Bertrand de Broc (FRA, Votre Nom autour du Monde avec EDM projects):
Nice speed around 14-16 knots and not too much sea. There is a northern wind. I’m waiting for a depression. In a few hours there should be stronger winds around 25 knots.
I did well with my repairs. My hydros work perfectly. I almost have 45 days of gasoline in the boat. In 2 or 3 days the boat will be like new and be able to sail at 100% of her capacity.
I dodn’t have much deco inside and don’t have that much present because we didn’t want to take too much things onboard. But I’ll have a great meal tonight.
Arnaud Boissières (FRA, Akena Vérandas):
I have nice weather conditions, between 20-25 knots and a little sea. The boat sails around 12 to 20 knots. I do some good sailing. It’s 6.10 PM local time and it’s not night yet. Nights are great at the moment.
Christmas is a particular day for me. I have a lot of presents I’ll open them tomorrow at 12 PM (French time) like I am used to. I also planned a Skype call with my parents tomorrow.
Armel Le Cléac’h (FRA, Banque Populaire)
Merry Christmas everyone!
You can wish me good weather conditions.
It’s not the best day to celebrate Christmas so I’ll open my presents tomorrow. The sea tells us what to do. We don’t choose the Christmas Eve time. The weather is the boss. I’ll gibe in a few hours. So for the moment it’s dry food time.
I’m sailing at 18.4 knots right now with a wind of 35 knots.
Alessandro Di Benedetto (ITA, Team Plastique):
I’m very fine. I asked Santa for some wind and he brought me some. For the last hours I’m sailing at 17 knots on average. I’m doing some nice surfs. I met Santa a few hours ago. I could film him with my hidden camera. You’ll discover it later on. Santa is using the latest technology and he managed to find the boat.
My record on this Vendée Globe is 32 knots. Today I did 27 knots. But the boat has her limits so I can’t have the same speed average as the others in the front.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Mike Golding (ENG, Gamesa):
"It’s been slow and upwind with some tacks but we are on the right track now. I am easing the sheets steadily and we are reaching progressively so that is feeling a bit better. I am not sure if we are through this ridge or whatever it is, or whether Jean Le Cam will feel some effect, hopefully I am just breaking forwards.
Anyway I have had my Christmas change of mid layer up to my Musto MPX. It was really starting to feel quite cold with the wind from the south, so now I have the foulies and mid layer on and feeling a bit cosier.
It is certainly good to be in the Pacific, it's all starting to feel a bit closer to home for the boat. We have never been this far together and to be fair the boat is going well. It is all going fine, everything is working and that is pretty cool for being half way around the world. We have the odd little thing, like a batten car here and there, but I am in maintenance mode, not repair mode. That work is just continuous, you are always doing something and there is always a next thing to do.
I hope that Bernard can get fixed up and keep going. He has some difficult work to do there, but I really hope he can get things fixed. He needs to finish this Vendée Globe because he never has and he is a really good guy and deserves it."