper Roland Jourdain is also keeping a keen weather eye. "I’m keeping up with the latest news to get an idea of which side the wind is going kick in from. There looks to be some in the east but there is going to come a point when we’re going to have to turn right towards the south."

Mike Golding has been taking a more southerly route to keep himself in the best of the breeze but putting in the occasional hitched to the southwest. "Alex is trying to get through to the new breeze and I think that is probably a good plan," said Golding this morning. Are you planning to head in the same direction? "Could be!"

Alex Thomson reported this morning: "Some might say my decision to head west is risky but I feel it’s my only safe option. The weather models all seem to show disparity, so the possibility of getting stuck in the St Helena high is just too big a risk to take." Whether Thomson's strategy of attempting to bypass the parking lot works remains to be seen.

“My strategy is simply to get to the south as quickly as possible," Thomson said in this morning's radio vacation. "I couldn’t see any other way through. To be honest, I’m not sure the way I’m going is much better. If I get lucky I might move up, if not hopefully I won’t lose too much. I really feared that the alternative would have meant sitting on deck in the Saint Helena high with a gin and tonic and a deckchair. It was hard to leave the group but I was in trouble either way you look at it.”

Heading the “second” group between 7th and 15th position, Jean Pierre Dick has suffered further breakage aboard Virbac Paprec. A lashing holding the big gennaker down broke on board yesterday, and as the sail burst away it took the pulpit (metal structure protecting skipper on the bow) with it.

In 12th place Nick Moloney on Skandia had this morning finally split a way from Conrad Humphreys. "We were both on the radio yesterday," said the Australian. "He was quite keen to stay in the breeze in the east as long as he could. Me, I’ve had enough of east and I think I have got to get south now. In the limited breeze I just opened up the sails and headed south and see how we go.

“I’m a bit relieved that the guys have slowed down, it’s becoming more and more difficult for all of us. Even the guys in front are not going to bust out and sail away...losing the breeze already, last hour down to 8 to 10 knots...just slipping along at the moment. My transition is 24 hours away, some light air cells that are drifting east/west in front, got to know where those cells with no wind are going to be. 21/22W and 19 S is what I reckon, so I’m aiming to stay at 25 West for now. Going to do a rig inspection today. Working hard on eating, and resting...”

Conrad Humphreys meanwhile remains the most easterly of the mid-fleet with the exception of Marc Thiercelin on Pro Form. “Nice sailing conditions if a little light. I’m sailing under full main and genoa heading due south with 12 knots. It’s been a similar picture over the past 24 hours with the wind shifting from 110 to 150 degrees. Nick headed south last night under what is an ever growing moon, we’ve been chatting a few times in the evenings. It’s been a hard race but I’m enjoying myself. The crossover of sails has been interesting, with shifty winds. In the next 24 hours I’m going to have to go up the rig again to check the gennaker because now is the time to put something in the bank.”