Transat AG2R: East pays in the short term

Artemis drops back to eighth as they await the new breeze

Chart courtesy of Expedition/Tasman Bay Navigation Systems and GRIB (European model) from PredictWind

Positions at 0530 UTC:

The doublehanded Figaros in the Transat AG2R are making good progress as they reach down the coast of Portugal. The majority of the leaders are clustered around 123 miles off the coast (just south of Porto), however overnight Fréderic Duthil and Francois Lebourdais aboard Sepalumic have done well taking an route south some 23 miles closer to the shore. So from being furthest west yesterday to being furthest east this morning, has launched them from eighth place at the last sched yesterday evening into the lead at the first sched this morning, or a gain of 11 miles in 10 hours, although they have since dropped back to second at the latest sched.

Our Artemis Offshore Academy boys Sam Goodchild and Nick Cherry have taken up residence in the west, but this has cost them, dropping them back to eighth, 13.9 miles off the lead.

In terms of the weather, right now the east is paying, with more breeze and the wind more right in the NNW, than the boats to the west. However the westerly boats (including Artemis) are lining up to be first to the new breeze. With a depression rolling eastwards to their north, by lunchtime today the wind is forecast to back into the southwest and build with the onset of the next front. With this shift, so the boats will tack which will allow those in the west more runway SSE. This will make for a fast afternoon and night of sailing before the wind once again veers into the northwest as the front passes across the fleet tonight.