New York Vendée-Les Sables d'Olonne - Day 3
by Vendée Globe Press Office 2 Jun 2024 03:00 AEST
1 June 2024
Charlie Dalin - MACIF Santé et Prevoyance - 2024 New York Vendée-Les Sables d'Olonne day 3 © Ronan Gladu / Disobey / NYV2024
After being hampered by small technical problems at a critical point on the outward race to the USA, French skipper Charlie Dalin would dearly like to be first back to Les Sables d'Olonne at the conclusion of the New York Vendée-Les Sables d'Olonne solo race to France - just as he was first to finish the last Vendée Globe But, after just three days of racing and with 2300 miles of the solo Transatlantic course still to sail there are multiple weather obstacles to be negotiated.
Since leaving the start line on Wednesday, some 90 miles off New York, Dalin on MACIF Santé et Prevoyance has been the 28 strong fleet's most consistent leader. After losing out slightly yesterday he is on top again as the 'peloton' try to find the best way through very unpredictable, slightly random weather behind a low pressure trough which they have been negotiating today.
Now the fleet is spread across about 200 miles of the North Atlantic, west-to-east, and the winds have varied in strength and direction within very short time periods. Briton Sam Goodchild - the IMOCA Globe Series champion - today reported of winds between 5 and 25 knots during the last 12 or so hours. The squalls - more akin to the Doldrums - have been vicious at times and when Goodchild spoke this morning he was making the most of a 30kts bullet that he was sailing his IMOCA Vulnerable in, trying to go fast but not break anything.
Keeping it all together
In sixth place 36 miles behind leader Dalin, Goodchild explained, "It is full on, raining but before this I just had no wind, and so I am trying to look after the boat right now and not do any damage or get in any tricky situations. I already blew up a sail yesterday so I am just trying not to do it again and make it all the way to Les Sables d'Olonne in good shape. It's one of my big gennakers and I could have done with it yesterday but it is fine today. It is going to be a pretty difficult day today getting through this trough, it is a fast moving system and none of the weather forecasts agree either with each other or reflect the reality we are seeing. But with the squall we are moving quite quickly."
Germany's Boris Herrmann (who is in 'Herrmannator' mode) has been going well in the north in third place - fast this afternoon in the stronger breeze on Malizia-Seaexplorer - whilst Briton Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) and more particularly the Vendée based favourite Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement-Water Family) are trying a more southerly route looking to perhaps get south of the next low pressure for some favourable downwind sailing - at the cost of sailing more miles to Les Sables d'Olonne.
"We are kind of in the middle right now which I am happy with, I am just wanting to get through with everything in one piece. If I get out of this today I will be happy. Boris has had a great start to the race and has been going quick in the north but if we had wanted to go there we would be there!" Goodchild commented.
Mixed up cocktail of IMOCAs
Behind the lead group the diverse fleet is well mixed up between different modern foilers and the daggerboard boats. Vendée Globe winner Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V) lost many miles trapped in light winds and is 18th, 177 miles behind Dalin. So to Maxime Sorel and Romain Attanasio - both on good, fast foiling IMOCAs are already hovering around 200 miles adrift of the leading group.
Attanasio said this morning that he has 'had every kind of sh*t going'. The normally good humoured skipper of Fortinet-Best Western is intensely superstitious along with just about all of the French ocean racing community. Yesterday he was blaming his ill luck and bad weather on inadvertently shipping images of rabbits - the ultimate bad luck harbringer on any boat - on the branding of his fresh carrots bought in New York! Mid afternoon Attanasio was making just 1.5kts of boat speed...
All points
French based Kiwi Conrad Colman was already tired before the race start after various technical problems and a short turn round in the US. Racing Imagine-MS Amlin, Colman was 22nd this morning - just alongside Attanasio - when he reported, "It has been extremely challenging right now. The wind is coming from all directions and I can see boats pointing every which way on the AIS. It is not easy. I am running on adrenalin and the occasional nap. The night of the delivery out to the start line and all the next day I did not sleep at all and so that was 40 hours straight with no sleep. I had a couple of good naps. It is astonishing to be three days in an just 'running on fumes'. That is challenging mentally, physically and emotionally. There is so much variability in the wind right now. I am just trying to keep the boat pointing in the right direction and my head screwed on. Anything else is a bonus!"
Once through the worst of the transition the leaders this evening and tonight should break into stronger faster SW winds. Herrmann continues to go fast and looked set to move up to second ahead of Nico Lunven. Switzerland's Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team SNEF) is tenth, Pip Hare (Medallia) and Davies 11th and 12th.
www.newyorkvendee.org