Tom Dolan’s Pogo 3 IRL 910 lies third in class this morning as the leaders go into the final thirty miles of the Les Sables D’Olonne to Aviles first stage of the Transgascogne 2017 writes W M Nixon

Front runner Erwin Le Draoulec has once again somehow found added speed to take the lead, and he is finding extra bite in the northeast breeze as he close in on the finish at Aviles with 25 miles to go and 8.4 knots on the clock.

Woman skipper Clarisse Cremer (26) is 1.9 miles astern of Le Draoulec and currently shows 8.7 knots aboard Tbs (FR 902). Tom Dolan is 2.6 miles further back at just 7.5 knots, but he s showing the benefit of the locally fresher winds towards Aviles as next-in-line Oliver Tessloff is back at 7.1 knots and 1.7 miles astern.

Dolan’s rival in the top six rankings Pierre Chedeville is currently 2.2 miles astern of the Irishman, so Dolan will be hoping to achieve his ambition of a podium place in this key event, the last major race before the Minitransat itself at the beginning of October. But with coastal influences playing an increasing role in the wind patterns as the daytime temperatures build, holding third going into Aviles will take cool judgment and quick skills.

Track chart here