This morning the 28 competitors are sailing near the ridge which extends from the Azores high pressure system towards Morocco. A front arrives from the North. It should only concern the rear of the fleet during the day with a wind shift and a few showers, but nothing nasty.
For the leading boats, the wind is unstable. Their objective is to manage to slide into the South East quadrant of the high pressure system to find the North East wind shift. They can then jibe in the trade winds and sail at full speed southward towards the Doldrums.
If the wind is too light or if the swell slows down the boat, it is possible that certain competitors jibe several times before heading there. The game is to find the best compromise between a western route which is shorter but with less wind and an eastern route which is longer but windier. It is what French sailors refer to as the gull-wing route, so called because of the inverted V shape.
The point of jibing is a difficult choice. It determines the passage with regard to the Island of Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands and finally the entrance to the Doldrums. Too far West means losing time and if they sail too far East, it will be necessary to gybe again in less favorable conditions.
The 28 skippers are probably going to spend part of the day in front of their computer screen playing with the routings and looking at the models to choose their point of entry into the Doldrums.
Fuente: App Vendée Globe.
