Vendée Arctique: Always an adventure, Iceland no more

by Vendée Arctique 16 Jun 2022 10:46 PDT

Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) during the Vendée Arctique Les Sables d'Olonne © Jean-Louis Carli / Alea / Vendée Arctique

Race direction of the Vendée Arctique Les Sables d'Olonne took the decision on Thursday morning to cut out the westwards passage around the top of Iceland because of the threat of northerly gales gusting to 50 knots between Friday and Saturday. In the strong, gusty winds along with big, confused cross seas the risks associated with racing along the exposed north coast of Iceland with a lee shore and limited sea room were deemed too much.

The organisation made the decision to require the fleet to turn SW at the Iceland East gate and head directly to the Atlantic mark which has been moved 180 nautical miles west to preserve the course distance at a meaningful 3300 miles and the proposed duration at around 12 days.

The decision maybe eliminates the circumnavigation of Iceland but the 24 strong fleet will still have the low pressure system to negotiate, which was, in itself, already causing some considerable apprehension in the IMOCA fleet.

Race leader Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) has some 75 miles in hand over second placed Jérémie Beyou (Charal) this afternoon at just under 200 nautical miles from the Iceland gate. While France basks in a sticky heatwave, the temperatures for Dalin and Beyou are already dropping to single figures and they have a strong sense of what lies ahead.

Tight lipped and focused, Beyou said, "My big concern is knowing how to manage this descent down the Atlantic because we will have to face gusts of 40 knots on a reach."

Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) claims to have had her eyes "riveted on the weather files for three days". "We're going to have to come back down after passing the waypoint and it will be difficult to manage."

Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiaishi (DMG GLOBAL ONE) remarked, "If experience does help it does not stop you being afraid."

The President of SAEM and the Department of Vendée, Alain Leboeuf spoke today about "making the right choice... we will not make the skippers take undue risks". "The weather patterns are getting worse and worse," confirmed Francis Le Goff, the race director. Christian Dumard, weather consultant highlighted: "The depression is forming in the South-West of the fleet and will gradually deepen towards the North-East of Iceland."

In advance of the decision Briton Pip Hare was already wondering about the possibility of a change of course:

"The fleet is going to be split." Mused Hare, "So it will be interesting to see what race direction do. Because Charlie is so far ahead, how do you now create a course which doesn't favour some and penalise others? The answer is I don't think you can. However they need to be pragmatic because none of us want to break our boats. And 50 knots is not a place you ever want to be."

The rest of the fleet stretches for 370 miles. Further east three competitors are at the latitude of the Scottish coast: Antoine Cornic (EBAC Litterie, 6th) was just 20 nautical miles west of the island of Lewis.

Altered course