“I’m feeling fresh and the boat is good” - Beluga Racer second

During Saturday, Thierry Bouchard and Boris Herrmann ceased their shadow sailing and split. Herrmann took Beluga Racer north after the ice gate, up towards Soldini’s territory, while Bouchard made a fast, shallow climb up the face of the North Atlantic overnight and into Sunday. At dawn, Herrmann and Beluga Racer were trailing Mistral Loisirs - Pole Sante ELIOR by 14 miles and the northern option was beginning to look bleak, although the German skipper disagreed when he spoke to the race office shortly before the 1000GMT position poll this morning: “I think it’ll pay-off in a couple of hours, or maybe it has paid-off already,” he said confidently. As the position poll downloaded, it became evident that Herrmann’s gamble had put Beluga Racer into profit, leading Mistral Loisirs - Pole Sante ELIOR by 11 miles as Bouchard’s speed average plummeted to 2.6 knots. Contacted just after the poll had arrived, Thierry Bouchard had to face the music: “I chose the southern option to avoid the light wind zone in the north,” he explained, “and it worked well last night.” The French skipper does not exaggerate as he averaged 5.7 knots at dawn compared to Soldini’s 4.2 knots and Herrmann’s 2.5 knots in the north. “But now, things are against me.”

While the competition for 2nd place remains tight, both Mistral Loisirs - Pole Sante ELIOR and Beluga Racer are in peak condition after the heavy winds. Asked whether the damage sustained by Yvan Noblet on Appart’ City had triggered concern for his own boat, Bouchard brushed the question aside: “The boat is great,” he confirmed, “but I’m getting tired and the stress is building with this tight racing.” Beluga Racer has also escaped unscathed: “I’m feeling fresh and the boat is good,” Herrmann confirmed, “although I haven’t had time to dry and clean the interior.” There is likely to quite a lot of housework for Herrmann: “One of the lee-cloths broke and all the gear stowed to windward inside the boat fell down from the high side and I still have a big mess..maybe I should do some stitching as w ell.” At 1200GMT, Herrmann held a 16 mile lead over Bouchard.