After days of tactical poker came to an end yesterday in stable, strong north-westerly winds, François Gabart proved that he still has everything under control. He was not the first to reach the ideal conditions for the Open 60s - but as he had obviously positioned himself perfectly tactically and once again showed impressive speed, he extended his lead over second-placed Bernard Stamm ("Cheminées Poujoulat") and Armel Le Cléac'h ("Banque Populaire") to just under 60 nautical miles. For the pursuers behind them, the early turn to the west proved to be a tactical zero: at 134 miles, Vincent Riou is now even further behind than before, and Jean-Pierre Dick ("Paprec-Virbac 3") has also lost the connection and is now 156 miles behind.
Some of the skippers' voices from on board at yesterday's radio conference:
Mike Golding ("Gamesa"): "Last night was very exhausting, I did pretty much all sail variants once. The boat is okay below deck, but the cockpit needs tidying up. It was a tough night. The boat is pounding through the waves, it's very, very, very wet and difficult to do anything at all on board with the movements."
Bernard Stamm ("Cheminées Poujoulat"):
"What a chaotic sea, I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster. I didn't expect such conditions at this point in the race. I hope it's over soon - jumping over the waves like this with the boat is difficult. I can't stand properly, even crawling or kneeling is a problem. It's so loud below deck, as if someone is constantly firing a cannon!"
Alex Thomson ("Hugo Boss"): Last night I was close to Jérémie Beyou and his 'Maitre Coq'. So I got on the radio and asked him to have a look at my boat while I lay on my ear. I still haven't got into a proper rhythm. So I got two 40-minute naps, but that was it. I'm tired, but my job list is done and the boat is in good condition."
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
