Vendée Globe Day 31 morning update: 24 challenging hours for leader Dalin

Didac Costa (One Planet One Ocean) about to pass the Cape of Good Hope © Didac Costa / #VG2020

The next 24 hours will be the most challenging so far for Vendée Globe race leader Charlie Dalin (Apivia), especially through this evening and tonight as he will pass as close as he dare to the centre of a Southern Ocean low pressure system which is forecast to bring him gusts over 55kts and big seas. He told his team yesterday 'this is the biggest, most powerful storm I have had through since the start'. So today will mostly be about pushing on and preparing himself and Apivia.

Meantime the problems seem to be mounting up for Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) and Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil) who both have remained slowed, losing hard earned places as they try to get back on terms, fighting technical problems with their pilots and in the case of Burton other problems he has not specified.

Romain Attanasio (Pure - Best Western Hotels and Resorts) sees beauty amidst the Southern ocean's power - photo © Romain Attanasio / #VG2020

Seguin recalls, "Yesterday was a terrible day for me because I had many problems with my autopilot, so I decided to stop the boat many times to try to fix the problem so it really was not easy to do something on the boat because it was moving. In fact I decided to sleep because I was so tired. And so this morning I have fixed 50 per cent of the problem so we have to work again today to find a solution but I am still in the game and today is another day so I hope we will get there," said the skipper of Groupe Apicil this morning on the 0400hrs UTC radio call.

He explained, "During Sunday night the problems started just after a gybe. I could not leave the cockpit, the boat was doing all kinds of things. I worked at the whole thing all day and I got the emergency pilot working".

Maxime Sorel (V And B Mayenne) captures a little of the Southern Ocean - photo © Maxime Sorel / #VG2020

And Louis Burton is clearly continuing to struggle on Bureau Vallée 2, seeming to be in difficulty with surprising course angles (North, East, South-East, North) at less than ten knots last night.

Meantime Dalin is setting himself up. "Charlie is trying to do everything to get through the northernmost part of the depression," says Race Director Jacques Caraes. "But that for all that we say that it will not be easy at all even on this northern curve of the depression, he will still see gusts of over 55 knots and 5 metre waves during the night tonight, but Charlie is ready and confident in himself and his boat."

Vendée Globe Position Report 08H00 UTC 08/12/2020 - photo © #VG2020

The skipper of Apivia - who has four podiums in the Solitaire du Figaro and wins in the Transat AG2R (2012) and a Transat Jacques Vabre (2019) victory on his resume and he has proven already that he knows how to look after himself and his boat.

That said he seems prepared to push compared to his rivals. Since Monday Thomas Ruyant has routed further north and was slower overnight compared to Dalin, 13 to 17kts compared to 20 to 25 kts for Apivia. And so Ruyant should have easier conditions as indeed is the case for Jean Le Cam who is still very much in the game in fifth and who has always stayed north.

Miranda Merron sent this update: "After a totally clear starlit night as befits my area of no wind, the breeze is slowly building now. We (the boat and I) are now in the non-roaring forties, at least not roaring right now, but there is plenty of opportunity for that over the next few weeks. It is getting much colder. While what seems just a few days ago the black deck hardware was too hot to touch in the sun, now my tea cools down far too quickly, even in a thermal mug. Heading south to catch the next low."

Rankings at 08H00 UTC:

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  Alexia Barrier (TSE - 4myplanet) calls in - photo © Alexia Barrier / #VG2020

Update from Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group)

Midway between the longitudes of Madagascar and the Kerguelen Islands this Monday, Giancarlo Pedote is continuing to make headway across a chaotic Indian Ocean, which is certainly living up to its reputation. Preserving the machine remains the watchword for the skipper of Prysmian Group, who was being buffeted by winds in excess of 40 knots this morning, as he negotiates a front. Above all though, he's having to deal with boat-breaking seas, which are forcing him to ease off the pace a little on the way to Cape Leeuwin. Though he admits to being a little 'conservative' in the way he's navigating these tough conditions, the Italian sailor is also taking good care of his gear and himself, and will be ready to attack the moment the situation is more favourable.

"This morning a front is rolling over the top of us. I've recorded over 40 knots of breeze. I'm really trying to hang on in there as the cross seas are still very short. Several times, the boat has powered up on a surf and slammed into the wave in front or, on numerous occasions, on the flipside of that, she has been caught up by the wave behind", commented Giancarlo Pedote at midday, after hooking back up with some more manageable wind conditions. "Ahead of us, there's a NW'ly wind, but for now we're still contending with the SW'ly wind, on the back of the low-pressure system. The advantage of this is that we're able to set a course at 90 degrees, which means we're heading due east", enthused the Italian skipper, ranked 10th, who is still racing hard at an average speed of 15 knots.

"I've decided to stay a little bit further north than my direct rivals in a bid to preserve my gear. I make no secret of the fact that I'm sailing quite conservatively right now because, though you might not think it, in the Indian Ocean. To my mind, it's good to limit the impact and the slamming. Once the sea conditions are more manageable, I'll get back on the fight to catch up with them, but right now, it's a very bumpy road and now is not the time to show off", stressed the skipper of the 60-foot IMOCA in the colours of Prysmian Group and Electriciens sans frontières, who is in relative awe of the famously formidable and dreaded Indian Ocean. "I'm discovering a massive amount. I'd never sailed in the Southern Ocean before and people had talked to me about it fairly fleetingly, doubtless because it's indescribable", added Giancarlo, unsettled by the size of the waves.

"They are very high and the distance between them is fairly short. When you go up forward on the boat, it's a bit scary, but part of that sentiment is linked to the fact that the air is cold and the sky is grey... Logically, you feel as if you're in an unexplored zone. It gradually becomes easier to cope with and it's a bit like the first time you cross the Bay of Biscay in that regard. The more time goes on, the better placed you are to know what sail to carry and manage the surfs... I'm staying patient and calm, well aware that it's a long race and that to finish it you have to rack up the least amount of damage possible", concludes Giancarlo Pedote, who for now is managing to strike a good balance in the right places and is gaining an increasingly precise idea of how a new boat might look, armed with the incredible experience he is racking up right now.