The 11 boats in the leading group are all experiencing westerly winds of 19 to 21 knots, except Apivia in second place, where the wind is 15 knots but she is making the best runs at the moment and is just 127 miles behind Maître CoQ still in the lead. There is a mile between 3rd and 4th places with Groupe-Apicil just holding off Linked Out. 11th placed Bureau Vallée, the tail ender in this group, has taken 80 miles out of Maître CoQ’s lead in the past 24 hours and just 375 separates 1st and 11th. Jean Le Cam, 200 miles from Maître CoQ, is in 5th place.
Brewing up to the north of the fleet is a depression heading eastwards which looks as if it will pass them to their north and is expected to clear Cape Horn late Saturday. The leaders should miss the worst of this as they are predicted to start passing the last of the three great Capes on Sunday.
5,500 miles to the west, Merci brings up the tail end of the fleet. Pip Hare is still in 17th, 2,000 off the lead and Miranda Merron in 23rd is a further 1,600 miles astern. Sam Davies, sadly out of the race, is starting to overhaul the tail enders