Christmas morning update from Yannick Bestaven's Maitre Coq IV

Leading the fleet on a North-East option, which is expected to bear fruit between now and this weekend, Yannick Bestaven is sailing upwind against a nice breeze of around twenty knots. Conditions are good to rest while he waits for the shift that should come in the the next 24 hours...

"I'm sailing upwind in 15-17 knots of wind to climb back into the low-pressure system I want to reach: I should have more downwind conditions in a day if everything goes well for me! I want to go fast to the north of the high to catch the shift. I'm not really sailing on the best course; I hope it won't take too long to be heading towards Cape Horn or even a little further south. I'll have to manage a fairly strong front: I'm still thinking about how I'm going to position myself in it.

The boat is behaving well: it is in perfect condition after my little repairs out over the last few days and the small maintenance work. It also allows me to plan the right strategy: I've run my routing in all directions and I haven't seen a route other than this one! For me, continuing to head east was too risky with the high pressure coming up and the headwind behind... I wasn't in the best of shape but at some point, you have to make a choice: it should give me a good advantage despite the extra miles I have to cover. I also know that my boat works well in these conditions.
 
This could be a turning point: Thomas (Ruyant) is already quite far back. As for Charlie (Dalin), there's very little separation for the moment but that doesn't mean anything today: we have to wait three days... And then, upwind, the boat is settled in and I sleep well! I'm taking good big naps because the wind is not too strong. It will probably be more complicated in more breeze. The sea-state is quite orderly too: it has nothing to do with what we experienced in the Indian Ocean. Two days ago, I even took out the spinnaker in the South Pacific, which shows you just how different conditions are to those we had to endure before Australia.

Father Christmas has also been to visit and have opened my little last night. Small gifts, garlands, messages, and just nice details! It's very nice... Kisses to all of you! Merry Christmas.!”