There is little doubt that the finish of this Vendee Globe should go down in history as one of the ocean racing classics of all time. A new solo round the world record is imminent.   The same three battle weary pugilists slugging it out on a postage stamp sized stretch of water after 86 days, and 23, 600 miles of racing is a remarkable outcome, and with less than 36 hours until the finish, the outright winner is still not clear.

Vincent Riou, cool calm and impassioned, still holds the upper hand – holding firm on the compass course for Les Sables d’Olonne. His consistency has been awesome. The worst he has been in this race is a meagre 260 miles off the lead, just to the west of Cape Horn.

Riou’s reward is a 33.8 mile lead with just 344.5 miles to sail, and ahead anything could still happen.

Still lying in third place, Briton Mike Golding in Ecover has recovered 11.1 miles over the course of the day so far – from the 0400hrs rankings to the 1500hrs rankings, and while his deficit may still be 90.8 miles behind PRB with the leader 344.5 miles from the safety of the finish line, Golding commented today that a slow, sticky finish is still a possibility. ” PRB has the advantage with a better wind angle and Bonduelle is a little better than me but I have more pressure. Unfortunately it is looking pretty stable but the high pressure could move and if the high pressure moves that could be good for me.” Admitted Golding today, ” A bit of stoppage at the end perhaps?”

” It is still pretty frustrating but I am looking forward to getting in and seeing my family, my friends and supporters, it´s been a great race and it is extraordinary that we are so close at the finish.”

Follow the final stages of this classic race at www.vendeeglobe.org