Into the Indian Ocean

Virbac-Paprec 3 extends but it is the mid-fleet that now have the strongest breeze in the Barcelona World Race

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Positions at 0830 GMT

Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron on Barcelona World Race leader Virbac Paprec 3 passed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope at 0135 GMT this morning, the first boat to enter the Indian Ocean section of the Southern Ocean.

Their elapsed passage time was 26 days 13 hours and 35 minutes which compares with the 27 days 14hours and 42 minutes their previous winning steed Paprec Virbac 2 took in the first Barcelona World Race.

At present Virbac-Paprec 3 is approaching the next gate of the race (they have to pass to the north of it at some point along its length). At the latest sched, the west end of the Agulhas Gate is 147 miles away to their northeast, but with the onset of the depression, and seeing building northwesterlies preceding this, the blue IMOCA 60 is still on starboard gybe to stay in the optimum breeze. At some point, according to where they are relative to the depression and the gate they will gybe north for the gate. Despite being in lighter conditions at present, Nonetheless Virbac Paprec 3 has extended over second placed Mapfre, from 541 miles yesterday to 579 at the latest sched.

Behind, the next group is enjoying the strong WNWerlies to the north of the depression. Mapfre has now passed the eastern end of the Atlantic Gate and is on port gybe heading north while conversely third placed Estrella Damm is on port gybe and being slightly closer to the depression centre is in stronger breeze, making 17.9 knots to Mapfre's 13.3. Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes on Estrella Damm have done well over the last 24 hours and have reduced their deficit on Mapfre from 186 to 140 miles over the last 24 hours.

While the mid-fleet are basking in the big winds to the north of the depression, so the back of the fleet would appear from the GRIB files to be wallowing in the high once again , however there does seem to be pressure with all of them making more than 10 knots at the first sched this morning, with three just under 10 knots at the latest sched. The southerly lobe of the high is forecast to dip down across the Atlantic gate tomorrow before it leads the fleet into the Indian Ocean over the course of the weekend. Given its forecast track it appears that the same high that has dogged the majority of the fleet down the South Atlantic now wants to bid farewell to them before it disappears off to the east, between two Southern Ocean depressions.