Upwind, the Bay of Biscay really hits hard. « The sea is up : hard, choppy and short. The waves are small and you have to climb them one at a time. The little Figaro Bénéteau is still able to leapfrog over them », witnesses Denis Horeau from the Race Committee boat. Add a sky, sometimes squally, sometimes pierced by rays of sunlight and an oscillating, unstable wind … and you have all the ingredients for a laborious climb. There’s nothing pleasurable about it, it is simply a very tactical, high risk game. « In these conditions, the skippers play the oscillations in the wind and follow the narrowing tack. A spell on a starboard tack, a few minutes on a port tack and then starboard once again … » explains Christian Gout, Assistant Race Director.

The majority of the troops are progressing in a group, about 30 miles below the direct course. But already three trends have been confirmed with the formation of little « clusters », who play the variations in the wind, changing tack according to the freers and headers. Exchanging places too at the top of the Argos positions. The furthest east is Thierry Chabagny (Petit Navire), current leader. On the same course, he is followed by Alexandre Toulorge (Cherbourg-Crédit Mutuel), in superb form since the start of the last leg which will take him back home. In the centre, there’s a lot of movement. There, some upwind professionals are grouped together, getting the maximum from their course and their speed : Nicolas Troussel (Galinette) and Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore), of course. « We not sailing that far from the others but we can’t see each other at all with the breaking seas. You can’t let the helm go, the autopilot isn’t very good in these conditions… I’m sticking to my course without worrying too much about what the others are doing, I am the wind », confides the man famed for working wonders against the breeze in the radio session. These two are hotly pursued to the left by Eric Drouglazet (David Olivier), Sébastien Josse (Créaline), Vincent Riou (PRB). This tandem is itself followed by Charles Caudrelier Benac (Bostik Findley) and Kito de Pavant (Malice). A bit more to the west the band conquering the north-westerly wind is making progress, with Ronan Guérin (Saint Nazaire-Escal’Atlantic) and Gilles Chiorri (32 01 from Météo Consult) figuring amongst them. In short, the situation is highly tactical and everyone is tracing his own groove according to the oscillations of the unfavourable wind. Figaros-here, Figaros-there…

These forces are now making progress on a starboard tack in a north north-easterly wind and are expecting a shift to the left accompanied by a regain in speed of up to 20-25 knots. Again and still close to one another, the first twenty advance in a band of less than five miles. They’re all out on deck ! « 24 hours of upwind sailing and not half the route covered yet. It’s painful, you have to trim the sails constantly. But when you’re fighting for the first places, you hang on in there », says Nicolas Troussel in his element using his regatta skills. He isn’t the only one and they haven’t finished making use of any shifts to propel them into the lead at Ushant, the designated passage at the end of this tacking battle. « A priori, I am on the good wagon, rejoices Eric Drouglazet. We have a sea which could damage the boat but we’re better off as monohulls than multihulls ! You take the full brunt in the spinal column when the boat drops of the waves. It’s not that great for the guys ! The road is still long but after Ushant, we won’t have to tack any more. It’ll be a good time to start the chronometer, we’ll see the big picture in the general rankings ». Positioned at 170 miles from the island off Brittany, the first soloists are expected there at the end of tomorrow afternoon. There we shall find the champion of the upwind event…

Echos from the sea
 Kito de Pavant (Malice) : « Everything was going well and I was maintaining a good speed. I passed Gildas Morvan with Jérémie Beyou. Then I unfortunately took a crate in the keel and I didn’t see it straightaway. I dragged it along for 4 hours, I went along for about 100 metres with the tip of boat underwater. I had to go into reverse to get free several times. I have lost 2 miles on the leading boats and I’m very disappointed to have dropped so many places like that ! »

 Alexandre Toulorge (Cherbourg-Crédit Mutuel) : « I had a good night and tacked well. But I really like sailing upwind. Home is not far away and that’s motivating me to get back, even if I’m having a bit of difficulty in moving the boat forward and getting the speed I want out of her. Ushant and the Raz Blanchard are the two passages required before Cherbourg-Octeville. It’s a very welcoming town and I hope there’ll be a big crowd at the finish. »