Transat Jacques Vabre: only 5 days to go to the finish line!

Aboard the IMOCA L'Occitane en Provence, the duo are continuing to sail through the trade winds of the Atlantic Ocean, in conditions which are ideal for deploying their foils. After ten days of intense sailing, even with temperatures reaching 35 degrees on board, their motivation remains unwavering. They are now less than 1500 miles from the finish line!

Over the last two days, the IMOCA boats that have chosen the southern route (including L'Occitane en Provence) have climbed up the rankings. At the start of the race, most of the weather forecasts recommended the northerly route - supposedly faster. However, Clarisse Crémer & Alan Roberts decided to take the southerly route, joining the majority of the fleet, to save their boat. But over the past 48 hours, the tradewind conditions have enabled these boats to move up the rankings compared to those favouring the northerly option, putting them on a par with the IMOCA boats in the north.

"The competition is tough. It's frustrating to see the occasional dip in the wind in our sailing area; naturally, we'd like to go faster!" shared Clarisse Crémer this morning in a voice message. "But overall, we remain satisfied. We're keeping an eye on our rivals, who are making fast headway behind us. And that gives us the motivation to stay focused on the race and do our best to stay in the lead."

Alan Roberts explained this morning: "Everything's going well. We're working on the adjustments to optimise the boat's speed. Up until now, the IMOCA boats taking the southern route seemed to have slightly less wind than those to the north, and that's changing! We're doing well and life on board isn't too bad. We're managing to rest well, which is essential to maintain our concentration. At this stage, we've only got 5 days to the finish, so it's all up to us now!

The finish line has never been so close! The duo plan to arrive on Sunday during the day.