Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing has taken the lead, ahead of United by the Ocean in second and DMG MORI Sailing Team in third.
11th Hour Racing, positioned 75 nautical miles further south than Team Malizia moves to the front of the six-boat pack Saturday (5 Sep) with 2,155 nautical miles [2,479 miles | 3,991 kilometers] still to sail.
Team Frankie were seeing remarkable speeds overnight, with the boat hitting nearly 34 knots as they powered their way eastwards, driven by strong southerly winds on the leading edge of the Atlantic low pressure system which is taking the fleet towards Europe.
The fact that 11th Hour Racing was in a position to assume the lead came after a very good few hours onboard as the front-runners encountered an earlier light patch in the breeze. Francesca and her crew took advantage to make gains against both Team Malizia and Paul Meilhat and his crew on United by the Ocean.
Onboard 11th Hour Racing, meanwhile, everything is as it should be and Francesca said she and the rest of the crew – including On Board Reporter (OBR) Julien Champolion – had managed to get some “recovery” sleep during the lighter phase as the boat slowed and the slamming reduced.
Team Malizia also gybed south this morning while their rivals continued charging east.
On board MSIG Europe, the only non-foiling boat in the race and currently lying sixth, Conrad Colman and his team encountered a problem with the headsail furler. The issue forced them to bear away and sail downwind while repairs were carried out.