After almost three days of playing catch up, the French team PlaneteAventure has finally caught up to Team Finland.
Both teams spent part of the night camped together at CP15 at the bottom of the rappel section, on the shores of La Riviere La Malbaie. With the French nipping at its heels, Team Finland finished the rappel and made an initial attempt to proceed to CP16. But the reality of sleeping at the top of the ravine gave the team pause, so it elected to head back down to CP15 for the night.
The Finns have been burning through the course, shaving hours off the estimated times for almost every section.
Behind the French and the Finns, the Americans team Peak.com is progressing through the course in 3rd place, despite a detour to a checkpoint that had in fact been eliminated from the course. No decision has been made yet as to whether Peak.com will be given a bonus or not to recuperate the hours lost, which Shane-Michel Nachin estimates to be something in the neighborhood of five to seven hours. Samuraï Spirits have fallen to 4th, following an equipment error which cost the team about five hours.
At the back of the pack, but still in the running, Quebec's rookie team Le Yetï continue to slice away the time separating it from the Japanese.
Le Yeti could have been higher up in the pack, but a navigational error early in Day 1, costing it six hours. Still, the team of experienced skiers, in fact, have covered some of the cross-country ski sections in the same time as Team Finland. And its ski knowledge meant the team knew to take advantage of a hot stove to heat its skis and wax them hot.
Le Yetï arrived at CP8 early this morning, and stopped only long enough to drink a hot beverage, change its socks and take a look at the map. Luc Baril admitted the team's earlier navigational error has made it more cautious, and more likely to double and triple check its decisions. Despite its inexperience, the team continues to race ranked, albeit in last place.
Two Quebec teams have dropped out of the race. EnduranceAventure dropped out early this morning, while Durand Sports left the official competition at CP8. Durand continued on until CP12, but continues to race unranked, as a trio. His feet blistered and sore, Vincent Meunier dropped out of the race. He is spending the night at one the race's rented accommodations.
– Susan McKenzie, Ukatak Raid International Correspondent
