General Situation:
This Tuesday, sustained southerly flow leaving the Channel ahead of a cold front stretching from the Azores to Scotland.
Wednesday, moderate southwesterly flow in the Bay of Biscay, ahead of a cold front and moderate northwesterly flow behind it.
Thursday, moderate northeast flow over the Bay of Biscay, on the edge of the Azores high
Sea conditions this Tuesday, August 27
Alexis Loison, who is still leading the race this morning, passed the "Wolf Rock" mark last night at around 1am. The skippers then tacked left and then right to begin their descent towards the Iroise Sea. This morning, they are sailing ahead of a cold front located between the Irish Sea and western Biscay. They will reach the "Ouessant" DST around midday and will go around it to the west. This morning, they are making progress under a moderate south-southwest flow of around 15-20 knots. This afternoon, they will maintain this exact same flow, while the sea will remain very disorganized between the west swell and the wind sea, lifted by the southerly flow. This evening, the south-southwest flow will lose strength, around 10-15 knots.
Sea conditions this Wednesday, August 28
In the second part of the night the wind will turn to the southwest, weakening even more, to around 8-10 knots only. In the morning, a transition period will begin with the wind oriented to the west at only 5-10 knots, before the fleet comes under the influence of the high pressure edge. The wind will then turn to the northwest, being more moderate, between 10 and 15 knots. They will finally recover a little downwind for the final straight of this leg.
Sea conditions this Thursday, August 29
On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the north wind will be well established between 10 and 15 knots, allowing them to slide on the edge of the high pressure system, towards Gijón. The sailors will avoid the very weak conditions that were announced a few days ago, thanks to the earlier swelling of the Azores high pressure system to the west. Note that a depression will rise from Spain, towards the Bay of Biscay and raises fears for this last day of a risk of stormy squalls. The first skippers are expected, according to the routings, in the middle of the afternoon in Gijón.