Europe 1 New Man Star - A battle for the podium

Battlefield mid-fleet, Golding and Chabaud play podium games

As the 2 monohulls in the lead of Class 1 are near standstill in light airs, struggling to find a breeze to save them from wallowing in the wind hole, the next group of boats (Team Group 4, Whirlpool, Solidaires) are gaining with a fresh wind behind, holding out their chances for a podium finish. The distances between the two groups have been closing gradually...for now. Credits : Gilles Martin Raget

500 miles from the line, Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) is still ahead despite the exhaustion and hard work from the previous day (3 hours salvaging her spinnaker after problems with the furler), and then Roland Jourdain is only 56 miles behind. These two have been progressing in fits and starts, trying everything to gain an extra half knot in the light airs : the following few hours will be enormously testing for them both.

The distances between the next boats are a matter of miles. Whirlpool, Team Group 4 and Solidaires are creating some heat together ! Golding has regained his third place again with a more favourable wind in the North. Catherine explained this exact situation over the radio, and the fact that Thierry Dubois is in her Orear mirror' as well. Solidaires' skipper has covered 52 miles in less than 6 hours ­ twice as far as Catherine has run in this time.

Further back, Italian Giovanni Soldini (Fila), not fixed this afternoon, should have gained back some miles as has Mich'Desjoyeaux nearby. The skipper of PRB doesn't now hold out hope of gaining much in terms of climbing the rankings, but is glad to have kept his boat intact so far. The leading monohulls are expected in midday on Sunday 18th June.

Rankings as of 1524hrs DTF, French Time:

1 Ellen MacArthur   Kingfisher          505 miles from the finish 
2 Roland Jourdain   Sill Beurre Le Gall  56 miles from the leader
3 Mike Golding      Team Group 4      + 116,5 M
4 Catherine Chabaud Whirlpool         + 129 M
5 Thierry Dubois    Solidaires        + 136 M
Fila not positioned
6 Michel Desjoyeaux PRB               + 209,8 M 

More Information:

• Event Website