French 1-2-3 as British trio back in port

The Vendee Globe rankings board now shows six finishers as Sam Davies, Marc Guillemot, Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari all came in to Les Sables d'Olonne in the past three days.

Davies was first among the group but had to relinquish third place to Guillemot, who pipped her by less than two hours with the time in hand he was granted for helping out Yann Elies earlier in the race. It was a great finish by both sailors but Guillemot deserved his place after pushing his boat without a keel during the run in.

Thompson was relieved to nurse Bahrain Team Pindar over the line after struggling with keel problems for the last part of the race. He looked, from photographs, as if he would be ready to sleep for a week.

Andrew Pindar, the Scarborough businessman who sponsors the team, had invited me to join him at the finish. But I had just gone for a couple of days to the River Tweed in the hope of a spring salmon. It was a shame as it would have been good to see the boats in.

It's easy to forget that this west to east solo circumnavigation was a first for all four finishers. For Dee Caffari, it means that she has the unique distinction of being the first woman to solo the world in both directions.

If that first solo circumnavigation brought Caffari recognition as an adventurer, her Vendee performance must establish her as a genuine racer, capable of handling and looking after a state-of-the-art racing yacht in the most extreme conditions. It's easy to forget that, in spite of her excellent sponsorship package with Aviva, she is relatively new to full-on ocean racing with less experience than Davies who learned her skills with the elite French squad.

Thompson too will have learned much, not least about the future potential of Bahrain Team Pindar for future solo round-the-world voyages. Is this powerful yacht too much of a beast for a single skipper? Certainly Davies was able to show it the way home on her much older, if well proven, yacht, Roxy (formerly two-times Vendee winner PRB).

When the last boats have finished the British sailors should get together and discuss their future prospects. For all the British achievements, it is French skippers who occupy the first three places and that will be no surprise to anyone in ocean racing.

If other nations, including the UK, are to groom sailors good enough to challenge the best French skippers in the Vendee, they will need to emulate the French squad system and engage in the Figaro series. While talented individuals such as Mike Golding and Ellen MacArthur have come close in the past, no other nation has succeeded yet in breaking the French strangle-hold on this event. It's no coincidence that Britain's highest placed skipper in this race, Sam Davies, came through the French system.

Winners and losers

As Michel Desjoyeaux begins to savour his Vendee triumph it might be an idea to assess the fortunes of other competitors as a race like this has many winners and losers when you look at its impact on their careers. For some it will not be evident yet since some changes will only occur in time. But here is my assessment of twenty of them. The rest either retired early or simply didn't register enough as racers:

Michel Desjoyeaux: an obvious winner, his reputation is enhanced and his future can only be defined by his remaining ambition.

Sam Davies: Another big winner, came to public attention in the UK, and popular with race followers, should help her get a a state of the art boat if she chooses to do the race next time.

Jonny Malbon: Failed to enhance his reputation and will leave a question mark for sponsors. Will Artemis stay with him in the long term? On the other hand he has built a good relationship with his sponsor who knows that his boat probably needed longer to establish itself.

Brian Thompson: Looked after his boat and enhanced his reputation as a reliable sailor. But does he have the potential to challenge the fastest French skippers in the long run?

Alex Thompson: Can he shake off the reputation of a "crash and burn" sailor? He needs to finish more often. While he came second in the Barcelona round the world race he was sailing with the immensely experienced Andrew Cape.

Mike Golding: Has nothing left to prove as a round the world sailor, but does he believe that? He knows what it is to be beaten by a Frenchman. Has it happened once too often? Sponsorship assured so he can go on as long as he feels.

Roland Jourdain: his already excellent reputation has not suffered, could easily have won and would have liked to have pushed Desjoyeaux harder in the later stages had he not suffered keel damage. Should be back next time.

Jean Le Cam: Will want to return one more time because he knows he can win it.

Yann Elies: Still young, will have learned a lot, will almost certainly want to come back. His retirement was cruel bad luck.

Marc Guillemot: A fine seaman, again with nothing to prove. A top five spot looks to be his. Again he may question whether he wants to come back in four years' time.

Loick Peyron: Knows he can win this race, still young enough, so I'm sure he'll be up for another go. Sponsors know they will get value for money.

Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty: Has youth on his side but needs to improve to keep his sponsors happy (and possibly to keep his sponsors).

Vincent Riou: A past winner, would have chased Desjoyeaux all the way to the line had he not damaged his boat going to the aid of Jean Le Cam. His reputation is secure and he will be back.

Steve White: Steve who? Some may have asked this before the race but not any more. He gambled everything on this race, scrambling together his entry at the last minute. If White set out on a wing and prayer that prayer must surely be answered with some solid sponsorship in future. He deserves it.

Dee Caffari: In spite of her previous circumnavigation she was one the least experienced skippers in the race at this level of competition but has done herself a lot of good, preserving her boat so far (if not her mainsail). Her sponsors should be happy.

Dominique Wavre: He was 53 when he set out. A fine sailor who acquitted himself well before his retirement, but will he want to return in four years time?

Sebastien Josse: Probably pushed too hard but will have learned much and should be back with confident sponsors. Could win this race next time.

Armel Le Cléac´h: This is a great result for Le Cleac'h who may yet secure second place in his first Vendee. In showing he can race fast and preserve his boat, he has to be a hot tip for the future.

Raphael Dinelli: Simply doesn't have the pace to win. Is it enough any more just to take part?

Bernard Stamm: Did enough to confirm his reputation as a solid performer. Will probably want and should get the sponsorship for another crack at the race.

Can there be any more surprises left?

Michel Desjoyeaux has pulled out a 500 miles lead on Roland Jourdain in the Vendee Globe. Even with the compression that will probably occur in the doldrums, that looks like too much to overhaul now as long as Desjoyeaux's boat holds together.

The winds became so heavy just north of Cape Horn last week that Brian Thompson made the prudent decision to head for shelter, making no headway for some time in order to stay south of the worst of the weather.

He and those around him - Dee Caffari and Arnaud Boissières - know they can't catch the leaders. Sam Davies in Roxy is also probably out of reach of Thompson now as she is nearly a thousand miles ahead. While the positions may change among the three behind Roxy its is difficult to see the running order change much nearer the front unless Davies can overcome the redress given to Marc Guillemot on Safran.

Steve White has stuck to his task on Toe in The Water and looks set to be rewarded with a top 10 finish. Getting round the world will be accomplishment enough for the relatively inexperienced and underfunded Englishman.

With less than 3,500 miles to go Desjoyeaux must be beginning to scent victory but those behind can't afford to slacken off. Everyone in the fleet will remember what happened to Mike Golding when in the lead. Equipment failure can happen at any time.

Thirty boats set out on this adventure. Twelve remain.

Stop press: sailors racing

The British newspaper coverage of the Vendee Globe race has been scant. Apart from a few news stories of the "British heroine goes to the aid of stricken sailor" type when Sam Davies - who happens to be young, pretty and female - diverted her course to help Yann Elies, there have been very few reports.

I was surprised, therefore, to find a report on page 11 of today's Daily Telegraph, focusing on Jonny Malbon in 13th place just 4,000 miles behind the leader. Then I noticed it said "special report" with "in association with Artemis, The Profit Hunter" at the end of the report. I don't like this kind of advertorial as it is dressed up to look like a piece of journalism when in fact the journalist is simply pandering to the wishes of an advertiser.

Then again, I would question the news values of British sports editors who have studiously ignored one of the most dramatic of sporting events. Why does this happen? I would list several reasons:

Xenophobia: there is a parochialism about sports coverage that, in this case, is magnified since the best round-the-world sailors are almost all French.

Obsession with football: this really does not need any other explanation.

Perceived elitism: it's not easy to be a round-the-world sailor and most of them rely on corporate sponsors. That most have not enjoyed privileged backgrounds but have worked for years to get the chance to enter this event does not seem to influence such judgements.

Technical terms: sailing is a highly technical sport and sailing writers must try to balance a desire for specialist information and terminology with non-specialist interest among a wider audience.

A world apart: This kind of sailing is so different, so extreme, that it's difficult to make comparisons. Even accomplished dinghy sailors cannot imagine the conditions in which this race is undertaken unless they have experienced them at first hand.

Sport versus adventure: Some editors and, indeed, some sailors, still equate round-the-world sailing with the "big adventure," that getting around the world is an achievement in itself - as it is. But the Vendee is a full on race. Mike Golding has sailed round the world many times. But his ambition is to win the Vendee and for that he must sail at speeds that will test any weakness in a boat. Some top "round-the-cans" sailors sometimes disparage endurance sailors, possibly out of envy. It is a different sport with different demands and they should understand this.

It's not just editors who must reflect on their prejudices. Sponsors must examine their expectations too. I am sure that none of them issue orders to the sailors to simply get around the course, although I am sure that many are dispirited when a boat fails early in a race.

Having said that, I have no doubt that Aviva, the sponsors of Dee Caffari, and Caffari herself, are looking for a finish in the Vendee. Caffari is a fine, gutsy and likeable endurance sailor, but she is not among the fastest female sailors in the world. Her status relies on having done something first. She was the first woman to sail around the world single-handedly against the winds and currents. If she finishes this race she will be the first to have done so in both directions.

Other sailors shouldn't begrudge her sponsorship but learn from the way she has positioned herself. Caffari delivers value to her sponsors, not by winning, but by sticking to her game. She is still learning and two round-the-world events must command the respect of her fellow sailors.

Sam Davies demands even more respect. Caffari has the advantage of one of the new generation of faster boats but Davies is 800 miles ahead of her in an older boat. In turn, Caffari is 1,600 miles ahead of Jonny Malbon, also skippering a well-sponsored modern boat.

None of this is to disparage the achievements of Malbon and Caffari, but simply to put their performance in context with that of superior sailing at the head of the fleet. It seems unfair to write this from the comfort of an armchair when all these sailors are giving their all in the world's most inhospitable seas. But those who sail understand these differences and so should a wider audience.

It is more difficult to pass judgement on Brian Thompson who has been struggling with a high performing new boat, spending more time below deck than above in the past two weeks, making repairs. But unless he can improve on the speeds he set earlier in the race, he too will know that he must work harder to get in to the French-dominated big league.

Thompson does not strike me as a "crash and burn" competitor but as a dogged performer intent on going the whole way. He is one of the fleet's nice guys and I want him to do well. But I'd like to see him going a bit faster. How can I say this of a family man when sailing is so dangerous? The danger is a given. Thompson and the rest of them are there because they choose to be there. They put themselves on the line and know that their times and performances will be scrutinised in the data logs. They look at the same data and they know, in their hearts, that Michel Desjoyeaux is a sailor apart. Even Golding said that and Golding can match the Frenchman for speed.

The British might look at the elite French squad system that prepares its sailors for these events but you can't say that of Steve White, the British skipper of Toe in the Water, who got to the start line in an underfunded yacht through the generosity of a handful of supporters. Yet today he is 800 miles ahead of Artemis.

For this reason the Telegraph should have refused the Artemis shilling and told the story as it should be told. Its readers deserve better and so does sailing.

To push, or not to push?

It must be pretty miserable for Mike Golding and the other retirees stuck in the southern ocean more than a thousand miles from land. The little white triangles that represent the boats on the web-based tracker board look quite forlorn.

For Loick Peyron and Golding, sailing under jury rigs, the reality is that they will be unlikely to make landfall before Christmas. Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty is also making his way to his nearest port after retiring through a combination of problems.

I don't think Golding can blame himself for the dismasting. He's one of the most experienced sailors out there. The reality is that to give yourself a chance of getting ahead and staying ahead in this race, you have to push your boat, such is the fierceness of the competition.

But Golding says he wasn't pushing particularly hard when the squall hit, it was simply that his sails were set for a lighter wind and could not cope with the swift rush of wind that gave him no time to respond.

What he needed and what the winner will need, is some luck. But squalls are a part of racing, as are collisions with growlers (ice) and cetations. The skippers just have to cross their fingers and hope they're not going to draw the short straws.

This is not the first time that Golding has been forced out through damage to his boat. He twice had the lead in the 2004 Vendee, only to be forced out by halyard breakages.

Right now he'll be preoccupied with putting together a reasonable jury rig, but when he has time for reflection during the slow journey to Australia, I'm sure Mike will go over his decisions a thousand times, wondering if he should have set a more cautious sail pattern. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The dismastings of Peyron and Golding, both vastly experienced skippers, plus the damage to Jean-Pierre Dick's boat, should inject some caution in to the fleet. At the very least the front runners now should be doing some long, hard thinking. With at least 4,000 miles of southern ocean yet to cover, the canniest of them might think about reigning back a little. But human nature doesn't work like that when there's a boat gaining on you fast a few miles astern. There's a temptation, also, to try and get a jump on the leading pack.

But if they do continue to nudge the 20 kt mark in confused seas we shall yet see more retirements. So far, the damage has been to steering, keels, mast and riggings. The nagging fear is that sooner or later a breakage may prove life-threatening. It is an ever-present danger.

It will be interesting to watch Michel Desjoyeaux in the next week. We know, from his earlier performance in the race, he has the out-and-out speed to sail faster than any other competitor. But he knows that out-and-out speed carries a risk, particularly in heavy weather. The sensible approach might be to sprint in the best conditions and reign back conservatively when the heaviest depressions pass over. Sebastien Josse seems to playing the risks well. I note he had three reefs in his mainsail during the worst of the most recent storm.

Ultimately, the success of these skippers will be measured over 24,000 miles and they have yet to cover half that distance. Those trailing doggedly behind the leading pack should take heart. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Sam Davies in a top five position at the end of the race. Anyone who can manage that, from 30 starters, deserves to take a bow.

Golding is dismasted

Got out of bed, brushed my teeth, got dressed, fired up the computer, clicked on to the Vendee positions and there was Michel Desjoyeaux at the front of the fleet. Where was Mike Golding?

He's floating around the southern ocean without a mast. He had grabbed the lead but it was short lived before his boat was hit by a 50 kt squall that took away his mast and sails.

This means that Golding is out of the the race and with his dismasting goes any hope of a British win. The nearest Brit now is Sam Davies in Roxy, nearly 900 miles behind the leader, in 10th position. She's performing exceptionally on Roxy but her older boat can't hope to match those of Desjoyeaux and Roland Jourdain for speed (although it may prove tougher in this race of attrition). The reality is that there are nine fast Frenchmen ahead of her.

I'm so saddened for Mike. But he can come home - and he still has a few sea miles to cover yet - with his head held high. He gave it everything and has nothing more to prove as one of the world's best long distance sallors.

Golding poised for Vendee lead

It's not a question of "if" there will be another breakage in the Vendee Globe but "when" and "who" I said in this morning's blog. Well it turned out that it was just a few hours later that leader Jean-Pierre Dick's boat Paprec-Virbac 2 hit something that kicked up his starboard rudder.

He says that the connecting arm which joins the two rudders is broken and that the rudder stock is also damaged. Dick has been forced to slow his boat and is now sailing with only his port rudder down.

During the last position report he was sailing at nearly 12 kts an hour in heavy winds of between 35 and 40 kts, while second placed Mike Golding was screaming along at just under 20 kts.

Dick's misfortune is Golding's opportunity. Unless the Frenchman can effect a quick repair, he will be overtaken in a matter of hours and the leader board will be showing a British name for the first time in the race.

The downside for Golding is that he can't afford to slack off since Roland Jourdain and Michel Desjoyeaux are both breathing down his neck. In fact, I suspect he will be feeling slightly uncomfortable, leading, with so much French talent on his tail. But it's a great opportunity nevertheless. Golding has worked as hard as anyone to be in this position. I shall be keeping my fingers crossed for him. There's such a long way to go.

Roxy rocking along

Sam Davies must be cock-a-hoop that she has moved in to 11th position in the Vendee Globe, overtaking both Bernard Stamm, now in the Kerguelen Islands, and Brian Thompson.

Davies has a proven ocean racer in Roxy - a former Vendee-winning yacht - but its design has been overtaken by the newer, faster designs, including Bahrain Team Pinder. The Pindar yacht is powerful but it seems that Thompson has been finding some limitations in performance although it isn't clear from his reports what these may be.

Stamm has steering problems that have forced him to join Dominique Wavre in the Kerguelens. Thompson, meanwhile, seems to have lost out, opting for a route to the north of the Islands, the only boat to have done so, so far, although others following.

At the front of the fleet Jean-Pierre Dick has made the biggest break in the race so far, pulling more than 70 miles ahead of his nearest competitor, Mike Golding. Golding and the others must stay with Dick if they are to maintain their place in the same weather system. The boats are steadily becoming less packed than they were, as would be expected. It's extraordinary that they remained so tightly packed for so long.

Another one bites the dust

Dominique Wavre is heading for the Kerguelen Islands after damaging his keel on Temenos II. He was back in the top 10 and pushing hard at the time.

The good news is that he is just just 150 miles from the Islands. The bad news is that the keel is swinging freely. If it were to fall off he would be struggling to keep the boat upright. It looks like his race is run.

Canting keels are a constant worry in this kind of racing. They have become a feature of modern design but there needs to be a continuing debate about their use, something I discussed here.

Meanwhile Steve White has had to retrace his course, frustratingly, as he missed an ice gate. Mike Golding finds some time for reflection, including a conclusion that Desjoyeaux is the man to beat. Loick Peyron might have been many people's favourite at the start after winning the Artemis Transat earlier in the year, but his challenge is over.

Golding moves in to second place

While Mike Golding has moved in to second place in the Vendee Globe, his highest position so far in the race, he and the rest of the following pack have actually lost ground on the leader Jean-Pierre Dick who managed to pull 50 miles ahead in the past day.

Fifty miles remains a narrow margin and Golding's more southerly course may help him to pick up distance on the northerly boats that have had the best of the wind in the past day or two.

The tactics among the leaders appear to be those of staying with each other and covering any possible breaks. Michel Desjoyeaux, having charged to join the front runners, seems to be pacing himself for now, regaining his strength ahead of another push later on.

Golding has spoken of sticking close to the leaders ahead of a charge up the on the final stretch, a feat he performed outstandingly in the last Vendee, but I am sure he too he will be looking for a possible break.

Meanwhile Bernard Stamm draws ever nearer Brian Thompson. While Golding showed in the last race that distances of 700 miles on the leaders can be made up from this stage, I think that those behind Dominique Wavre in 11th place may be looking at best now for a position in the top 10.

If Samantha Davies can do that in Roxy, she will have excelled herself as the boat is slower than many of her rivals. In the same way, Steve White, is still punching away after losing a sail on his under funded boat. Jonny Malbon, trailing White on the well-funded Artemis, seems to be having a pretty miserable time, having twisted his ankle to add to his woes. He is one of a number of skippers to have passed icebergs. I wouldn't have expected them so far north.

Imagine trying to grab an hour's sleep when your boat is speeding along at 20 knots at night with the possibility of an iceberg out in front. Yes, the boats have radar but some of these bergs are quite low in the water and you can't watch the radar constantly.

By the way, I cannot understand why the mainstream press is ignoring this race. Perhaps it's because the Vendee's own web site covers it so well. But I'm sure if more was done to bring it to the attention of the public there would be a lot more interest. Unfortunately, as in the past, the press only gets interested when there is life-threatening drama and no-one wants to see that happen.

The Vendee has already suffered two deaths in its history and no-one should be under any misapprehension that better boats and better communications have made the race safe. The boats are much faster than they were in the past and speed brings added risk. It's one tough race. You have to really want to be there.

No respite in the Vendee

Mike Golding has progressed well in the Vendee Globe so far, focusing only on the leader during any section of the race. But now, perhaps, he will need to focus on someone else. Indeed the whole fleet, including race leader Jean-Pierre Dick should be watching one man, Michel Desjoyeaux.

Desjoyeaux on Foncia has jumped two places in the last eight hours putting him neck and neck with second placed Roland Jourdain, just 35 miles behind the lead. If anyone can break away from the pack it is Desjoyeaux. The way he has driven his boat from a position 40 hours behind the fleet after a problem forced his return at the start of the race, has been the hallmark of a true racer.

Golding and the rest of the French skippers at the front of the pack have the class to stay with him but will they be able to match his single-minded drive and willingness to force the pace. Some will be worrying about yesterday's dismasting of Loick Peyron. How much should they push their boats with nearly 16,000 miles still ahead of them?

There may be no choice. Two skippers further back deserve a mention for the way they are trying to haul their boats back in to contention - Bernard Stamm, who is catching Brian Thompson, and Dominique Wavre. Both could yet figure in the final mix.

Peyron's misfortune is a sharp reminder to the front runners that, however well engineered their boats, this kind of racing will expose any weaknesses. These are sailing boats maintaining power-boat speeds in the world's most inhospitable ocean. The weather readings are forecasting 40 knots winds in the next day or two. There really is no respite.

A flavour of life on deck

Mike Golding's choice of a more southerly routing in the Vendee Globe - a bold move given that Sebastien Josse has retaken the lead on a northerly track - looks to be paying dividends, nevertheless, with an 18 kt average, better than his closest rivals, during the last session.

Golding is within 25 miles of the lead with five boats bunched inside this narrow gap. The Southern Ocean has provided relatively benign and near perfect sailing conditions in the past two or three days, but the ability of these skippers to maintain pressure on each other seems relentless.

Golding summed this up a couple of days ago in a short report: "Everyone is looking to do a breakaway. Sébastien Josse (BT) in the north might have a bit of leverage there, but everyone is looking for a bit of leverage to get themselves away. It is hard to imagine going around the world and not seeing someone split away. You may see the boats group up more and I am surprised that the entire spread of the fleet is quite so small back to back - whether this will continue or not remains to be seen."

He paid tribute to the skippers doing their best to stay in contention further back: "Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pinda) is still very clearly in play. You look at the split in the British competitors and it is not very big. Dee Caffari (Aviva) is currently less distance from the front than I was in the last Vendée Globe and I went on to lead up the Atlantic. However, the person who is sailing quite extraordinarily well is Steve White (Toe in the Water). He is doing well with the boat and has surprised a lot of people."

Golding is the only British skipper so far to be disrupting the all-French party at the front of the fleet. There has been little evidence in the last week to suggest that pattern may be altered. One of the fastest skippers further back has been Bernard Stamm who has moved in to 14th place between Thompson and Sam Davies on Roxy (15th).

Stamm has moved much further south than Golding and it will be fascinating to see whether his gamble pays off. It is the kind of move that can make a big difference, either way, in a skippers fortunes. The leading skippers have been unwilling to take such big risks but those further back have little to lose and everything to gain.

The ranking information and tracker boards can provide us with so much sophisticated information these days that the armchair race followers have almost as much information as the competitors.

But what the boards can't show you is just what it's like out there for the sailors. A coloured arrow for 25 kts of wind cannot describe the numbing wind on your face, the puffiness of sodden fingers or the cloying dampness next to your skin. Sam Davies gave some flavour of life on deck in an email where she was outlining the difficulties of making sail changes at night:

"I never cease to be overawed by these midnight manoeuvres, in a lot of wind, pitch black, up on the bow as Roxy hoons along. You get the feeling of immense solitude, coupled with the power of the boat and the wild waves. Everything is monochrome and the black silhouette of the mast and sails tower over me.

"Sometimes, when I am on the bow, and Roxy takes off on a surf, the bow is way out of the water and I almost feel like I'm flying. The down-side is that, quite frequently the surf ends with a nice wave over the deck, and that is cold! But before you say it, don't worry, when I am on deck I am always clipped on with my super Spinlock deck harness, so I don't take any risks."

Never mind what she says about being clipped on. Standing on the bow of a bucking boat in a 30 knot wind and a confused sea on your own at night, hundreds of miles from land, takes a rare inner strength. There is no-one to see you perform your heroics and you cannot expect sympathy since it's entirely your choice to be there. But you deserve admiration in bucket loads and you might attract a little envy too from those who understand that engaging with the elements at their rawest is living indeed.

French yachts in a "Tour du Monde"

The Vendee Globe just gets better and better. Jean-Pierre Dick's boldness after the last ice gate in taking the most southerly route has paid off, allowing him to snatch the lead in Paprec-Virbac 2.

But the fastest skippers in the last the session, all averaging over 18 kts, were Mike Golding, Loick Peyron and Michel Desjoyeaux. Desjoyeaux has moved serenely in to seventh place, almost neck and neck with Jean Le Cam, both sailing in the wake of Mike Golding.

Desjoyeaux seems unstoppable just now and Golding too seems to be flying. But it is impossible to tell what these speeds are demanding in concentration. The harder these skippers push, the more likely it is that someone makes a mistake.

But this race is so competitive that none of the leading pack can afford to let up. This new generation of Open 60 yachts is proving remarkably resilient.

I can't help but notice, however, that Brian Thompson has lost more miles on the front runners, now 527 miles behind and very much in the following pack. Mike Golding proved in the last Vendee that kind of deficit can be made up. Indeed Michel Desjoyeaux has done just that after finding himself 671 miles behind the leaders when still in the North Atlantic.

If Thompson is to stand a realistic chance of getting back in to contention he will need to begin pushing the boat harder. Any reticence to do so is understandable since the boat has not long been equipped with a new mast. But at this stage in the race, with so many boats flying along ahead, there is unlikely to be a second chance.

The lead has changed hands so often that the French sailors almost seem to be racing like cyclists in the Tour de France, taking it in turns as pace setters in what amounts to a "Tour du Monde". Certainly it must relieve the pressure to hand over the lead for a while. I wonder if this is part of the tactics? I know the French sailors speak to each other regularly so they are well appraised of their respective positions.

Golding jumps three places

Mike Golding jumped three positions in the Vendee Globe during the last 12 hours, moving in to fourth place and justifying his choice to take a southerly track before the latest way point or "ice gate" as they are called in the race literature. These are artificial points on the map that the entrants must negotiate. The organisers fix these points in order to keep the fleet away from icebergs, a perpetual hazard in the Southern Ocean.

Golding has sailed steadily since making a mess of his start. That he allowed himself to creep over the line early at the start of a 24,000 miles race, shows just how even the most experienced of competitors can let their excitement get the better of them at times.

Anyway today he's back in the mix but he must remember now, as should all the competitors, that the next stretch of the race could place some of the biggest demands on the boats so far. During this coming week in the last Vendee, as this article reminds us, there were three retirements and a problem for a number of boats.

It also notes that last time around at this stage, Golding was 775 miles off the lead. This time the fleet is much more tightly bunched. If the Southern Ocean delivers one of its regular batterings there could be another reckoning in store for this year's fleet which has survived remarkably well after the retirements of the first week.

Desjoyeaux and Golding press the leaders

Had Michel Desjoyeaux not lost 40 hours at the start of the Vendee Globe there can be no doubt he would have been out in front at this stage. As it is, today, he is within 90 miles of the leader and part of the leading pack in ninth place.

He and Mike Golding are well positioned to move further up the field approaching the next way point. I cannot understand why the mainstream media isn't picking up on this race. The competitiveness and closeness of the event at this stage of the race is astonishing.

Desjoyeaux "in the zone"

Knowing what it's like to spend time at sea, attempting to maintain racing speeds,I feel a little bit guilty consulting the Vendee Globe tracker software from the comfort of my living room.

You see the positions and the average speeds and you find yourself wondering why so-and-so has lost time. Then you have to punch yourself to recall the conditions out there, except you can't recall them because your system has blotted out all the bad memories.

Some of the speeds I can only imagine. Michael Desjoyeaux has clocked 30 knots on Foncia. The fastest I have travelled on a yacht was 26 knots on ABN Amro One during an in port race in the last Volvo Ocean race and that was in a relatively benign sea.

Desjoyeaux's performance in the last two weeks has stood out for me in this race. The Vendee holder is not letting go of his title without a fight and if he continues to maintain his pace he will win again.

But there are a lot of "ifs" in this race. The consistency of the leaders, where the lead has changed hands several times, underlines the competitiveness of the event. Yann Elies on Generali has his nose in front just now but there is still less than a 100 miles separating the top nine boats.

And who continues to make ground on that pack, now only 120 miles from the lead and 30 or so miles from Mike Golding? It's that man Desjoyeaux.

We don't see this racing as it really is. We see pictures taken by on-board cameras of skippers enjoying a quiet moment away from the helm that is on auto pilot. We don't see them up the mast and rarely on the helm. Yet Desjoyeaux helmed for 21 hours at a stretch a day or two back. I guess he must have had the odd pee break and food break in that time. But the point is that he wanted to be driving his boat on in an effort to make up miles on the leaders.

The auto helms work well but, as Brian Thompson pointed out in one of his reports, self-helming maintains better average speeds.

Vendee racing is the sternest test of such abilities. If I was Josse or Peyron or Elies just now I would be worrying less about my immediate rivals and more about Desjoyeaux. He's not going to slow down and he's not going to worry about any of them. He's sailing his own race and he's in the zone.

Again, what is difficult to know without being there, is just how much these skippers have in reserve. The next two weeks will test that reserve to the limit.

Reading Pete Goss's blogg, it seems he did spot one of the Vendee boats the other night.

Vendee has a new leader

As the boats compress, approaching the St Helena high pressure system, Loick Peyron has lost the the Vendee Globe lead to Sebastien Josse after setting the pace for 14 days. The exchange of lead shows just how tight this race remains after thousands of miles of full-on ocean racing.

Mike Golding seemed to have slowed to the west in the last few hours although his distance from the lead is still narrowing, now under 60 miles.

Michel Desjoyeaux is still charging, meanwhile, on Foncia, and, while nearly two days sailing away from the leaders, could make much of that up in the next couple of weeks, given the progress he has made already since he was forced back to the race start.

Still tight in the Vendee

There's no denying it - I have become addicted to the Vendee Globe and can't get through the day without my morning and evening "fix," looking at the positions. It's good to move close in on the tracker (link in sidebar) to see the relative positions of the boats.

The leading boats are too spread from east to west now for front runner, Loik Peyron, to shadow each of the following pack and there is no doubt the pack is closing up. At 62 miles out from the lead, Mike Golding is gradually closing the gap, as are the others. Sebastien Josse is just 17 miles off the lead this morning and Armel Le Cleac'h is charging in fourth place.

The speeds are climbing but the competition is so intense that not one of this leading group can afford a mistake. All the boats are well west of the rhumb line (in this case the line representing the shortest distance of the course). This is because they want to avoid the light winds associated with a high pressure weather system that sits over St Helena (The so-called St Helena High).

But at some stage they will have to increase their easting as they approach the Cape of Good Hope. The skippers face a constant speed-against-distance judgement. Golding has moved out west in search of speed, a tactic that has rewarded him well although all the leading boats are recording good speeds just now.

Meanwhile Brian Thompson has dropped 244 miles behind the leading boat while Marc Guillemot has moved within 200 miles. It's important that Thompson stays focused, as Golding is, on the leading boat and no other.

Of course sustaining high speeds over long distances means that some boats will fail at some point. Jérémie Beyou is the latest retirement. He won't be the last.

Golding in the groove

Mike Golding appears to be sailing "in the groove" on Ecover III just now, breaking French dominance in the top 10 and shifting in to sixth place, his highest position since the start of the Vendee.

As the race goes in to its third week, it is still relatively tight with less than a hundred miles between the first and ninth boats.

The need for continuous checking and maintenance was underlined today when Jeremie Beyou was forced to head off towards Brazil for an unassisted pit stop in order to fix some damaged spreaders.

The top half of the order is divided in to two distinct packs now, with the top nine moving a hundred miles clear of Wavre, Guillemot, Thompson and Davies. If Golding can maintain his consistent 12+ knots progress he will soon be up among the leading boats within 50 miles of pace setter Loick Peyron.

If the race has demonstrated anything so far, it is the excellence of the single-handed French Figaro racing where the leading sailors have all cut their competitive teeth. The message for other nationalities has to be, either get in to Figaro racing, start a similar series elsewhere, or get used to the best French sailors setting the pace.

Of course fortunes will change as boats begin to suffer damage. Few, if any, of these competitors can expect to achieve a problem free rounding. The winner will be the one who can race consistently fast while keeping problems to a minimum.

Both Golding and Thompson among the British sailors have the quality to threaten although Thompson has been struggling with a sail repair. Sam Davies is sailing well too but her less powerful boat was always going to lack the speed of the leaders.

If Golding can keep his boat together - and that's a big if that applies to all the skippers - he could get in to contention for the latter half of the race. If Brian Thompson can keep his sails together and begin to exploit Bahrain Team Pindar's power advantage, he too could soon see himself in the top 10 but he must start to make an impression on the leaders soon. The reality is today he is 224 miles behind the leading boat after closing the gap to just over 180 miles last week.

Even more disappointing is the performance of Jonny Malbon on Artemis. This is a well funded boat, purpose built for the race, yet he has fallen 610 miles behind the leader in 20th place, trailing behind Steve White who had to scratch around for funding in a relatively old boat.

Much of the fleet must have passed Pete Goss in his Cornish Lugger on the Equator yesterday although Goss makes no mention in his blog.


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Vendee boats catching the Mystery

By my reckoning the first of the Vendee boats should be just about overtaking Pete Goss in his Spirit of Mystery today somewhere in the Doldrums.

It says something for the efficiency of the latest Vendee yachts that Loick Peyron, maintained speeds of up to 9 knots in calm seas yesterday, stretching his lead by something like 15 miles.

This meant that although Mike Golding had moved in to seventh place overnight - his highest position so far - he dropped miles on Peyron.

By 11am today, however, when the next set of position reports came in, conditions and fortunes were changing again.

Peyron's boat speed had dropped to 2 knots and Golding had closed the gap to 76 miles. It looks as if the race has reached that bunching up stage expected in the Doldrums. Sebastien Josse is just 14 miles off the lead with the third, fourth and fifth boats about 16 miles or so behind him.

A lot can happen in the next 24 to 48 hours. There is a real opportunity here for boats to catch up. The first to spring out of the Doldrums will have the chance to speed away from the pack, demoralising those behind.

Peyron is most likely to get away first as he has been shadowing his closest competitors. But there could be a chance for a boat that has made a bit of a gamble on its routing to make a big gain if it pays off - or fall further behind if it doesn't.

This is tactical long distance racing at its best. Imagine lone sailors, fighting with sleep deprivation in cloying heat and humidity, needing to concentrate and trim as if they were in a round-the-cans race. It's impossible to match such short-term, intense levels of concentration but those who can maintain high levels of trimming will see the pay-off in these light conditions.

As Goss points out in his slow moving lugger, this is the first time he has been heading for the Equator when he has not been racing. What luxury.

See links to Mystery Blog and Vendee positions in sidebar

Wavre back in the fight

It's great to see Dominique Wavre - forced to return soon after the race start - fighting his way back in to the following pack as the Vendee fleet heads in to the Doldrums. Sam Davies is doing well too, overtaking Brian Thompson who must be disappointed to find himself in 13th position behind a much older boat as Mike Golding shifts in to 7th place less than 90 miles adrift of the leader,Loick Peyron.

I would expect the leaders to be very close just now to the latitude reached by Pete Goss in Spirit of Mystery but I can't see his weblog as I post this note. I have posted the link anyway so you can see for yourself when the blog is fixed. Vendee links are in the right hand side-bar.

Thompson may be struggling now but his boat is powerful enough to pick up steam as the fleet heads south in to windier waters. His challenge now is to keep in touch in the light winds. The leading Frenchmen are going to take some catching but Golding isn't letting go. The race has been remarkably open so far, the lead changing hands often without anyone getting too far ahead. As the fleet leaves the Doldrums it may give someone the opportunity to make a break. We shall soon see

French skippers dominate early Vendee running

It's still very early days in the Vendee Globe race, but as the boats approach Madeira with nearly 800 miles already covered it's disappointing as a Brit to note that the top 10 places are held exclusively by Frenchmen - and this is without Michel Desjoyeaux who is putting in some strong times after returning to the start.

The next four places are held by British skippers, two of them women. Sooner or later I would expect Mike Golding and Brian Thompson to begin mixing it in that leading group although Thompson must still take a four hour penalty he incurred as a result of a rule infringement just before the start.

The British women, Sam Davies and Dee Caffari are sailing exceptionally well. Davies has a second generation boat, less powerful than many others in the field including that of Thompson who still trails her.

While Caffari's boat, Aviva is a more powerful third generation yacht, identical to Golding's Ecover 3, she has much less experience in downwind racing at this level. To be keeping pace with Golding shows just how much her technique has improved in the past year.

It's no surprise, however, to see Davies doing well as she trains with the elite French squad. The squad system seems to be paying off just now but there is still a long way to go. All the same, you wouldn't be betting just now against yet another French win. I still think that Thompson has the power and Golding the experience to mount strong challenges but they cannot afford to let the leaders move too far ahead.

When leading boats begin to pick up new weather systems ahead of the rest it can really split the field. So tactical decisions over the next two or three days could prove crucial. Keep an eye on Dominique Wavre. He's been putting in some blistering times after his early reversal.

You can click on the Vendee Positions link in the right hand side bar to keep up with the times.

A tough first night for the Vendee boats

It's far too early to venture any opinion on the Vendee Globe race that started yesterday but after a tough night in 20 to 30 knot winds Dee Caffari must be delighted that she is the front-running British sailor among the early leaders.

Three boats have had to turn back for repairs and will need to do some catching up. But there is still plenty of time. This is a marathon, not a sprint, which is why it seems strange that someone with the experience of Mike Golding should have gone over the line early. It was so unnecessary.

Looking at the distance covered between the last two rankings, however, he seems to be cranking up his speed.So is Sam Davies on Roxy. Comparing their readings with that of Brian Thompson it would look as if Thompson has had a problem.

Whales make waves in transat

A fifth place for Sam Davies and Roxy in the Artemis Transat race was very much what I expected. Although some might point to the three retirements that elevated her position, the whole point of long distance solo racing is to get your boat to the finish.

The race was won for the third time by by Loick Peyron of France on Gitana 80 who finished the race in Boston with a time of 12 days 11hr 45min 35 sec, just over three-and-a-half-hours faster than the race record set four years ago by Mike Golding.

While Roxy's competitiveness has been diminished by the new generation of Open 60s, she is a proven design after completing (and winning) two earlier Vendee Globes and should give Davies every reason to be optimistic of completing the round-the-world race that starts in November.

It should be noted that three of the new generation boats - those of Mike Golding, Brian Thompson and Jonny Malbon, did not even make the Artemis start line, in two cases due to keel problems and the need for further testing.

The durability of some of the newer canting keels in round-the-world sailing has been the subject of some debate recently, not least because it raises significant safety issues for skippers. No-one wants to shed a keel and capsize a thousand miles out in the Southern Ocean.

Davies was one of two skippers who had collisions with whales during the transat race. Such hazards should not be taken lightly. You rarely hear anyone speaking up for the whale in these circumstances. It is as if the whale gets in my way, so tough.

But there is an argument that whales are not so much a hazard for racing yachts as the yachts are for whales. Whales have very good hearing. Is it beyond our capabilities to create some kind of ultrasonic device that would deter them from coming close to yachts?

Moreover the torpedo shape of the kanting keel is more hazardous for a whale than than a flaired keel. The torpedo acts like a hook. I haven't heard much discussion of this problem, yet it's a very real and serious issue for racers (and whales).

The very nature of round the world sailing means that some boats will not finish the Vendee. The race is a combination of speed, sailing ability, endurance, robustness of design and seamanship. This last point should not be underestimated. Seamanship is about taking account of many possibilities and trying to reduce risks in what is inevitably an event full of risk.

The transat will have been a disappointment for Dee Caffari who had the benefit of a new boat. No-one can question her gutsiness after sailing around the world alone against the winds and currents, but does she have what it takes to compete with the best French and British sailors in downwind events? She still has much to prove.