Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless are reaching the southeast trade winds, opening the door to faster progress while much of the fleet remains trapped in light winds. Pär Nyman continues to close from behind, but another calm patch threatens his recovery. Meanwhile, candid live broadcasts from Gunnar Christensen and Mara have highlighted the emotional challenges of the race, and Guy deBoer’s repairs continue in Lanzarote.
THE LEADERS
🇫🇷 Damien Guillou
Damien is making 6 knots, with 110 miles of daily progress, as he reaches the southeast trades. With the wind angle expected to become increasingly favourable further south, he is well placed to accelerate and extend his advantage over the chasing fleet.
🇮🇪 Pat Lawless
Pat recorded 88 miles of daily progress and was sailing at 5.1 knots. He is also reaching the trade winds, giving the leading pair an opportunity to break further clear while their pursuers struggle to find consistent breeze.
THE CHASING PACK
🇨🇭 Étienne Messikommer
Étienne was making 4.2 knots, with 76 miles of daily progress, on the more favourable tack towards the course. His challenge remains balancing progress south against the need to stay in the breeze, with another tack possible if the wind begins to fade.
🇮🇹 Andrea Lodolo
Andrea was sailing at 5.9 knots, but had achieved only 20 miles of daily progress after working across the course. He and Étienne are on different tacks, and the next wind changes will help determine whether Andrea’s positioning pays off.
🇬🇧 Ertan Beskardes
Ertan continues steadily at 4.5 knots, with 73 miles of daily progress. He has held his tack for some time and is making useful ground despite the headwinds that continue to affect the eastern group.
🇮🇹 Guido Cantini
Guido has found more breeze and is sailing at 5.3 knots, following 53 miles of daily progress. Although the wind is now coming from ahead, simply being underway again is a welcome improvement, and he has an opportunity to regain ground on the boats nearby.
🇮🇱 Daniel Pinsky
Daniel is almost stationary, drifting at just 0.3 knots in the calms. His latest message captured life aboard: baking bread while getting baked himself in the heat, and wondering when the wind will return.
THROUGH THE FLEET
🇬🇧 Henry Wootton
Henry is progressing slowly at 2.5 knots, with 51 miles of daily progress. A light-wind barrier remains ahead, and his next gains will depend on finding a route through the patchy breeze.
🇳🇴 Mara
Mara was sailing at 2.4 knots, with 37 miles of daily progress. In her latest live broadcast, she spoke candidly about her reasons for taking part, the importance of promoting her foundation and women’s causes, and her frustration over the shore-side coverage of her campaign. No retirement was announced in the update.
🇫🇷 Louis Kerdelhué
Louis continues to work through the light conditions at 2 knots, with 35 miles of daily progress. His modest daily gain reflects the wider slowdown across the fleet as the stronger winds give way to calms and uncertain breezes.
🇨🇦 Isa Rosli
Isa is managing to hold a southeasterly course at 2 knots, with 66 miles of daily progress. He is now approximately 100 miles ahead of Gunnar, having made better progress since their tracks crossed during the storm.
🇬🇧 Gunnar Christensen
Gunnar remains frustrated by weak, shifting winds, with the tracker showing 2.6 knots on another unhelpful heading. His heartfelt live account described the emotional aftermath of the storm and the difficulty of recovering momentum, even as he remains attached to his boat and focused on continuing.
🇺🇸 Matt Woodside
Matt is maintaining a positive outlook while making 3.8 knots, with 69 miles of daily progress. Conditions are much calmer, but finding enough wind to keep moving remains the immediate challenge.
🇸🇪 Pär Nyman
Pär has enjoyed another productive day, recording 135 miles of progress and sailing at 5.2 knots. His steady recovery could soon be interrupted, however, with a sizeable area of light winds developing ahead.
IN PORT
🇺🇸 Guy deBoer
Repairs continue on SPIRIT, with Eli carrying out the fibreglass work and Guy travelling by ferry to Gran Canaria for more epoxy and supplies. Don plans to speak with Guy about his potential return in Chichester Class, but suggested that being ready to sail by next Monday, 5 October, would be ambitious. That remains an estimate rather than a confirmed schedule.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
The immediate forecast brings more frustration for much of the fleet. Light winds and calms are expected to persist over the next couple of days, with brief opportunities to move before some boats lose the breeze again. Seas have eased considerably, generally below 2 metres, but hot, humid conditions continue aboard.
Further ahead, the forecast suggests the northeast trade winds could push south across the fleet in around three days, substantially reducing the calm zone. Stronger southeast trades may follow, offering faster sailing but also a wet, demanding passage as the boats head deeper into the South Atlantic.
A SHARED MOMENT AT SEA
At 12:00 UTC today, the skippers and shore team are scheduled to take their next film photograph with their SITraN bears. The weekly photographs will capture the same moment in different places, building a shared record of the voyage for an exhibition after the race.
Daily Report Archive Skipper tweets from 28/09/2026
