Leaders across the Equator

But it could be 24 hours before the Barcelona World Race frontrunners are fully into the southeast trades

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Positions at 0830

Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron aboard Barcelona World Race pacesetter Virbac Paprec 3 were the first to cross the Equator and into the South Atlantic at around 0200 this. They were followed around an hour and a half later by Michel Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart aboard second placed Foncia. Both boats have had a remarkably hassle free passage through the Doldrums, even though they are not out of the woods yet - it could be as much as another day before the southeasterly trades fill in properly. Foncia has already begun to spear off to the west in order to make port in Recife, still around 510 miles away (so it is likely she will arrive late on Friday).

With the leaders slowing in the lighter winds, so the back marks have managed to close. Perhaps buoyed in the knowledge that Alex Thomson won't be swapping out Wouter Verbraak at some later stage of the race, so Hugo Boss has made one of the biggest gains, down from 678 off the lead 24 hours ago to 594 at the latest sched. Obviously the concertina will expand outwards again once the the leaders get fully into the southeasterly trades.