Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe Day 6 Morning Update

Italian skipper Ambrogio Beccaria, one of the pre race favourites has been forced to retire: after a heavy fall inside his cockpit last night—while holding fifth place in the 60-foot monohull class—the skipper of Allagrande Mapei is suffering from severe back pain. He is currently heading toward the Azores, where medical attention will be arranged upon his arrival.

Ultim: Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) holds a lead of over 540 miles, with less than 630 miles to sail to Guadeloupe. He has to work his way out of a tropical depression and then sail upwind to the finish line with no sign of the usual trade winds.

Big leads in Ocean Fifty and IMOCA: Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) and Corentin Horeau (MACSF) are extending their leads, now ahead by more than 115 and 245 miles, respectively. Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) has climbed into third place.

Class40 and other classes: Around the Azores, the tough conditions are battering both the sailors and their boats. And tomorrow, Saturday, looks set to bring another dose of rough weather.

Out on the race course some sailors need more wind, others have more than enough, and some exhausted skippers just want some respite. Five days after the start from Saint-Malo, the Atlantic remains something of a battleground. With a tropical depression near the Antilles, a chaotic low around the Azores, and a notable absence of trade winds, the six fleets in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe are dealing with very different worlds.

With less than 630 miles to go and a lead of over 540 miles over Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and Louis Burton (Armand Thiery), Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) can really start to think about tomorrow's finish into Pointe-à-Pitre and what should be his biggest win yet. But first: a tropical depression, complete with heavy clouds, calm patches, and unpredictable gusts. Laperche said this morning, "We're right in the thick of it. We're waiting for the wind to shift so we can catch a south-westerly breeze all the way to the Antilles. I'm a bit on edge because I don't want to lose too much ground during this transition."

And as if the scenario has not been complex enough, the finish is set to be a beat, requiring multiple tacks—in a region where the trade winds usually offer a sprint finish. "It's extremely rare for there to be no trade winds at all in this area. It won't be a straight shot; there will likely be some tacking involved. It reminds me of Franck Cammas, who had to zigzag his way to Guadeloupe in 2010 when he won aboard Groupama 3!" Laperche cautions, "We could go half as fast as the others and still arrive at the same time—but that's not the goal! You just have to make the best of what you've got, without taking unnecessary risks. We've had a few very intense days, and it's taking its toll. I try to grab naps whenever I can, just to stay sharp at all times."

Behind Laperche second placed Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) is not managing to break away from Ultim rookie Louis Burton (Ultim Armand Thiery) who is just five miles directly behind and faster this morning.

In the Ocean Fifty class, Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) is discovering the joys of relatively civilised sailing. "This is just about the first time during this crossing that we've been able to get some proper, sound sleep!" "I've got blisters from the sheets. We're doing such a huge amount of maneuvering—it's exhausting, and you have to compensate for it." His efforts have paid off: he now has a lead of over 115 miles. "I knew the conditions would favor those in front, so I really pushed hard at the right moment." But the next phase of heavy weather, expected tomorrow, will need the skippers to moderate their approach. "For a while, everyone will have to focus more on managing their boat than on the race itself. The key will be to stay clear-headed and avoid making any silly mistakes." The numbers look good, but nerves are a bit frayed

Corentin Horeau may have lost 100 miles to Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4) yesterday but he has won them back—with interest! This morning, the skipper of MACSF is leading the IMOCA fleet by more than 245 miles and is still clocking the fastest speeds in his class. It's a good return on his hard work following a few "rodeo" sessions. "Yesterday was absolute carnage! I even put on my helmet. The boat was handling well, but after a while, I decided to dial it back." That's because there was a sudden luff—a broach—that left his monohull heeled over at 90 degrees. "In a situation like that, alarms go off everywhere, and everything just goes flying." "It's always impressive, even though I've experienced this several times before."

This Friday, conditions are more manageable, despite winds fluctuating between 16 and 22 knots. Further back in third Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) continues his climb headsail this morning and is now some 30 miles behind Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4). Italian-American Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) has struggled with her J0 which, she reported wrapped itself partly round the forestay. "I am not even sure I can use it again" reported the exhausted skipper during the night. As for Horeau he remains cautious. "With a lead like this in a standard transatlantic race, I'd say things should be fine. But this isn't a standard transatlantic race! There's still a depression ahead, complete with thunderstorms. You never know how things might unfold."

Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) - who was in fifth place at the time - took a heavy fall in his cockpit last night while sailing through rough seas. Suffering from severe back pain, the Italian sailor, following consultation with the race's medical team, has decided to end his race. He is now diverting toward the Azores, where medical care will be waiting for him upon his arrival.

Not far from the leading 60-foot IMOCAs, the two frontrunners in the Rhum Multi category are also fighting the conditions. Éric Péron (French Touch - Oceania Hôtels) has his mainsail lazy-bag torn off in the gale, causing complications for the rigging of his ORMA trimaran. Seguin leads by 70 miles.

In the Azores: A Great Test of Patience

In the Class40s, Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran - Seafrigo) still holds the top spot, but Achille Nebout (Amarris) and others have designs on the lead. Among them, Robin Follin (Solano), currently in third place, is sailing this morning about 30 miles west of the small Portuguese island of Flores—a rather unforgiving environment. The wind has eased off, but the waves, it seems, didn't get the memo. Follin in third, less than 20 miles behind Pirouelle reported"For the last few hours, I was seeing up to 32 knots. It's calmed down quite a bit since then, but the sea is still a complete mess! I thought things would settle down after the front passed, but there's still a massive, chaotic chop coming from every direction." "It feels like the sun has been switched off for days! In a shorter race, I'd spend all my time on deck fine-tuning the settings. Here, I'm constantly juggling sail changes and analyzing weather files. It's endless!" "I'm very calm; I'm just taking it all in stride. In a transatlantic race, there are real strategic choices to be made, and I'm actually quite enjoying it."

Ireland's Pam Lee (Empowher) has made the tough decision to pitstop into the Azores after losing the padeye for her J2 off the deck and struggling constantly with power charging issues, she is determined to continue after repairs and was 140 miles north of the islands this morning.

In the Rhum Mono class, Tanguy Caradec (Eurvad)—like many others—finds himself in the relatively calm heart of the weather system. It is a brief respite he intends to make the most of before breaking out his heavy-weather gear once again. "I've been seeing gusts of 37 to 40 knots—thankfully not 50 or 60. We'll just have to hunker down. I'll take three reefs in the mainsail, and if that's not enough, I'll drop it entirely and continue under the J3 [jib]."

Others have had to succumb, in the Ocean Fifty class, Erwan Le Draoulec (Lazare x Hellio)—suffering from a dislocated shoulder—is approaching Horta in the Azores this morning, having decided to stop following medical advice. 2004 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou, aboard the Class40 Pierreval - Fondation GoodPlanet has elected not to go on despite his repairs made in A Coruña as without a chance of a decent finish position he does not want to risk his boat or himself.

Track the fleet via www.routedurhum.com