The Palma show

THE SEVENTH NIGHT.

Almost a week after the start, the fleet passed the La Palma waypoint during the night from Saturday to Sunday. After an intense battle, everyone rounded it, passing to the northwest of the island with more or less daring routes. Now, all the boats have started making their way westward.

In the 8 a.m. rankings, Hellowork (Davy Beaudart and Julie Simon), Wings of the Ocean (Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois), and Skipper Macif (Charlotte Yven and Hugo Dhallenne) hold the top three positions.

For everyone, it had become an obsession. Even though the conditions remained manageable (around twenty knots), La Palma has always been a crucial passage in the race, and everyone knows extreme vigilance is needed. As the saying goes, the race can't be won here, but it can certainly be lost.Yesterday, as the fleet split into two groups while passing Madeira, they regrouped around midday on Saturday."It's a bit like war; we're constantly busy, it's hard to get proper rest, and the fatigue is really palpable," said Martin Le Pape (Demain), who also mentioned a "small tear in the spinnaker."Davy Beaudart and Julie Simon (Hellowork) also had to set up their spare spinnaker.

"A Netflix-worthy storyline!"

The sprint continued straight south with a long tack towards the Canaries. It was in the middle of the night that the leaders reached the La Palma waypoint, passing to the northwest of the island. Following Demain (Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron), there were eight boats within just 10 miles of each other."This marks the end of the first section of the race, and now we're off for the great crossing where the race will be wide open," shared Laure Galley (DMG MORI Academy).

Yann Chateau, from race management, broke down the night and the fierce battle that unfolded:"It’s extraordinary—every edition at La Palma gives us a scenario worthy of a Netflix series!"His excitement stems from the varied strategies the sailors used to approach the waypoint, particularly the strong wind acceleration as they neared the island. To handle this, all opted for a route passing northwest of La Palma.

Some "came to play by getting closer to La Palma," like Wings of the Ocean (Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois), who managed the maneuver "masterfully."Others opted for a "safer trajectory," like Hellowork (Davy Beaudart and Julie Simon), who chose to minimize maneuvers and risk. After pushing further west than the fleet leaders, Davy and Julie gybed in the morning to rejoin the front pack.

After the intensity of the past few days, the next stretch should be calmer."Once past the island effects, there won't be much advantage in heading south; the fleet will likely shift west," explains Yann Chateau."Everyone will sail on starboard tack with a steady north-northeast wind."In short, the routing now points toward a course close to the great circle route—westward, all the way.However, things are expected to become more complicated by the end of next week... but that's another story.

NEWS FROM THE FLEET

Despite the ongoing battle to find the best position and study the weather ahead, everyone continued to share little moments from life on board.Sophie Faguet (Région Normandie) wished a happy birthday to her co-skipper, Jules Ducelier, decorating the inside of their Figaro 3.Ellie Driver (Women's Engineering Society) found a fish on deck, Anaëlle Pattusch and Hugo Cardon (Humain en Action) enjoyed a tartiflette, and Romain Bouillard (Décrochons la Lune) explained how they manage waste on board.Quentin Vlamynck (Les Étoiles Filantes) and Tiphaine Rideau (Les Banques Alimentaires) captured a sunset, while Cindy Brin (Cap St Barth) was visited by a small bird aboard.

Earlier, the sailor from Saint-Barthélemy reflected candidly on her early race experience:"Emotions are magnified on the boat—everything is multiplied by 10,000. It's not easy. Even though Thomas and I get along very well and haven't had any conflicts, it's still hard to open up to someone you’ve only known for three months," she said.Although she had been seasick for a long time, she hung in there."I broke down plenty of times, but it's better now."At the same time, she's savoring it: hitting 18 knots, watching dolphins, battling alongside others...Memories that will surely stay with her for a long time.