Harry flatters

If the start was light, the first 24 hours have been lighter still in the Solitaire du Figaro

Christian Bos ( Région Midi Pyrenées) has slid into the lead ahead of Erwan Tabarly ( Athema) 24 hours into the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro race between La Rochelle and Vigo. The fleet of 50 boats left La Rochelle on Friday lunchtime in very light breeze, and have had virtually no wind over night, with just slightly more this morning, making painfully slow progress to the finish 380 miles away. The boats have covered just 70 miles in the last 24 hours and more light conditions to come looks set to push the ETA into Spain back to late Monday or early Tuesday.

At the latest sched Bos holds a 2.8 mile lead over Tabarly positioned slightly to his south, on the direct route. The 2006 winner, Nicolas Troussel ( Financo) together with Gildas Morvan ( Cercle Vert), are in touch with the leaders: 3.7 and 3.8 miles behind respectively. Armel Tripon and Christophe Lebas have taken the most extreme southerly option for now and it remains to be seen if this will pay off further down the line. Trailing by 16.5 miles, Philippe Bard ( Morillon.fr) brings up the rear of the fleet.

There are repeated reports over the VHF today from the skippers and Race Committee boat following the competitors, of virtually no wind with the temperature is rising across the Bay of Biscay. The fleet is fanned out and a 20 mile gap has built from north to south over the race course; a significant gap “which may affect those who have headed a long way south,” points out Race Director, Jacques Caraës, from the Race Committee boat. “There is just no wind - it is flat as pancake, it is like a lake out here. We have even less wind than we had yesterday and it is now getting very hot so a matter of getting your hats out and sunscreen on. You still have the swell associated with the Bay of Biscay, but it is calm,” echoes journalist Nicolas Raynaud also reporting from the race course.

It is a matter of remaining alert to the slightest change in conditions and continuing to fine tune and trim the sails to make the most of the tiniest bit of pressure which will make the ultimate difference as Christophe Lebas ( Lola - in 32nd place and 9.8 miles from the leader) knows only too well; “I was with Armel Tripon ( Gedimat) and the little pig has just got away with a nice little puff of wind. He has managed to get two miles on me in an hour. You try and take these things with a grain of salt and have say to yourself it is not over yet."

Other skippers echoed Lebas. Ronan Treussart on board Groupe Céléos: “Not really a very easy start to the race, we must have covered 50 miles over the first twenty four hours!

“As I did not get pass the Radio France mark well I have had to really work hard overnight to get back into the race and catch up with the leaders. I am quite happy because the guys who have headed out right have a small advantage, but hen nothing can be taken for granted. There are boats all over the place. I am sure we will get the accordion or elastic effect a few times yet. Conditions here are straightforward: basically we have 1 knot of wind and I have 0.6 knots of boat speed. I am happy and sailing on the direct right heading to Finisterre. I now have my spinnaker up and it is those who get the breeze first will be on the first wagon of the train.”

On Région Basse-Normandie Malko Szekely reported at lunchtime today: “It is fabulous, there is just absolutely nothing to do here! The first 24 hours have been varied, with a complicated start and lots of work to manouver the boat in the light upwind conditions. We are on an offshore race and Jacques (the Race Director) has even managed to get the doldrums into the race! I have seen this once cruising with my parents; our record was 1 mile in 24 hours. I am really happy to be here though and loved the first night at sea with the phosphorescent plankton. It is really wonderful and all that I was hoping it would be.”

Franck Le Gal ( Lenze): in 27th place and 8.4 miles from the leader "It has been really light right from the start and it is not like we took off last night. In 24 hours we covered 55 miles, not more. You just have work the slightest puff of wind and be on top of it all the time. There are constant sail changes, you put one up, take it down, stop, haul in to put the genoa up…but I am not complaining.”

Nerves of steel are required to get through the next long night to come forecast to be light once more.