Fleet fight for Figaro Solo finale

The first seven yachts remain close as the finish line nears

CHERBOURG, France -- A tense finish is expected for the Figaro Solo race as only one nautical mile separates the first seven boats a day out of port.

The lead has changed many times since the 38 solo sailors left Gijon, northern Spain, on Sunday for the fourth and final leg.

With 100 miles left of the 465-mile leg, the fleet was making slow progress on Wednesday in light northerly winds after they rounded Ushant, the northwest extremity of France during Tuesday night.

They are due in Cherbourg on the Brittany coast on Thursday.

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At 1200GMT on Wednesday the leader was French meteorologist Gilles Chiorri in 3201 Meteo Consult. This is Chiorri's seventh Figaro race with his best result a fourth overall in 1998.

Chiorri is now in a position to challenge the overall race leader Christophe de Pavant who is lying in fourth place on the water just over half a mile behind Chiorri.

The overall Figaro Solo winner is calculated on accumulated elapsed time over the four legs.

After the third leg and 235 hours of single-handed sailing, Chiorri was just 16 minutes behind Pavant.

The other skippers within reach of the overall prize include Jeremie Beyrou, second on the water and 37 minutes behind Pavant, and last year's winner Eric Drouglazet, who is third on the water and 1 hour behind Pavant.

The 33rd edition of the Figaro Solo started from Boulogne-sur-Mer, France in identical one-design 9m (30ft) Beneteau Figaro Solos so results are entirely down to the skill of the skipper.

Figaro Solo accumulated times after three legs: