Give me a reason to duke it out ducky!

With only a couple of days to go before the finish, previewed for February 2, the Vendee Globe race is still hip deep in briney drama. All our favourite sea dogs are chipping away on the downwind, keeping abreast of the mile high waves and doing a little mast climbing every now and then, just to keep fit. Mr. Scrub Head Professor, Vincent Riou, is chugging along in top position on the PRB. He's starting to remind of Roger Federer, in style and dominance. Only a broken mast can dust his hopes, and he never was a spectacular boater, just consistent and error free.

Jean le Cam, on the other hand, is the Marat Safin. Wily, moody, unpredictable, brilliant and more than a little too cocky for his own good. Le Cam made a terrible error in judgement, hoisting his skirts a little too deep on the African side, but now's he's as content as a sunning sea leopard, after munching the entrails of a dead eskimo, mocking the bad luck of one mild mannered Mike Golding. Where are the honeys hiding le Cam? Extra back cabin weight in the stern or aft? (eww, nasty)

Golding, #3, who we might compare to an unlucky Henman: steady, and engine happy, but prone to unfortunate mishaps. However, Henman did manage to pull one out of the Paribas Masters in 2003, on a surface that everyone had favoured him against. Golding, after breaking his main halyard three times so far in the race, is lucky and brilliant and a force of nature to be in 3rd position. One can only imagine what position he might have been in, had he been more fortunate...

If you want the hi-tech media overdrive on this stunning and splendid race, get over here for the english and french versions.