Bidegorry pulls ahead

Lumpy ride for the Transat AG2R boats

Positions at 0900:

Pos	Boat	Crew	Lat	Long	DTF
1	BANQUE POPULAIRE	Pascal BIDEGORRY Sidney GAVIGNET	46 18 N	005 00 W	3598
2	TRISKEL-BROKERLINE	Marc THIERCELIN Eric DROUGLAZET	46 05 N	004 47 W	3600
3	THALES	Erwan TABARLY Jean Luc NELIAS	46 13 N	004 47 W	3601
4	PORT TREBEURDEN	Romain ATTANASIO Nicolas BERENGER	46 06 N	004 45 W	3601
5	D'AUCY	Bruno JOURDREN Jean-Christophe MOURNIAC	46 11 N	004 50 W	3601
6	DELTA DORE	Jérémie BEYOU Christophe de PAVANT	46 21 N	005 00 W	3602
7	GROUPE SCE - LE TELEGRAMME	Armel LE CLEAC'H Nicolas TROUSSEL	46 12 N	004 50 W	3602
8	Trophée BPE Saint-Nazaire - Cuba	Jeanne GREGOIRE Samantha DAVIES	46 10 N	004 41 W	3602
9	CERCLE VERT	Gildas MORVAN Dominique VITTET	46 20 N	005 03 W	3602
10	DEFI SANTE VOILE	Benoit PETIT Thierry CHABAGNY	46 19 N	005 03 W	3602
11	SKIPPER AG2R	Rodolphe JACQ Bertrand de BROC	46 11 N	004 49 W	3602
12	GEDIMAT	Armel TRIPON Damien GRIMONT	46 04 N	004 38 W	3603
13	L'ESPRIT D'EQUIPE	Lionel PEAN Florence ARTHAUD	46 20 N	005 03 W	3603
14	PETITS PETONS	Christophe ARTAUD Laurent PELLECUER	46 16 N	004 43 W	3603
15	BEZIERS MEDITERRANEE	Yannick CANO Arnaud BOISSIERES	46 06 N	004 37 W	3604
16	BOSTIK FINDLEY	Charles CAUDRELIER Antoine KOCH	46 23 N	005 05 W	3604
17	MAISONS PIERRE	Marc LEPESQUEUX Bertrand LECHARPENTIER	46 08 N	004 39 W	3605
18	MARSEILLE ENTREPRISES	Jean-Paul MOUREN Alexandre TOULORGE	46 14 N	004 48 W	3605
19	SOR TMC	Christophe BOUVET Arnaud GUILLOUET	46 14 N	004 46 W	3606
20	GROUPE COUPECHOUX	Jean-Marc SPARFEL Benoit LEQUIN	46 10 N	004 40 W	3606
21	RAYNAL ET ROQUELAURE	Christian BOS Pierre-Yves MOREAU	46 26 N	005 03 W	3608
22	MONACO MARINE GROUP	Alberto SPINA Olivier de ROFFIGNAC	46 28 N	005 04 W	3609
23	GUYADER L'ESPRIT DE LA MER	Philippe MASSU Patrice CARPENTIER	46 36 N	005 18 W	3609
24	ENTREPRENDRE AU PAYS DE LORIENT	Yannig LIVORY Tangi CARON	46 35 N	005 03 W	3609
25	LITTLE BLACK SHARK	Antonio Pedro DA CRUZ Olivier DE LA MOTTE	46 40 N	005 11 W	3615
26	SPACETIME	Jan HAMESTER Jens HULSEBUSCH	46 31 N	004 55 W	3615
27	CONNIVENCE	Jacques EINHORN Eric PERON	46 50 N	005 23 W	3616
28	EGERIA	Sander BAKKER Ian MUNSLOW	46 40 N	005 08 W	3617
29	AURELIA FINANCE	Hervé FAVRE Guillaume NEU PIETRI	46 36 N	004 49 W	3618
30	FTH-THIRARD / CAEN LA MER	Jean-Baptiste DEJEANTY Barnabé CHIVOT	46 52 N	005 11 W	3620
31	CHARENTE-MARITIME SCUTUM	Gérald VENIARD Yannick BESTAVEN	46 57 N	004 43 W	3642

Positions for the boats taking part in the Transat AG2R do not seem to be racing out of the organisation.

Since the 0200 position report former Solitaire du Figaro winner Pascal Bidegorry and Sidney Gavingnet have taken the lead and hold a two mile lead over Marc Thiercelin and Eric Drouglazet.

The boats have also not made brilliant progress since leaving Lorient - as present the leaders are still only 100 miles after 19 miles of racing (mind you this has been upwind). Fortunately the wind should be veering to the northwest and building this afternoon, continuing around to the north by around midnight. The pressure looks to be slightly better on the left side of the course and this possibly why some of the front runners have headed this way including Jeanne Gregoire and Sam Davies, who currently hold eighth place.

The boats are now crossing the continental shelf and after the big breeze of the last few days the ride will be a lumpy one.

"All it is going well on board," recounted former Mini Transat winner Armel Tripon from on board Gedimat. "The first night went smoothly and I think that we have readjusted ourselves well after the slightly hard start. I see the three leading boats about 1.5 miles ahead of us." At the time of the conversation the wind was blowing 15 knots from the southwest and the boat was making 7 knots. Tripon added that during the night he and Damien Grimot had been spending one hour on and one hour off the helm.