Beyou back in charge

As La Solitaire du Figaro fleet returns to negotiating the west coast of Brittany

The writing is on the wall for this year's La Solitaire du Figaro, with Jeremie Beyou on BPI back in the lead having won the last two legs into Dun Laoghaire and into Les Sables d'Olonne and holding a 34 minutes 15 seconds advantage over second placed Fabien Delahaye aboard Port de Caen Ouistreham, winner of leg one and now up to second. But as ever with the Figaro it remains close with the top nine boats separated by less than a miles in terms of DTF and we understand that since the last sched Delahaye is back in the lead. 

Having left Les Sables d'Olonne yesterday so the 46 Figaros have been negotiating the often tricky west coast of France. Passing Belle Ile and Ile de Yeu overnight, when Frederic Rivet on Vendee 1 was just ahead, so at the latest sched the leaders are in familiar territory have just passed Les Glenans off Concarneau/Port la Foret en route to Pointe de Penmarch, while this afternoon they should be negotiating the challenging channel between Ushant and main land France.

Up until yesterday evening Artemis scholarship winner Sam Goodchild was doing exceptionally well aboard Artemis and was holding second at the 1730 sched as the boats were passing Ile de Yeu. By the first sched this morning, it was business as normal with Phil Sharp on Spirit of Independence to Brit, up to 15th with Goodchild having dropped to 18th. 

At present the skippers are trying to hold their kites in relatively light NNEerly wind being generated by the area of high pressure that remains hovering to the southwest of the UK.