Tris overhaul the monos

Transat Jacques Vabre leaders race south to the Doldrums

Positions at 0900

Pos	Boat	DTF	DTL	vmg	Lat	Long	spd	crs	spd	crs	spd	crs	spd	run
							inst		1hr av		4hr av		over 24hrs
	Open 60s
1	VIRBAC	1633.1	0.0	13.6	11 12.32' N	26 41.24' W	20.4	186	13.8	195	11.1	189	13.5	323.6
2	SILL	1781.7	148.6	10.7	13 50.92' N	26 38.84' W	13.0	171	12.1	171	13.1	179	14.2	340.1
3	ECOVER	1828.6	195.5	15.2	14 29.80' N	25 57.44' W	15.1	175	16.2	183	14.7	201	13.7	329.3
4	PRB	1926.4	293.3	12.6	16 12.16' N	25 53.32' W	14.0	185	13.0	188	14.1	200	14.4	345.4
5	VMI	1965.1	332.0	18.1	16 52.48' N	26 01.00' W	17.8	186	18.7	185	17.3	186	15.8	379.3
6	TEAM COWES	1975.8	342.7	14.4	17 37.12' N	27 50.12' W	15.7	175	15.1	176	14.6	177	13.4	321.0
7	CARREFOUR PREVENTION	2045.6	412.5	13.8	18 08.16' N	25 30.92' W	12.0	192	14.3	186	14.6	178	13.6	325.2
8	ARCELOR-DUNKERQUE	2198.6	565.4	14.4	19 21.88' N	21 40.56' W	15.1	193	14.7	194	14.2	193	13.6	327.5
9	GARNIER	2350.4	717.3	12.7	23 06.56' N	23 55.08' W	13.0	204	12.9	211	13.4	211	12.3	295.8
10	LOIRE ATLANTIQUE	2530.4	897.3	13.3	24 43.32' N	19 55.56' W	14.9	205	13.4	200	13.8	198	11.2	268.5
11	60ème SUD	2605.2	972.1	10.8	27 08.56' N	22 48.72' W	9.0	207	10.8	201	10.3	202	8.7	209.9
12	ADECCO	2647.9	1014.8	8.4	26 22.28' N	18 43.72' W	13.1	200	8.9	225	9.3	251	8.2	196.0
13	TIR GROUPE	2764.0	1130.9	11.5	26 43.28' N	14 56.72' W	14.2	182	12.7	186	10.9	181	8.8	211.5
	60ft tris
1	GROUPAMA	1579.3	0	17.1	9 26.68' N	25 03.12' W	20	193	19.3	182	13.8	188	16.9	405.8
2	GEANT	1656.7	77.4	15.2	10 56.36' N	24 50.76' W	14.3	221	16.4	229	15.2	227	17	408.8
3	SERGIO TACCHINI	1714.5	135.2	12.8	11 41.34' N	23 41.10' W	15.4	170	15.9	172	16.7	177	17.2	412.7
4	BELGACOM	1748.5	169.2	10.1	13 21.60' N	26 05.88' W	10.1	198	10.1	198	10.9	200	18.2	437.9
5	BISCUITS LA TRINITAINE	1831.1	251.9	19.5	15 16.30' N	25 59.50' W	18	178	20.9	178	17.8	173	19.7	472.7
6	SODEBO	1930.4	351.1	15.7	15 38.80' N	24 24.44' W	19.2	249	21.6	248	19.7	242	20.3	486.1
7	SOPRA GROUP	1957.2	377.9	14.4	17 06.08' N	27 08.44' W	21.1	188	14.8	209	19.5	195	21.1	505.4
8	GITANA	1972.5	393.2	22.3	17 21.60' N	24 29.28' W	26	171	23.2	187	24.8	185	22.6	542
9	BANQUE POPULAIRE	2005.7	426.5	20.7	15 38.72' N	21 29.16' W	24	245	23.9	240	22.7	233	19.6	471.3
10	BONDUELLE	2091.7	512.5	21.4	18 45.08' N	24 55.04' W	24.2	199	21.5	199	21.1	198	20.5	493.1
11	FONCIA	2183.4	604.1	20.3	20 13.72' N	24 14.76' W	22.4	214	20.3	204	19.8	201	18.9	454.7
12	BAYER CROPSCIENCE	2510.4	931.2	18.4	25 07.72' N	21 50.72' W	20.1	219	18.5	209	18.6	205	16.4	394.3
13	BANQUE COVEFI	2571.8	992.5	24.2	25 44.28' N	20 31.80' W	27	210	24.4	210	23.3	196	16.8	403.1
	50ft multis
1	MOLLYMAWK	3089.8	0	12	31 35.44' N	12 08.32' W	14	182	13.1	189	12.2	190	7.8	188.3
	Open 50s
1	HELLOMOTO	2527.7	0	12.3	24 55.16' N	20 31.08' W	13.7	212	12.3	210	11.6	204	11.3	271.4
2	STORAGETEK	2662.5	134.9	9.3	27 08.76' N	19 55.96' W	10.4	220	9.7	219	9	216	8.1	194.2
3	DEFI VENDEEN	2764	236.4	6.1	28 23.72' N	18 26.20' W	5.4	204	6.1	203	10.5	202	7.9	189.4

The positions of the leaders in the Transat Jacques Vabre's Open 60 and 60ft trimaran fleet have started to even out now all the boats are basking in the 20 knot northeasterly trade winds as they race south towards the Doldrums. For all the crews this comes as a distinct respite following the gale force upwind conditions they experienced in their first week at sea.

In the Open 60 fleet Sill have taken 16 miles out of leader Virbac over the last 24 hours reducing the latter's lead to 148 miles. It seems that Jourdain and Thomson's tactic of being to the west and being able to sail a slightly hotter angle is paying off - their average course over the last four hours for example has been 179degs compared to Virbac's 189. Virbac skipper Jean-Pierre Dick said yesterday that he expects to be into the Doldrums by Friday.

Team Cowes are using a similar tactic to Sill by diving west and this morning Davies and Moloney are on a similar heading to the red boat. Aside from Sill the real winner over the last 24 hours has been the potent duo of Sebastien Josse and ocean racing legend Isabelle Autissier on VMI. With a fixed keel the boat is said to be a flier downwind and certainly the numbers over the last day confirm this - up until 0900 this morning she has had the fastest 24 hour run among the monohulls at 379.3 miles. PRB has also been relishing the conditions and they are slowly catching Mike Golding and Brian Thomson on third placed Ecover, suffering from a lack of kites.

In the 60ft trimaran fleet the separation between the front runners is more or less identical to yesterday with Francks Cammas and Proffit on Groupama still holding a 77 mile lead over Michel Desjoyeaux and Herve Jan on Geant. Over the last 24 hours Groupama has overhauled Virbac, the 60ft trimarans with the exception of Belgacom staying to the east of the Cape Verde islands roughly a degree and a half of longitude east of the Open 60s (at least this should reduce the potential for any embarrassing pile-ups).

With the Open 60s and 60ft trimarans pretty much in the same patch of water it is interesting to note their difference in performance.

While VMI put in a blinder of a day covering 379 miles, all of the leading 60ft trimarans have been eating up in excess of 400 miles. In the mid-fleet the trimarans still passing the Cape Verdes this morning seem to be going particularly quick and Lionel Lemonchois' newly lightened Gitana is at last showing some pace - she covered a blistering 542 miles over the last 24 hours. Less than a decade ago this would have earned them a new 24 hours - and this is without the benefit of current to assist them. The reward for Gitana has been overtaking Banque Populaire to move up to eighth place.
Marc Guillemot on Biscuits la Trinitaine also had a good day closing the lead of fourth placed Belgacom over them down from 128 miles to 87.

See page two for the latest from Conrad Humphreys and Paul Larsen on board the Open 50 Hellomoto

60ft trimaran positions for 11 and 12 Nov 0900