IT continues to get tighter in the Vendee Globe with Cowes' Ellen MacArthur having trimmed leader Michel Desjoyeaux's lead from 130 miles to 60 miles with less than 5,000 miles to the finish.

The two front-runners were today on day 76 of their epic round-the-world duel.

Desjoyeaux (PRB), slowed up for a week now, has to cross another, even weaker zone of light airs ahead and he's going to feel it in his boat speed.

He has been clocking around 6.5 knots, nearly three knots slower than Ellen, who is becoming quite a real threat in her boat Kingfisher.

The logical chain of events should, in theory, have it that the leader, slowed first by the high pressure centre, is also the first to pickup the pace again on the other side, and his pursuers all have to undergo the same process.

In reality, however, Desjoyeaux has not made it through, and alone he has been paying the price heavily.

But, slowly but surely, as the others creep into more similar weather conditions as him, the boat speeds will eventually equalise. Yet for now, the leader is in the worst of it still, and his rivals are hunting him down.

Desjoyeaux takes this bad luck on the chin and retains his sense of humour .

He said: "I'm waiting to receive all the recent weather models. Looking at the ones yesterday it looks like there's a way through. If there's a remote chance I can get through I'll go for it. There is no problem on motivation but I'm sweating a bit."

Southampton's Mike Golding in Team Group 4 passed Cape Horn yesterday and has Josh Hall (EBP/Gartmore) in his sights just 299 miles ahead.

Hall, who is passing the Falklands at present, was in shock to see his fellow Brit storming up behind him, having had some 1000 mile gap in the Pacific.

He said: "I know how Michel feels up ahead! Surely it's my turn to watch some of the others putting coins into the parking meter!"

The first boats are expected to finish in Sables d'Olonnes, France, next month.