Nick Cherry heads offshore for Generali Solo Méditerranée

Redshift skipper Nick Cherry surfing downwind towards Menorca © Alexis Courcoux

British solo sailor Nick Cherry, at the helm of Redshift, is still holding second place overall and remains on course for an historic podium finish in the gruelling three-week long Generali Solo Mediteranée.

Cherry departed Nice on Sunday in company with 21 other skippers at the start of the final offshore race in this year's event that takes them 420nm to Barcelona via Menorca. After that there are two further inshore races before the final ranking is set.

After his strong performances in the early inshore races and the first offshore contest, a top-half finish in the leg to Barcelona could see Cherry hold onto his podium position, going into the final two races.

No other British sailor has ever finished the Generali in the top-three but Cherry is keeping his cool. "I am really pleased with my result to be second going into this last leg," he said. "I don't have any big expectations for myself so I'm not feeling under pressure, there is still racing to be done and anything could happen. It's been such a great competition."

He admitted the inshore racing backed with offshore legs has taken its toll mentally: "The racing in Nice was hard on the brain. Conditions were light so it was very tactical. I slept for 11 hours ahead of the start of this offshore race."

The light airs and humid temperatures of the Med made for a tricky and tactical start to the race to Spain. Sam Matson, on board Chatham, got off to a great start on the French Riviera and is striving to secure a top-10 position in more favourable winds on the second day of racing.

"This is going to be a drag race and could be decided on the first night," he explained on the dock. "Whoever is in the top-10 in the early stages along the coast will likely be in the top-10 for the remainder of the race. It's a great way to race if you're in the front, but very frustrating if you're the bottom end of the fleet."

The wind picked up around midnight, to around 12 knots in the early hours – the fleet heading offshore under a rare 'blood' moon. As the sun came up, the breeze once again freshened giving fast conditions for the 267nm race to Menorca.

Cherry was keen to be the first to reach the new breeze. "Whoever gets to the new wind first will pull away from the fleet, a real rich getting richer scenario will unfurl," he explained. "After Menorca we could see the fleet compress and those behind may have a chance to catch up. The race will be fairly set early on."

After a historic result in this year's Solitaire du Figaro, Magma Structures skipper Alan Roberts has tried to minimise any unnecessary pressure during the Generali Solo Mediteranée: "I haven't looked at the overall positions once during the competition," he said. "I'm trying to concentrate on my own performance and keep it consistent, rather than being influenced by the rankings."

The 420nm race is estimated to take two days and 10 hours to complete, seeing the Generali Solo Mediteranée fleet arrive in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Track Nick, Sam and Alan as they battle it out in the Mediterranean: www.generali-solo.com