Arkéa Ultim Challenge - Brest day 38 morning update

Coville "For a long time now we have been just telling ourselves we must not give in"

The day after he passed Cape Horn, Thomas Coville was on the verge of tears yesterday afternoon when he spoke in a poignant video revealing his sense of release of getting out of the Southern Oceans safely and the majesty of the Horn and the surrounding area. Currently in third place on the ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest Coville is making his way up the South American coast as is Armel Le Cléac'h in second place ahead of him. Race leader Charles Caudrelier is 1,600 miles further north. In fourth Anthony Marchand is battling with the conditions in the Pacific Ocean whilst fifth placed Éric Péron approaches the longitude of New Zealand.

Thomas Coville's video message yesterday was a timely reminder of the realities of what he and his fellow skippers are dealing with hour after hour, day after day on this amazing solo multihull race around the planet. It added real emotion and a sensitivity to what, for the watchers at home, too often becomes a video game, watching coloured dots progress across a map of the world.

He speaks from the Le Maire Strait. The blue sky mixes with darker clouds and orange and pink hues. In the background, there is Staten Island, a bird in the distance, we hear the noise of the Ultim and Coville reverts to becoming a storyteller: "We are leaving Antarctica. These are incredible colours. There is a lot of current, the sea is very rough. It's hostile, wild and so impressive.

"The wind came in very strong between Staten Island and Tierra del Fuego and we were allowed to pass. For such a long time we are always under pressure, we tell ourselves that we must not give in because there is no one else out there. This is a very important moment of this ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest. I don't really realize it yet but here we are, getting out of the wilderness!"

Coville has been making an average of 17 knots over the last 24 hours. The presence of a significant depression to his east has required him to stay by the coast, like Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) yesterday.

"They are in the same situation as yesterday and have taken shelter," this morning explains Guillaume Rottee, the race director. "But the depression is going away."

Way up ahead, Charles Caudrelier is off Vitoria, some 350 miles south of Salvador de Bahia, and this Tuesday morning is sailing in 11 knots of wind off the Brazilian coast. His Gitana team reported yesterday that he had to make more than 10 tacks on the giant 32m Ultim in the space of 48 hours.

According to Benjamin Schwartz, of Caudrelier's routing team. "This climb up the Atlantic is quite atypical with a very weak trade wind situation caused by a very extensive anticyclone over the South Atlantic."

Caudrelier is currently getting into the trade winds which should allow him to get to the Equator on a long starboard tack.

And his two pursuers, Armel Le Cléac'h and Coville have closed some distance on him, some 700 miles or so.

"They are closer but don't jump to any hasty conclusions as it's about actual time between them and not distance." adds Guillaume Rottee.

And in the Pacific, Eric Péron (ULTIM ADAGIO) has pulled back nearly 700 miles on Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) between last Friday and today. As a reminder, the skipper of Actual Ultim 3 is sailing without a port foil and with a starboard foil blocked in the high position. The two skippers should will have similar wind conditions until Cape Horn.

Follow the race tracking on www.arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en