Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless continue to pull away as the chasing fleet recovers from Gonzalo and tackles headwinds or calms. Gunnar Christensen and Isa Rosli are gradually working back towards their course after running with the storm, while Pär Nyman is closing from behind. Further west, several boats have slowed dramatically, and Isa has reported the fleet’s first sighting of gooseneck barnacles.
THE LEADERS
🇫🇷 Damien Guillou
Damien remains ahead after passing through the Doldrums without a prolonged stop, despite the squalls and lightning. He was sailing at 5.2 knots, with 95 miles of daily progress, and is approaching the more favourable wind angle that could allow him to accelerate south.
🇮🇪 Pat Lawless
Pat recorded 108 miles of daily progress, recovering some ground on Damien, and was making 4.4 knots. Both leaders could soon settle into sustained close-reaching conditions, extending their advantage while the rest of the fleet negotiates slower weather.
THE CHASING PACK
🇮🇹 Andrea Lodolo
Andrea remains in third place, working to windward at 2.7 knots, with 66 miles of daily progress. Don questioned whether he might be pointing too close to the wind and sacrificing speed, although the remaining sea state is also making progress difficult.
🇨🇭 Étienne Messikommer
Étienne is tacking to remain in the available breeze and avoid the calms to the east. He spoke openly about three uncomfortable days during the storm, but remains focused on pressing on, balancing his heading against boat speed as conditions improve.
🇮🇱 Daniel Pinsky
Daniel has exchanged strong winds for almost complete calm, making just 0.9 knots, with 43 miles of daily progress. A developing band of breeze could offer a way through over the next day or two, but its timing and position will be important.
🇮🇹 Guido Cantini
Guido was moving at only 0.8 knots, with 62 miles of daily progress, after a demanding passage near the islands. He was resting during the update and later described the contrast as going from “hell and high water” to a cruising paradise—with no wind.
🇬🇧 Ertan Beskardes
Ertan remains with the eastern group, working upwind towards the southeast trades. The immediate challenge is to stay in the remaining breeze rather than stray into the calm area nearby; easing seas should make life aboard more comfortable, even while the wind remains contrary.
THROUGH THE FLEET
🇳🇴 Mara
Mara appears to be adjusting her course to stay in the wind and skirt the calm patch, even though it takes her away from the direction she wants to go. The forecast suggests that a narrow band of breeze could help the western boats continue south if they reach it at the right time.
🇬🇧 Henry Wootton
Henry is slowing as the wind fades, but his wider western route may place him near a possible passage through the light-wind zone. In a message from the previous day, he reported his best noon-to-noon run of 173 nautical miles, showing the pace he can produce when conditions cooperate.
🇫🇷 Louis Kerdelhué
Louis has responded energetically to the conditions, tacking back towards stronger breeze rather than continuing into lighter winds. Don praised his active sailing and short tacks, which appear aimed at maintaining progress even when the available wind is coming from ahead.
🇨🇦 Isa Rosli
Isa is working back towards the course at 4 knots, although his storm-avoidance track left him with negative progress of 14 miles over the previous 24 hours. He described the experience as preparation for the Southern Ocean, reported a few things to repair, and has spotted gooseneck barnacles on his rudder.
🇬🇧 Gunnar Christensen
Gunnar is gradually bringing the boat back towards the required course after running with the wind and seas to make life aboard more manageable. Following the damage and exhaustion reported after the storm, the easing conditions should give him an opportunity to recover and resume more purposeful progress.
🇺🇸 Matt Woodside
Matt is moving again after his spell hove to, making 3.3 knots, with 38 miles of daily progress. Don highlighted his previous Cape Horn and Southern Ocean experience as valuable preparation for taking these difficult days in his stride.
🇸🇪 Pär Nyman
Pär is enjoying a much faster spell, sailing at 7 knots directly towards the fleet after avoiding the storm’s main impact. He is now approximately 213 miles behind Gunnar, but a broad area of lighter winds ahead could interrupt his recovery.
IN PORT
🇺🇸 Guy deBoer
Guy continues working on SPIRIT, aiming to complete the repairs as quickly as possible. No confirmed restart date was given during the update, with his return still dependent on completing the required repair and approval process.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
With Gonzalo moving away, the fleet is returning to a more familiar pattern: headwinds for the eastern boats and a mixture of calms and patchy breeze further west. Seas are easing, although currents opposing the wind may still create uncomfortable conditions in places.
Damien and Pat could encounter a brief lighter patch before reaching more consistent southeast trades. Don suggested their advantage over the chasing fleet could grow substantially if they establish themselves in that flow first, though later weather systems in the South Atlantic will determine how much of that lead they retain.
BARNACLES BECOME A CONCERN
Isa’s report is the first barnacle sighting mentioned in the fleet. With the boats passing through the waters between the Canaries and the Doldrums, checking rudders and hulls for early growth is becoming an important maintenance task before fouling has a chance to affect performance.
Daily Report Archive Skipper tweets from 27/09/2026
