A gloomy start, with only 12 knots of wind, led to a difficult night dominated by the old hands. Gildas Morvan led until the fleet split three ways to battle with the strong tidal stream. In the end, coast-hugging paid off, putting Jann Eliés in the lead, occasionally swapping paces with Erwan Tabarly. In an interview before the race, Eliés said his goal was to enjoy himself battling with his friends, not to run aground as he did in 2010, and to arrive first in Gijon. If he does as he says and keeps an ear on his alarms, he looks set to achieve his goal.
On the British front, Nick Cherry of Artemis Offshore Academy is giving an excellent account of himself, sitting around 7th or 8th in a pack of very experienced opponents.
