Le Cléac'h pushing hard, Caudrelier at the gateway to the Pacific

After the twentieth night at sea since the start of the ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest sees race leader Charles Caudrelier at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean, Thomas Coville and Armel Le Cléac'h are working hard in the Atlantic in tough conditions. And they are fast, Maxi Banque Populaire XI was flashed at 39 knots this morning and clearly the French Vendée Globe winner Le Cléac'h  is pursuing Coville hard. Meantime in Cape Town, Anthony Marchand docked yesterday and his team will do everything to have him leave as quickly as possible. Éric Péron is expected there tonight.

So there are two in Cape Town, maybe soon to be three? Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) arrived there last Monday, he was joined yesterday by Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim). Victim of a collision on his port foil on Tuesday morning, 'Antho' had to be patient before he could get into the port. Laperche had too much wind, Marchand too little!

"I am in a hurry to meet the team to remove the foil, repair the gennaker and repair the problems with the helm and the broken autopilot," explained Marchand. "It's going to be good to have a boat that is almost 100% ready to set off on this long journey," he said yesterday afternoon, " I am totally fired up again."

Péron expected this Sunday

Actual's technical stopover began at 1411hrs UTC and the entire team is working hard to ensure that "Antho" can leave as quickly as possible. "Their objective is to leave as quickly as possible, at the end of the mandatory 24 hours," explains Guillaume Rottee, Race Director.

Éric Péron should arrive some time tonight in Cape Town. The skipper of ULTIM ADAGIO also "hit something on the surface", which damaged his starboard rudder. "It's complicated to get to Cape Town for him because the wind is irregular with the terrain and the wind coming down off the mountains," explains Rottee. "You can have gusts of 35 knots and more. And so the approach can therefore be long, like Anthony yesterday."

There are still 160 miles to go for Éric Péron before he gets to Cape Town.

 Caudrelier has to work

Leader Charles Caudrelier slowed down his pace slightly.  The train of depressions he is working with under  Australia is complicated.

"It is in an unstable zone where depressions circulate a little less well with many transition zones," explained one of the members of its routing unit, Erwan Israel, yesterday. "It's quite sporty," adds Race Director Rottee. "Charles is racing in 15 knots of wind with 4 to 6 meters of sea. He is on starboard tack and will have to make a few gybes before entering the Pacific Ocean. Charles is expected to pass Tasmania tonight, which will mark his entry into the Pacific."

Depending on the criteria used Caudrelier will not just be thinking of getting into the Pacific but of passing the race half way point. On day 20 or 21 being ahead of Gabart's record, he will soon be thinking he has more days behind him than ahead, and that will feel good.