Despite the fact that all three boats avoided the worst weather of the very strong storm depression, the images are drastic: Jean Le Cam sent the most impressive shots of the seas beating on his Open 60 (the best moments from video minute 4). With a triple reefed main and no headsail, he still sails at almost 20 knots and accelerates like crazy on the crests of the waves. But the autopilot seems to have the boat perfectly under control. It averaged around 40 knots, and more in gusts. Normally, the gust potential is just under 50 per cent above the average wind, so you can imagine.
His compatriot Yann Eliès, who was sailing just 30 miles ahead of him, sent similar pictures from on board. Anyone who has ever filmed or photographed waves themselves knows how harmless they look in pictures or videos, so you can imagine how bad it actually was. Le Cam is therefore the big winner of the storm poker, as he was able to keep going, without having to change course or turn round. He only took his foot off the accelerator for a few hours so as not to overshoot the waves too much.
Jean-Pierre Dick's helicopter footage is quite different: the skipper of "St. Michel-Virbac" decided to sail almost 450 nautical miles round the Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania to avoid the storm depression, which brought 50 to 70 knots of wind in some areas. So a helicopter team took the opportunity to send aerial footage of his surfing boat with triple reefed main and headsail as it drilled into wave crests. However, his diversions cost him 6th place and he is likely to lose many, many miles to Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam.
Today all three skippers have the worst behind them, the depression has passed and is now reaching the second and third placed Paul Meilhat ("SMA") and Jérémie Beyou ("Maitre Coq") this evening. They can expect 50 to 60 knots of wind in the gusts on Thursday. Further back in the field, things are also getting busy in an approaching depression, as the pictures of Nandor Fa ("Spirit of Hungary") from yesterday show.
It's a completely different story at the top: Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson are sailing in weaker winds. The Frenchman was able to pull away with a clear advantage with his foil and now leads with 270 nautical miles already. Tomorrow he will be overtaken by weaker winds, which had Alex Thomson firmly in their grip on Wednesday, perhaps a chance for the Briton to regain a few of the lost miles. He will have to limit the gap over the next few days, as almost the entire route to Cape Horn will be sailed on the starboard bow - the side on which he lost his foil.
