Sixth home

Thiercelin and Drouglazet reach Salvador while the trimarans are expected this afternoon in the Transat Jacques Vabre

Positions at 1044

Pos	Boat	DTF	DTL	VMG	Lat	Long	Spd	Crs	Spd	Crs	24 hr
							Instant		4hr aver		run
	60ft tris
1	Banque Populaire	81.7	0.0	21.3	13 10.24' S	37 11.52' W	23.2	271	21.3	288.0	393.9
2	Gitana 11	167.6	85.8	22.1	14 08.32' S	35 57.32' W	23.2	281	22.2	289.0	397.8
3	Géant	187.9	106.2	21.6	14 17.48' S	35 38.56' W	24.1	298	19.4	277.0	441.0
4	Gitana X	1435.1	1353.4	22.7	8 02.84' S	14 46.32' W	27.1	265	15.0	215.0	256.3
	Open 60s
1	Virbac-Paprec	0.0			13j 9h 19m 2s
2	Sill et Veolia	0.0			13j 9h 54m 3s
3	Bonduelle	0.0			13j 19h 29m 52s
4	Ecover	0.0			14j 0h 46m 25s
5	Skandia	0.0			14j 1h 14m 11s
6	Pro-Form	0.0			14j 3h 54m 6s
7	UUDS	266.7	0.0	10.7	9 55.40' S	35 23.52' W	10.8	215	10.6	217.0	296.6
8	Roxy	355.5	88.9	13.7	8 26.64' S	34 12.12' W	13.8	215	13.8	218.0	338.7
9	Mare Verticale	755.6	488.9	10.8	2 45.24' S	31 23.40' W	10.8	210	11.1	212.0	263.2
10	Maisonneuve-Région Basse Normandie	1114.8	848.1	8.8	3 12.36' N	29 59.04' W	7.1	200	8.5	204.0	233.6
11	Galileo	1359.9	1093.2	10.0	6 48.12' N	27 59.68' W	11.1	190	11.8	187.0	279.6
	50ft multis
1	Crêpes Whaou !	0.0			12j 6h 13m 59s
2	Gifi	1368.3	0.0	6.5	6 48.80' N	27 41.44' W	8.2	191	9.5	190.0	268.0
3	Jean Stalaven	1474.0	105.7	11.5	7 48.52' N	25 44.64' W	11.7	197	11.0	198.0	241.9
4	VictorInox	2468.0	1099.7	7.0	23 58.08' N	20 21.00' W	7.4	186	4.5	175.0	173.4
ABD	Négocéane-Donneurs de vie-Branec IV
ABD	Acanthe Ingénierie
	Open 50s
1	Gryphon Solo	1098.2	0.0	8.7	2 26.40' N	29 00.04' W	9.0	214	8.8	208.0	181.8
2	Artforms	1259.8	161.6	9.8	5 48.16' N	30 03.40' W	7.4	186	3.9	205.0	254.6
3	Vedettes de Bréhat	1312.8	214.6	9.3	5 24.80' N	26 58.36' W	6.3	216	7.9	206.0	237.8
4	Top 50 Guadeloupe	1568.3	470.1	11.0	9 27.80' N	25 30.32' W	11.0	204	10.5	209.0	233.9
5	Polarity Solo	1599.2	501.0	6.9	11 16.20' N	28 33.52' W	7.2	194	8.3	175.0	213.1
ABD	Défi Vendéen
ABD	Adecco - Etoile Horizon

Marc Thiercelin and Eric Drouglazet on the Lombard-designed Open 60 Pro-Form were the sixth monohull arrival in the Transat Jacques Vabre's monohull fleet yesterday afternoon at 17:54:06 GMT, 18 hours and 35 minutes after race winners Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron on Virbac-Paprec.

“For a nine year old boat, I think it’s a great result, all in all I’m happy for the boat!” said Marc Thiercelin on his arrival.

“The other boats of the same generation are way behind us, that’s a good sign," said Drouglazet. Funnily enough, even when I have won a race in the past I’ve not necessarily been happy with myself, but now I’m really satisfied that we’ve done a good job, that’s as near as good a feeling.”

Eric Drouglazet : “Several times the boat just accelerated full throttle down a wave, I shouted at Marc to tie me to the winch, with two turns, and I helmed like that, that’s how full on it was. We took off at 25 knots boat speed, both rudders clean out of the water, we were sailing downwind with 50 degrees of tilt! Upwind with the mast leaning across the water, you have to imagine it, then you begin to say to yourself, we’re really sailing on the edge! We just raced all out the whole way, with as much sail area up as possible, a bit like sailing the Figaro.”

Marc Thiercelin : “ Skandia is a newer boat, only five years old, whereas Pro-Form is nine - that’s quite a difference in age, but we were happy that we had a great duel with them.”

Eric Drouglazet : “In five years, the evolution of these boats is huge, but we held our own all the same…With 400 miles to go, we had Skandia to leeward, we were in control, but in pure boat speed, we couldn’t do any better. Marc and I work well together, he knows his boat by heart, what and how to fix everything. He just plies me with coffee and I keep steering, I supply him with sandwiches and he repairs everything from A-Z!”

With the first six Open 60s now finished so the next spate of arrivals expected this afternoon are the 60ft trimarans, which Pascal Bidegorry and Lionel Lemonchois continue to lead from Gitana XI and Geant, the boats at present gybing downwind in 15-20 knot winds making speeds in excess of 20 knots.

They will be followed be followed by the straggler Open 60 UUDS and Anne Liardet and Miranda Merron on board Roxy. Miranda writes:

It is the end of what we hope is our second last night at sea in this race. The wind has shifted and dropped a bit, making it possible to go on deck without getting a soaking. We are level with Recife, and 400 miles from the finish line. Yesterday was uneventful - just fast, wet, trade wind reaching. For once, there was not one single squall, which made a pleasant change. There are a number of chores and rituals to get through today, not least an attempt at getting presentable. There are NO amenities on board beyond a camping gas stove for cooking, a small salt water tap, and two buckets. If you sit in the aft-most compartment, you can reach out through where the rudders are, and scoop water, so will be spending some time there later trying to turn dreadlocked plait back into normal hair. Tonight we will have to be extra vigilant as there are often small unlit fishing boats near the coast, and the moon won't rise until several hours after dark. Nearly there!