Paris (AFP)

Bestaven then Dalin then Bestaven then Dalin again: the head of the Vendée Globe fleet is in perpetual motion as it approaches Recife (Brazil), where it should hang on the trade winds on Friday to head towards Ecuador, which is due to pass on Saturday .

"We are currently witnessing a speed race that can be fraught with pitfalls," analyzed the 'weather man' of the Vendée Globe, Christian Dumard.

"The leading group is sailing in an East-North-East trade wind of 12-15 knots with small squalls which can slow their progress from time to time. The wind should gradually turn to the east. Note that the boats the more easterly have a small advantage with a slightly stronger wind than Maître Coq IV (Yannick Bestaven), which allows them to go a little faster, ”he explained.

In Wednesday's standings at midday, Charlie Dalin (Apivia) - sailing east - is leading the round the world solo and nonstop race.

However, it only has a tiny lead (3.5 nautical miles or 6.5 km) over Bestaven, the leader in the early morning hours.

Behind, it is not idle.

Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2), who has continued to rise to the top of the fleet for several days, rose to third place in the standings, pointing 21 nm behind the leader (38 km).

Burton, who is taking part in his second Vendée Globe after finishing seventh in 2016/2017, has in his wake respectively Thomas Rettant (LinkedOut), Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil), Boris Herrmann (Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco), Benjamin Dutreux ( OMIA-Water Family), Jean Le Cam (Yes we Cam!) And Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group).

- 'The match is about to start!'

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In total, a leading group of nine skippers, very close to each other (it spans a portion of some 130 nm, or approximately 240 km).

"The big match is about to begin!" Said Boris Hermann, the first German to compete in the Vendée Globe, on Wednesday.

"For 30 minutes, I have been touching more stable wind, I see that the boat is very agile. It is going at 16 knots in 12 knots of wind and the foil is pushing", rejoiced the sailor, at the helm of a old generation flying boat - just like Burton and Bestaven, and unlike Dalin and Rouillard, which are very latest generation.

The latest generation boats have very large foils (side appendages that allow the monohull to rise above the water to spin at high speed) installed;

older generation ones are smaller.

These flying boats or 'foilers' were not really at the rendezvous of this Vendée Globe, while the southern seas were particularly harsh, conditions inadequate to use foils, which is more if they are very large .

"For now, the goal is to reach a stable wind that allows me to use my foils. The south-easterly trade winds look quite weak. If they don't exceed 11-12 knots, I won't be able to use my foils, but at 13 knots it could work, so it's not playing out much, "commented Hermann.

"In rough seas, with 35-38 knots of wind, boats like Damien Seguin's (without a foil, editor's note) could be very fast. The game is open. The foil would have less lift and therefore that will open up the game. again! ”he said.

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