© Photo Richard Konkolski
© Photo Richard Konkolski
Despite the fact that Soldini entered the Doldrums overnight he was able to extend the lead over Thiercelin to 78.4 miles. He was doing slightly over 10 knots, one knot more than Mark. The doldrums extended from at least 3 south to around 4 north, about 400 miles wide belt. Soldini and Thiercelin will have to pick their best way through a region of fluky winds and squalls. When they emerge on the other side of the Doldrums, they should get the best of the northeast trade winds.
Fila © Photo Billy Black
In Class II Mike Garside had 3,433 miles to go and was leading J.P. Mouligne by 208 miles. Garside’s speed dropped to 8 knots by the end of the day and Mouligne was able to cut down some mileage, making over 11 knots. Garside entered the light winds some 18 hour ahead of JP and it already showed. Mouligne could use his wind advantage to narrow the gap between them. If he doesn't, Garside will emerge from the Doldrums and hit the northeast trades first, possibly extending his lead beyond Mouligne's reach.
Mouligne was very aware of this situation in his email: "I hope that you will forgive me for being brief today I am a little bit South of Recife and I am approaching quickly the critical zone of the doldrums. The doldrums with its combination of calms quickly followed by violent squalls is the area where I have the most chance to definitely tear my main sail and therefore lose all chances to win the last leg. It is also where Magellan is going to slow down before me and I have a chance to make up a lot of miles. The next 2 or 3 days will decide on who will win this leg."
Class II boats that yesterday were caught by a high pressure system struggled with light winds overnight but during day they started to enjoy the first taste of the trades. It looked, like Minoru got himself in best position and with better wind he made significant gains on Neal Petersen. There is a big advantage now to being further to the east where the trades are.
© Photo Richard Konkolski
| Place | Skipper | Boat | Latitude | Longitude | Dist. to go | Speed | Dist. to first | Time |
| 1 | Soldini | Fila | 01 12S | 037 41W | 3144 | 10.2 | 0 | 2140 |
| 2 | Thiercelin | Somewhere | 01 56S | 036 34W | 3222 | 9 | 78.4 | 2140 |
| Place | Skipper | Boat | Latitude | Longitude | Dist. to go | Speed | Dist. to first | Time |
| 1 | Garside | Magellan Alpha | 05 12S | 034 50W | 3433 | 8 | 0 | 2144 |
| 2 | Mouligne | Cray Valley | 07 53S | 033 10W | 3641 | 11.2 | 208.9 | 2144 |
| 3 | Yazykov | Wind of Change | 10 54S | 034 52W | 3847 | 8.5 | 413.5 | 2144 |
| 4 | Petersen | No Barriers | 17 10S | 038 11W | 4269 | 3.6 | 835.7 | 2144 |
| 5 | Saito | Shuten-dohji II | 18 23S | 037 07W | 4312 | 2.3 | 878.2 | 2144 |
| 6 | Hunter | Paladin II | 19 29S | 037 11W | 4376 | 4.5 | 942.1 | 2144 |
| 7 | Van Liew | Balance Bar | 28 07S | 046 24W | 5071 | 4.5 | 1637.3 | 2144 |
Copyright © Richard Konkolski
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