Tropical Storm Gonzalo is shaping the fleet’s next moves, with Louis Kerdelhué and Gunnar Christensen potentially facing the most difficult combination of shifting winds and confused seas. Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless appear to have cleared the main belt of Doldrums calms, but now face headwinds on their route south. Meanwhile, Daniel Pinsky is heading clear of the Cape Verde islands after his close approach prompted additional monitoring from race management.
THE LEADERS
🇫🇷 Damien Guillou
Damien remains ahead, making around 5 knots with 112 miles of progress in 24 hours. He appears to be through the main Doldrums belt, but the distorted trade winds are forcing him to sail hard on the wind and tack to continue south.
🇮🇪 Pat Lawless
Pat recorded 123 miles of progress in 24 hours, recovering some ground on Damien while sailing at 5.6 knots. He is working south on starboard tack towards the course line, although thunderstorms and lightning remain an unwelcome feature of the passage.
THE CHASING PACK
🇮🇹 Andrea Lodolo
Andrea is shown in third place, with 144 miles of progress in 24 hours and a speed of 5.2 knots. He remains close to Étienne, but lighter winds and an unfavourable south-southwesterly flow could make the next stage a prolonged upwind challenge.
🇨🇭 Étienne Messikommer
Étienne delivered some spectacular sailing during last night’s live window, briefly approaching 13 knots under a deeply reefed mainsail and reefed staysail. By the morning update, he was making 5.9 knots, with 126 miles of daily progress, as the stronger breeze gave way to lighter, shifting conditions.
🇬🇧 Ertan Beskardes
Ertan faces the same awkward wind pattern developing ahead of Andrea and Étienne. Escaping the storm’s stronger winds does not guarantee an easy passage: the south-southwesterly breeze could mean several days working to windward before more favourable conditions return.
🇮🇱 Daniel Pinsky
Daniel is heading south through the Cape Verde islands at 5.9 knots, with 71 miles of progress in 24 hours, and is expected to miss most of the storm. His earlier approach towards land prompted race management to increase tracking frequency and attempt contact; the reason for his route remains unconfirmed, although Don suggested he may have been seeking a visual position fix.
🇮🇹 Guido Cantini
Guido was making 5.6 knots, with 125 miles of daily progress, as he approached a passage through the islands in daylight. He could encounter around 30 knots of wind, gusting 40–45 knots, before finding more favourable sailing conditions as the system moves away.
THROUGH THE FLEET
🇳🇴 Mara
Mara’s western route looks set to keep her clear of the strongest winds, although it has taken her further from the direct course south. She recorded 112 miles of progress at 5.7 knots, gaining on Henry, and Don praised her decision to prioritise a more manageable passage.
🇬🇧 Henry Wootton
Henry is also positioned towards the western edge of the system, where he should avoid its worst conditions. He was sailing at 6.3 knots, with 99 miles of daily progress, though Mara’s stronger run has increased her advantage.
🇨🇦 Isa Rosli
Isa was making 5 knots, with 94 miles of progress in 24 hours, as the stronger winds approached. Race management expects him to bear away as the wind shifts, potentially sailing downwind in 30–35 knots with seas building towards 4–5 metres.
🇫🇷 Louis Kerdelhué
Louis recorded 72 miles of daily progress and was sailing at 5 knots. His projected position could place him near the system’s most awkward sector, where rapid wind shifts may leave large, confused seas with very little wind, making it difficult to keep the boat moving and under control.
🇬🇧 Gunnar Christensen
Gunnar was making 5.9 knots, with 100 miles of progress in 24 hours. Alongside Louis, he is among those being watched most closely as the storm passes, with the main concern being the changing sea state around the centre.
🇺🇸 Matt Woodside
Matt has been moving at around 4 knots, with approximately 92 miles of daily progress. The stronger winds are expected to reach him as the system expands, although their following direction should offer an opportunity to bear away and move south.
🇸🇪 Pär Nyman
Pär remains far enough north to miss the main storm, which is forecast to move away and weaken before he reaches it. The trade-off may come later: the Doldrums could broaden again ahead of him, bringing a more extensive area of light winds, squalls and thunderstorms.
IN PORT
🇺🇸 Guy deBoer
Guy remains determined to restart, but race management has withheld permission for further work pending a full survey report and repair plan. These must address all the chainplates and the hull deformation seen under rig load; approval to continue in Chichester Class depends on meeting those requirements.
🇹🇷 Selim Yalçın
Selim is still working to resolve his radio problems. Race management had received no fresh update on his plans at the time of the broadcast.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
Gonzalo has intensified again, although the forecasts discussed in the update do not show it developing into a hurricane. Its passage could bring strong winds and seas around 5 metres, with Louis and Gunnar potentially encountering the most difficult combination of wind shifts and confused waves.
Further south, the system has distorted the trade winds and compressed the Doldrums into an unusually narrow belt. That has helped the leaders avoid an extended stop in the calms, but headwinds now stand between them and further progress south. The forecasts suggest a broader, more unsettled Doldrums zone could return over the coming days.
GGR STATS: LAUNCHING TONIGHT
The new GGR Stats section is scheduled to go live on the race website tonight, offering detailed comparisons of daily runs, route choices, skipper performance and previous editions. Developed with Oron Mizrachi, it brings together tracker data from the current race and the 2018 and 2022 fleets, giving followers a new way to explore the story behind the positions.
Daily Report Archive Skipper tweets from 25/09/2026
