Gitana clocked up the best instant speed during one of the check-ins carried out by the organisers. And although a southerly blow continued to accompany the trimaran driven by Lionel Lemonchois and Marc Guessard, they were met by a long south-south-westerly swell once they entered the Atlantic Ocean. Precisely the sort of conditions in which Gitana gives full rein to all her potential. Lying ninth at the 2 p.m. check-in today with an average hourly speed of 15 knots, Gitana is making the most of these open sea conditions to keep up with other boats in the fleet which are generally said to be the fastest. She is 4 ½ miles behind Foncia (Alain Gautier and Ellen MacArthur), and a little under 5 ½ miles ahead of Sergio Tacchini (Karine Fauconnier and Damian Foxall). Another figure which reveals the just how well Gitana is faring  - the distance made good in 24 hours, namely almost 365 ¾ miles  (average speed of 15.2 knots). An impressive figure if you bear in mind that Belgacom, currently in the lead, has clocked up just 22 miles more, 1 knot more in 24 hours...

The west, the real McCoy...

Headed west as soon as Ushant was left astern at the entrance to the Atlantic, Gitana is now in downwind of Sergio Tacchini and upwind of Bayer CropScience. Where Gitana is right now, she has a 30 knot southerly wind and life on board is somewhat humid. Will the westerly option pay off ? Along with her acolytes, Gitana is hoping to be first to pick up a WNW shift in wind direction, which ought then to propel them towards the northern hemispheres north-easterly tradewinds. Undeniably, as things stand, Gitana is getting along swimmingly head to wind in a bit of a blow and rough seas ! Conditions which Lionel and Marc should still have for this evening.