It’s easy to feel alone at sea but there’s a lot going on just under the surface of the wet stuff. Gimcrack found out for herself when she rubbed up against a… whale. The gigantic animal brushed along her starboard side, rubbing off a couple of feet of paint, before sounding with a flourish. More frightened than anything else, the crew were quick to share their experience and remind the rest of the competitors in the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 to be vigilant. On Cipango they’ve been fixing the genoa furler andtheir repairs seem to have done the trick. These two yachts are less than 16 miles from one another and continue to deliver an exciting duel for the pleasure of classic racing fans everywhere. The entire fleet is moving at a respectable turn of speed. White Dolphin has slightly increased her lead over The Blue Peter, but the latter’s crew will certainly react with determination to the news. The other boats are making gentle progress southwards. Aboard Persephone they’ve been cracking open the champers to celebrate the birthday of Pierre Follenfant, a sailor with an impressive list of victories to his name. On 17 December the crew of Marie des Isles sang Happy Birthday to Gwenaëlle, niece of the famous marine photographer from Belle-Île, Michel Bourdin.After the fun, the race is as earnest as ever.