Gabart on course for record Vendee Globe win

Frenchman Francois Gabart remained out in front in this year's edition of the Vendee Globe round-the-world race on Friday and was well on course to win the event in record time. Gabart, at 29 the youngest skipper in the event, was expected to reach the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne on France's Atlantic coast in the early hours of Sunday morning, race organisers estimated on Friday. His attempts to beat the previous record time for the race, set at 84 days 3hr 9min by 2009 winner Michel Desjoyeaux, have been held up a little by the unfavourable weather conditions off the Azores, which have also delayed the progress of Gabart's closest pursuer Armel Le Cleac'h. At 0400 GMT Friday, Gabart was within 900 nautical miles of the finish and was set to reach Les Sables d'Olonne between 0200 and 0800 GMT Sunday. By doing so, he would complete the race inside 78 days. Le Cleac'h trailed Gabart by just over 100 nautical miles and was expected to arrive at the finish several hours behind. Despite the frustrating conditions as the finish approached, Gabart's progress in the race, which is held every four years, has been astonishing. When he crossed the Equator line on January 15 he was more than five days quicker than Desjoyeaux on his charge to victory in 2009. A Gabart win means that this edition of the Vendee Globe, just like all six previous editions, will be taken by a Frenchman but, further back, Britain's Alex Thomson was on course for a very respectable third place. The 38-year-old Thomson has been locked in a tight battle with Jean-Pierre Dick of France but the latter's bid was seriously dented earlier in the week when his boat lost its keel with just over 2,000 miles to go. For Dick to still be going is remarkable enough, but he could still be pipped to third by Thomson, who is seeking to emulate the performance of his compatriot Mike Golding, who came third in 2005. Standings (at 0400 GMT): 1. François Gabart (FRA/Macif) 890.3 nautical miles from the finish 2. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA/Banque Populaire) at 101.7 miles 3. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA/Virbac-Paprec 3) 732.2 4. Alex Thomson (GBR/Hugo Boss) 769 5. Jean Le Cam (FRA/SynerCiel) 2,246.3 6. Mike Golding (GBR/Gamesa) 2,288.7 7. Dominique Wavre (SUI/Mirabaud) 2,685.7 8. Arnaud Boissieres (FRA/Akena Verandas) 2,909.9 9. Javier Sanso (ESP/Acciona) 2,985.5 10. Bertrand de Broc (FRA/EDM Projets) 3,153.5