Damien Guillou has extended his lead as the fleet heads south towards Cape Verde, while the chasing boats remain closely matched after Lanzarote. Light winds continue to influence progress around the Canaries, with Pär Nyman facing a particularly slow approach to the film drop. Meanwhile, Guy deBoer is organising repairs, and Selim Yalçın is heading towards Spain to resolve his radio problems.
THE LEADERS
🇫🇷 Damien Guillou – SOLAREM
Damien has stretched his advantage over Pat to approximately 95–100 nautical miles, gaining around 40 miles over the past day. Sailing at 7 knots, he continues to make the most of the available breeze, with his positioning closer to the African coast appearing to have paid off.
🇮🇪 Pat Lawless – SILVERMINES HYDRO
Pat remains firmly in second place after a 117-mile day, sailing at 6.1 knots at the latest update. Lighter conditions have cost him ground against Damien, but more consistent breeze should help him maintain progress south.
THE CHASING PACK
🇮🇹 Andrea Lodolo – BIBI
Andrea leads the chasing group in third place, recording 100 nautical miles over the previous 24 hours. Sailing at around 5 knots, he remains just ahead of a tightly packed group where small differences in wind and boat speed can quickly change the order.
🇮🇹 Guido Cantini – HANNAH OF COWES
Guido holds fourth place after a 94-mile day, making 5.4 knots. He remains close to Andrea and well within reach of the boats around him as the fleet works its way clear of the Canaries.
🇨🇭 Etienne Messikommer – BERNARD
Etienne has pulled ahead of Daniel after the pair were recently close enough to call across to one another. A 97-mile dayand a current speed of 6 knots show him pushing hard to close the gap to the Italian boats ahead.
🇬🇧 Ertan Beskardes – MISS BEAGLE
Ertan continues steadily in the chasing pack, making 5.8 knots after a 98-mile day. He also appears to be enjoying the GGR Window, with talking to the camera and knowing his family can watch adding a welcome connection to life ashore.
🇮🇱 Daniel Pinsky – EXODUS
Daniel is sailing at 5.7 knots, although his 81-mile daily run has allowed Etienne to move ahead. The gaps within this group remain modest, leaving plenty of opportunity to recover ground as conditions change.
🇫🇷 Louis Kerdelhué – IE CHARGE
Louis is continuing south after the frustrations surrounding his spinnaker difficulties and the concern raised by a passing boat near Lanzarote. He has climbed the mast to deal with the problem, and remains within reach of the chasing group despite the time lost.
SOUTH OF LANZAROTE
🇬🇧 Henry Wootton – PRIVATEER
Henry has suffered a frustrating spell of light winds south of Fuerteventura, with the tracker showing just 46 nautical miles over 24 hours. His route down the eastern side of the islands has left him struggling through a windless patch, although he was moving again by the update.
🇳🇴 Helga Marie (Mara) Løvenskiold Kveseth – SHOWGIRL
Mara looked relaxed and comfortable during her Lanzarote sail past, and her latest displayed figures showed 117 nautical miles in 24 hours. Her position was still from 04:00 UTC, four hours earlier than most of the fleet, so she was further south than the tracker comparison initially suggested.
🇨🇦 Isa Rosli – OLLEANNA
Isa is making steady progress south, sailing at 4.8 knots after a 118-mile day. With the film drop behind him, the focus is now on finding consistent breeze and staying with the surrounding boats.
🇬🇧 Gunnar Christensen – POMPOEN
Gunnar is clear of Lanzarote after completing his film drop, recording 116 nautical miles over the previous day. His speed had eased to 3.2 knots, but conditions further south should offer better progress.
🇺🇸 Matt Woodside – TIPI HAERE
Matt has also completed the Lanzarote film drop and moved offshore, with a displayed daily run of 115 nautical miles. Like Mara, his position was still from 04:00 UTC, making the apparent gap to Gunnar less reliable than it first appeared.
STILL APPROACHING LANZAROTE
🇸🇪 Pär Nyman – LAZY OTTER
Pär was approximately 167 nautical miles from Lanzarote, making 5.3 knots after a 127-mile day. However, the forecast shows the breeze fading ahead of him, potentially leaving him almost stationary before some wind returns on Monday and delaying his arrival.
REPAIRS AND CHICHESTER CLASS
🇺🇸 Guy deBoer – SPIRIT
Guy remains at Marina Rubicón, working to organise repairs to his boat’s structural problem. He is seeking approximately US$10,000, with people ready to help carry out the work if the funding can be secured.
🇹🇷 Selim Yalçın – HELP DISABLED CHILDREN
Selim intends to head to Cádiz to repair his radio system, with the fault thought to involve the antenna tuner. He has declared his intention to continue in Chichester Class, but reaching Spain could take several days as he negotiates the strong winds blowing out of the Strait of Gibraltar.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The next 48 hours should bring generally manageable sailing conditions for most boats already south of Lanzarote, although temporary light patches could slow the leaders. Further ahead, the approach to the Doldrums presents the next major tactical challenge—and an opportunity for the chasing fleet to recover substantial ground.
Daily Report Archive Skipper tweets from 20/09/2026
