It’s a very long Channel crossing for the Mini’s  today. Little or no wind, on the nose and still going nowhere ! The fleet headed for Lizard Point, around thirty miles to the east of the direct route, hoping perhaps to pick up a few thermals and sail along the coast with a little more wind. The average speed of the frontrunners is less than 5 knots over the first 24 hours of racing.

The 335 sailed by Jean-Baptiste de Sansonetti and Jamie Townsend came back to within 17 miles of the second last boat, having set off nearly 7 hours after everyone else. She is now around 70 miles from the frontrunners. Six Prototypes are currently in the lead. Including a quartet at the front: Frederico Waksman and Léo Bothorel’s 1019 Repremar Logistics, Laure Galley and Mathis Bourgnon’s 1048 DMG MORY, Marie Gendron and Mathilde De La Giclais’s 1050 LEA NATURE and Thais Lecam and Arno Biston’s 1068 Les Frérots. It shouldn’t be long before they see the English coast. 12 miles behind them are the first two Series boats: Hugo Mahieu and Renan Treussart’s 1002 EMB-I-PACK with the Italians Fransceco Farci and Pietro Mureddu on their port side on 520 Gintonic, a 2004 boat.

The 679 retired following a collision with another competitor early yesterday evening. Only material damage. The crew decided to return to Tréboul by their own means, thus saving their boat from any further damage. Pauline Regnier and Juliette Bataille arrived safely in port in the middle of the night.