Brest (AFP)

The monohull of Charlie Dalin and Yann Eliès (Apivia) was in the lead on Thursday morning of the Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV), in the Imoca category, followed by two other boats able like him to "fly" thanks to their foils.

At 09h00 (08h00 GMT), the tandem skirted the Moroccan coast at the head of the Imocas fleet, the 18-meter monohulls that are the stars of the legendary race around the world alone, the Vendée Globe.

Of the 29 engaged, 16 have foils, these side appendages of more or less 7 m acting like airplane wings to take off the hull.

Now 3,336.8 nautical miles from their point of arrival, the Brazilian port of Salvador de Bahia, the two sailors are hounded by the pair Jérémie Beyou and Christopher Pratt (Charal), at 6.3 nm.

On the podium also Kevin Escoffier and Nicolas Lunven (PRB), leading the day before but now 8.4 nm leaders.

These three pairs are in the group of browsers, the largest, which has taken the option to go along the Iberian Peninsula and the Moroccan coast, while the other competitors have chosen a route further west, to the Azores archipelago.

Before them however, the only three multihulls involved in this 14th edition of the TJV, part of Le Havre Sunday, led by the duo Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Fred Duthil (Solidaires En Peloton ARSEP) at 3,256.9 nautical miles from the finish .

In Class40, the Kito de Pavant / Achille Nebout tandem (Made in Midi) took first place ahead of Louis Duc and Aurélien Ducroz (Crosscall Chamonix Mont-Blanc).

The ranking on Thursday at 09:00 (08:00 GMT)

. Multi50 (50ft / 15m multihull) - 3 engaged

1. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus / Frédéric Duthil (ARSEP Solidarity In Peloton) at 3.256,9 nm from the finish

2. Gilles Lamiré / Antoine Carpentier (GCA Group - A thousand and one smiles) at 20.8 nm from the 1st

3. Sébastien Rogues / Matthieu Souben (Primal) at 29.1 nm

. Imoca (60-foot / 18-m monohull) - 29 hired

1. Charlie Dalin / Yann Eliès (Apivia) at 3.336,8 from the finish

2. Jérémie Beyou / Christopher Pratt (Charal) at 6.3 nm from the first

3. Kevin Escoffier / Nicolas Lunven (PRB) at 8.4 nm

4. Sam Davies / Paul Meilhat (Initiatives-Heart) at 11.4

5. Clarisse Crémer / Armel le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire) at 14.7 nm

6. Nicolas Troussel / Jean Le Cam (Corum L'Epargne) at 44 nm

7. Charlie Enright / Pascal Bidegorry (11th Hour Racing) at 44.5

8. Sebastien Simon / Vincent Riou (Arkea-Paprec) at 48.9

9. Damien Seguin / Yoann Richomme (Apicil Group) at 56.2

10. Fabrice Amedeo / Eric Péron (Newrest-Arts & Windows) at 74.9

...

. Class40 (40ft / 12m monohull) - 27 engaged

1. Kito de Pavant / Achille Nebout (Made in Midi) at 3.626,3 from the finish

2. Louis Duc and Aurélien Ducroz (Crosscall Chamonix Mont-Blanc) at 5.2 nm from the 1st

3. Aymeric Chappellier / Pierre Leboucher (Aina Childhood and Future) at 8.8 nm from the first

© 2019 AFP