Arkéa Ultim Challenge - Brest day 15 morning update

Coville joins Caudrelier in the Indian Ocean

As the ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest heads into the third week of racing since leaving Brest on Sunday 7th January, Charles Caudrelier now has a big lead in the Indian Ocean making regular averages of more than 30 knots and is just under 800 miles to the Kerguelens. Thomas Coville passed the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas last night and is in the Indian Ocean. Armel Le Cléac'h and Anthony Marchand have still yet to escape the clutches of the lighter winds - the high pressure moving with them - while Éric Péron has started to head east. Tom Laperche should arrive in Cape Town tomorrow, Monday, where the SVR-Lazartigue team is waiting for him.

"People talk to me a lot about record times but my goal is to round Cape Horn with a boat in good condition and to win this race." This is what Charles Caudrelier said yesterday, "I am trying to find a good speed, not too fast, trying not to go over 40 knots". This Sunday morning, the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild is at a steady 33 knots of speed over the last 24 hours, flashed at 33.7 knots at 0600hrs UTC

He passed Pig Island, an uninhabited island which is part of the Crozet archipelago. "He gybed at 0400hrs UTC and hitched a little to the south westerly," said assistant race director Pierre Hays. "He will have to do one or more gybes during the day. Charles is advancing with a steady northwest wind which will turn southwest on Monday morning."

Coville is in the Indian Ocean too

Thomas Coville entered the Indian Ocean during the night. The skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3 passed his first round-the-world milestone, the Cape of Good Hope at 0218hrs UTC. He also crossed Cape Agulhas which really marks the entry into the Indian Ocean, at 0443hrs UTC. He is still in a southwesterly wind of 15 to 20 knots.

He needs to prepare for a big transition tonight as the breeze moves northwesterly and a front goes through.

1,500 miles further west, Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) and Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) are skirting the ZEA (ice exclusion zone) at just under 20 knots. "Right now they are behind the anticyclone which is moving with them," explains Hayes, " Unfortunately, they will have to deal with it all the way to the Cape of Good Hope."

Éric Péron started to go to the East. "He has a North, North-East wind of 15 to 18 knots which allows him to sail on a relatively direct route". The skipper of ULTIM ADAGIO was progressing at more than 20 knots this Sunday morning.

With the situation stable on board Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) still has a little over 400 miles to go to reach Cape Town. He should arrive late Monday. In the Live show broadcast yesterday afternoon, Laperche was reassuring, "Things are going pretty well on the boat, I do checks regularly and the situation is not getting worse."

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