Charlie Dalin, back at the head of the fleet!
by IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance 19 Dec 2024 08:04 PST
19 December 2024
Charlie Dalin aboard MACIF Santé Prévoyance - 2024 Vendée Globe © Charlie Dalin
"Can you hear that correctly? MACIF Santé Prévoyance is now back to 100% of its potential!" announced yesterday, Wednesday December 18, the Le Havre skipper, all smiles. After 36 hours of repairs to one of his sails, Charlie Dalin has now regained the lead and is trying, every hour, to widen the gap with his two direct pursuers, Yoann Richomme and Sébastien Simon, respectively at 47 and 73 miles from its transom.
Foot to the floor, while preserving his mount for the 9,200 miles that remain to be covered, Charlie is currently sailing his IMOCA at an average of 25 knots, sometimes coming close to 32 knots top speed in difficult conditions, pushed by a southerly wind unstable in strength and direction. The regatta is raging in the South Pacific, the bets are still wide open after 39 days at sea! "We're here for the regatta, and it's nice to cross this liquid desert in contact with other boats" confirms Charlie this Thursday morning.
"I'm in great shape, happy to have found the head of the fleet again. I had 24 hours without maneuvers and without changing sails, so it allowed me to settle down and rest a little. Even if it's not easy to sleep with the movements of the boat. It was good to have 24 hours, pretty much on track. I'm happy to be in the lead as we approach Point Némo." Charlie confided early this morning, his voice clear, despite the very sonorous hubbub of the wind and waves. So here is the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance back in business after being a little behind, but still as determined after 40 days at sea...
Be careful not to damage the equipment
The whole game of this incredible regatta in the middle of the South Pacific is there: not to try everything, but to go quickly while retaining your horse. The almost 600 miles covered in the last 24 hours demonstrate, if necessary, that the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance has complete confidence in his boat. "The boat is going well, I will soon return to the owner after these last 24 hours, express and eventful in terms of shock on the waves. I'm glad to have repaired this sail, it wasn't a simple job: unfurling the sail, lowering it, repairing it, taking it out of the boat, hoisting it. It really wasn't easy, but I'm happy to have succeeded in this operation. " he confided this morning. Nevertheless, in this little game of contact regatta, the temptation is great to get carried away!
"When you see the other one at the AIS, with all the speed readings, you obviously don't want to give up. But these are dangerous times for the equipment. We must constantly find the compromise between speed and security. There is still half a Pacific and one way up the Atlantic, so the boats have to hold on, and it is in these moments of pure regatta where you have to be careful not to damage the equipment. " Charlie said. In an icy southerly wind, which should gradually turn to the right, allowing him to sail downwind on a direct route to Cape Horn for a few days, the Norman competitor has lost none of his objective and remains ultra-concentrated: "The weather goes by at crazy speed, the days go by very quickly, it's pretty crazy. I have the impression that time passes three times faster than on land. I'm a little cooped up with the cockpit doors closed, I'm on standby on the grains, I'm not going out much at the moment. It's a shame, because it's always nice to contemplate the waves, the clouds, the sun when there is any. Even through the plexiglass of the cockpit, a little ray goes a long way!"
Words from the Sea by Charlie Dalin
"This night was not easy, with 17 to 30 knots of wind, very unstable in direction. The wind will gradually shift to the right, and I will find myself downwind VMG for a few days. In terms of comfort, the studio is at the top. I turn on the stove when it's really cold, I manage to get the temperature up to 12 degrees. But honestly, I don't need it. I have good quality clothes and I took out my very cold sleeping bag. The advantage of the small volume of the studio is that it is easier to retain heat. I also have an engine ventilation system that comes back into the studio. When I charge the batteries, I have hot air coming from the engine compartment, which arrives in the studio twice for 40 minutes per day."
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