It may have been a tough, physical first night for the 30 skippers who started the Vendée Globe in Les Sables d’Olonne yesterday but a malicious cold front is forecast to hit them during this afternoon and into tonight which will give them a severe test as they try to escape November's grim clutches in the Bay of Biscay.While Marc Guillemot on Safran has held his lead, his decision to tack to the south while the fleet seeks to maximise their westing gives him the edge, but the leading boats show very little speed difference. Mike Golding’s decision to follow Guillemot with two tacks last night seems to have paid off, the British skipper on Ecover has made up ten places from last night’s rankings and is now lying 13th and sitting between Guillemot and the main pack.
The tally of skippers forced to head back to Les Sables d'Olonne since the start has risen to eight following the news that Kito de Pavant's Groupe Bel as well as Yannick Bestaven on Aquarelle.com have both been dismasted. Derek Hatfield on Algimouss Spirit of Canada is returning with electrical problems. Hugo Boss returning after suffering structural damage. Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss has structural damage to the hull of his Open 60 and is returning towards Les Sables d'Olonne. While around 200 nautical miles from Les Sables d'Olonne, Michel Desjoyeaux - the skipper of FONCIA - informed his team that he had decided to turn back to port. A small leak in one of the ballast tanks caused an electrical problem making it impossible to start the engine to recharge his batteries.
