Battling against 45-knot winds and 20-foot waves, Ellen MacArthur is heading up the English contingent in the Transat Jacques Vabre Race and after seven days at sea lies third on Aquitaine-Kingfisher with co-skipper Yves Parlier.

The fleet of 11 monohulls and nine multis have hit ex-hurricane Irene and already the conditions have taken their toll. Race headquarters received a distress signal from the trimaran Groupe Andre yesterday morning and when another competitor Biscuits La Trinitaine went to her rescue it was discovered co-skipper Paul Vatine had been lost overboard.

Since the race started last weekend, two monohulls - GEB and JPG Defis - have retired due to being damaged in the bad weather and few of the others passed the 800-mile mark without mishap.

MacArthur's race started well when she and Parlier were among the first to cross the start line.

In a report from the boat, she wrote: "It's freezing, soaking, and impossible to stand. It's been a bit full on last few hours. We're under deep reefed main, storm jib. Just got slaughtered while changing to storm jib. Thrown up and down on deck, washed sideways so many times. We are warmer than before as we have put survival suit on, but we are very tired, eyes trying to shut, and stinging still from salt. The deck virtually lifted off seat here - slamming is bad."

Mike Golding and Ed Danby are seventh in Team Group 4 but keeping a close eye on the leaders Catherine Chabaud and Luc Bartissol in Whirlpool, the Open 60 that won the 1999 Fastnet.

"We were glad to leave the flukey weather in Biscay, although we still have a lot of wind and the weather is difficult to read because we are expecting the tail end of Hurricane Irene.

"Last night we had some problems changing headsails and the starboarddaggerboard got jammed down so it slowed us down a little. But for the moment things are fine and the wind has moved west so we are heading south.

"It appears Whirlpool are in the lead, but Catherine still has to get round the vacuum left by the low whereas Team Group 4 is in a better spot to do that."

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