Attack! Boris Herrmann has pushed himself to the limit and reduced his deficit to fourth-placed Jean Le Cam by more than 20 nautical miles within four hours with the support of an unexpected front in cold temperatures of around five degrees. The next position report at 12 noon German time could even see the 39-year-old "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper move up to fourth place. At the top of the field, Yannick Bestaven on "Maître Coq IV" has even been able to slightly extend his lead over Charlie Dalin ("Apivia") and Thomas Ruyant ("LinkedOut"). Bestaven's two closest pursuers were separated by around 100 nautical miles on Saturday morning. The leading skippers worked their way along the ice edge in a jibing slalom at the start of the weekend.
Early Saturday morning, Herrmann, who like the entire leading group and their strongest pursuers has now left the Indian Ocean and dived into the Pacific, reported from on board:
"I'm having a good day out here so far. No problems. Apart from two sunshots due to a strange swell from the lee. I've just jibed at the ice edge. I've been pushing towards the ice edge with a small gennaker and one reef in winds around 28, 30 knots. I found out that the small gennaker is a great sail that I haven't used much yet. The 30 knots were not predicted. Another front just came through. On board, I've gained five degrees in team temperature by turning my cockpit into a greenhouse and keeping the curtain of the cake stand closed at all times. Now it's much drier and more liveable inside the boat and in the cockpit. My mornings, when Europe is still asleep, have now become full days (editor's note: the fleet is travelling south of New Zealand). For me it is now evening while Europe is just waking up. Apart from that, I have the feeling that I have found my place down here a little better. I'm just a bit more focussed on myself and let go of thoughts of the country and its people. I'm arriving at the Erimitage and slowly accepting being alone. It's taken long enough."
Meanwhile, 'Medallia' skipper Pip Hare was still struggling in the middle of the Indian Ocean, more than 3150 nautical miles behind the leader in eighteenth place. Extracts from her report:
"I've been at war with the water for the last 48 hours. And for a while, the water won. All Imocas are wet boats and 'Medallia' is no exception. I've accepted the rigours of sailing on a boat without a cockpit cover because that's what I have. But in the last 48 hours I've seen more water coming over the deck than ever before. I have to work extra hard to keep my life from becoming a soggy pile of ruined gear. When I'm on deck, the waves are merciless. There's no escaping them. When I go back below deck, I'm dripping as if I've just come out of the sea. And my living space is small. I sleep on beanbags on the floor and work at floor level. So it's really important to try and keep this area dry. I know this is going to get tougher and tougher. Higher waves, more intense phases of fast sailing. And I wonder how wet everything will be when we reach the Atlantic again."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
