9th day recap !

RACE UPDATE

• Conditions have intensified since last night with 22 to 25 knots of wind, persisting through much of Tuesday.

• After 9 days of racing, the fleet remains tightly packed: at the 4:00 p.m. ranking, only 40 nautical miles (74 km) separated leaders Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois (Wings of the Ocean) from the next seven boats.

• A front followed by a large windless zone is expected within two days, forcing a crucial strategic decision: whether to pass to the north or south of the system.

• Maël Garnier and Catherine Hunt (Selencia - Cerfrance) are facing issues with their carbowind (a combined anemometer and wind vane at the masthead) and are working hard to resolve the problem.

NEWS FROM THE FLEET

It’s been a bumpy ride aboard the Figaro 3s since last night, with more intense conditions bringing around 20 knots of wind. “The conditions are wild—I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Tiphaine Rideau (Les Banques Alimentaires). “These were the first big squalls of the trade winds,” added Davy Beaudart (Hellowork).

Audrey Ogereau captured footage of waves crashing over Les Étoiles Filantes. “A beautiful night of surfing,” joked Quentin Vlamynck. “We had 30 knots of wind!” Some boats wiped out, others faced technical issues.

On Région Normandie, Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet are dealing with “a structural issue near the bowsprit.”

The mood was lighter aboard Humains en action, where Anaëlle Pattusch took inventory of all the seaweed that had accumulated on her Figaro: “It’s turned into a floating vegetable garden!” Meanwhile, Martin Le Pape tried to film Mathilde Géron (Demain) at sunrise, but the sound was drowned out by the sea and the boat’s whistling. “It was a beautiful tropical vibe,” Martin laughed. “But we’re so fed up with not being able to wear shorts!”