The trade winds at last!

Though they continued to suffer last night in their bid to extricate themselves from the zone of high pressure blocking the way, those favouring an option out to the West are finally free of its clutches today. Indeed, after labouring in the light airs, struggling to get their boats making headway at more than 4 knots, they’re pretty much back up to full speed again this Sunday making double figures with between 16 and 18 knots of boat speed. The reason for this is that now that they’ve extracted themselves from the ridge of high pressure, they’re finally being accompanied by some trade winds. This steady NE’ly breeze is logically set to build the further South they get, enabling them to lengthen their stride. In terms of the ranking, though they’re now 400 miles or so shy of the head of the fleet, which is obviously a bit of a blow, the good news is that Giancarlo Pedote and Anthony Marchand have negotiated the light airs as best they can over the past 24 hours and they’ve managed to make substantial inroads into their deficit in relation to a number of their rivals, starting with Bureau Vallée which they’re within sight of this morning. In the latest position report that translates as four places higher up the leader board. This should boost the spirits of the duo as they are now sailing in the same weather system as their playmates up front, which means they’ll be able to put pedal to the metal, an exercise they relish as it’s something they’re particularly adept at.