Vendée Globe: Foie gras, chocolate and the dream of winning on New Year's Eve

Armel Le Cléac'h has only one goal, and you can't blame him: after two second places in the previous editions of the Vendée, the Breton on "Banque Populaire VIII" wants to finally win the race of his life. He is closer to this dream than ever. It is true that he has recently had to fear the British rider Alex Thomson, who is catching up fast and is still a stubborn pursuer. But since Thomson's progress has also been slow, Armel Le Cléac'h has regained control of the duel for the time being.

There was even time for a programme for French television, in which the man nicknamed "Jackal" revealed how he will be dining on New Year's Eve: "Some foie gras, although that will be unusual at 25 degrees Celsius, and chocolate. My New Year's resolution is clear: I want to be the first back in Les Sables d'Olonne in 2017." On New Year's Eve, Armel Le Cléac'h and his pursuer Alex Thomson on "Hugo Boss" were separated by 150 nautical miles. A reassuring cushion for Le Cléac'h, but also a distance that Thomson could make up.

Alex Thomson reports from the "Hugo Boss" on the duel with Armel Le Cléac'h and the prospects for the final

There was certainly a dose of psychological warfare involved when Le Cléac'h gave his latest analysis of the situation on the last evening of 2016: "Everything is fine here. We're climbing up the Brazilian coast in upwind conditions. The temperatures have risen significantly. We're in T-shirts and shorts. The boat is moving smoothly. After all the 'DIY' jobs on board, the boat is back to its full potential for the home stretch and Les Sables d'Olonne. The last few days have been particularly tough because we lost a clear lead in unfortunate weather conditions thanks to our hard work in the Pacific. (...) Hopefully I will be able to use my experience and just push the boat harder."

Armel Le Cléac'h and the "Banque Populaire VIII" still had 4854 nautical miles to go to the finish line on Saturday evening before the turn of the year. At that point, the Frenchman was travelling at a speed of ten knots, his British rival at nine knots. In third place, Jérémie Beyou on "Maitre Coq" was just under 1000 nautical miles behind Thomson. Jean-Pierre Dick was a further 650 nautical miles behind Beyou. 19 boats are still in the race in this eighth edition of the Vendée Globe, ten - and thus a third - have been eliminated.

Here to see the intermediate results and the tracker.