“The course to Fiji is south-east, and the wind direction is generally easterly, so any distance that they slip to the south makes the rest of it more uphill.”
The action is approaching fever pitch on the water and Ericsson 4 are at risk of getting left on the shelf. It’s Doldrums 3.2, and Torben Grael and his team have been forced south, taking a hit on the leaderboard. Chasing hard, Ericsson 3 is currently on top in the hand-to-hand battle with PUMA, and both boats have closed back to within 20 miles of the leader.
Telefonica Blue has also closed right up – the deficit of 19 hours they suffered at the start is now well into single figures, according to the Predicted Data. No need for a spoiler warning here (he’s a ghost, it’s a sledge and she’s a boy), we’ve seen this movie before – catching people is a lot different to overtaking them in a Doldrums compression. And Telefonica Blue have no leverage on the leaders, they are still following in their wake.