Charlie Dalin on the lookout for the slightest opportunity in the Vendée Globe
by IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance 29 Dec 2024 02:59 AEDT
28 December 2024
Charlie Dalin rounds Cape Horn - 2336hrs UTC December 23, 2024 - Vendée Globe Race © Vendee Globe
This Saturday morning, off the coast of the Rio de la Plata, the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance is almost 108 miles behind Yoann Richomme, the leader of the Vendée Globe.
Joined at daybreak, Charlie, ultra-focused, knows that the road is still long to reach Les Sables d'Olonne and does not hide his implacable determination: "I'm making my life! I don't look at Yoann, there are 20 days of racing left, I check my weather forecast." Currently in bracing sailing conditions close to the heart of a depression, Charlie Dalin is preparing his best maps to reach Cabo Frio swept by a strong northerly wind which should allow him to touch the trade winds and thus race to the equator. On the agenda: meticulous study of the weather and maximum speed!
Another race began after passing Cape Horn on the night of December 23 to 24, when the two leading men overtook with a gap of 9 minutes and 30 seconds. This is the one for the grand finale. Large in size (more than 5,600 miles or more than 10,000 km) to reach Les Sables d'Olonne, large in commitment, large because it is marking a page, even an entire chapter of the The story of racing around the world solo, non-stop and without assistance. "Hello Yoann, the Atlantic will not be peaceful" wrote Charlie on his tablet, as he passed the Horn. At least things are clear! For 5 days, the fight has raged on this journey across the Atlantic. "A few days ago, I was caught by an anticyclone before Yoann and my course turned north earlier than him. So he made quite a bit of progress while I was arrested. And conversely, I was able to come back a little when it fell into a windless zone. I continue on my way. Obviously, at each score, I look at what is happening, if I won, if I lost, it gives boost and intensity in the journey up the Atlantic!" explains Charlie Dalin this Thursday morning.
Place your pawn on the Atlantic chessboard
No more long journeys over several days in the Pacific, make way for manoeuvrers, sail changes, and the weather headache. "Here in the Atlantic, the sections are smaller, you go through the systems, so there are a lot more sail changes. In the Pacific, you stay on the same side for miles and miles... There, it rarely exceeds a few hundred miles on the same side. It's really another way to navigate. " underlines the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance, on the lookout for the slightest opportunity, the slightest error from his rival, the slightest knot of speed to grab to reduce the gap. It is a pure regatta to reach the holy grail in which Charlie and Yoann, two competitors who have been friends for 20 years, are engaged. They know each other by heart, and both know very well that the fight will probably last until the finish line in Vendée...
Words from the Sea by Charlie Dalin
"I'm happy to be in a t-shirt, it's the first day! It's nice to sail under the sun in the heart of a depression. We are currently managing the centre of a depression, playing with its curvature, and I will soon be heading north again. Last night was also very busy in the south of the depression with 30 knots of wind in a crosswind, it shook up quite a bit. I didn't see the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean pass by, it happened very quickly. I really had quite mild conditions, I didn't have huge seas, nor squalls with 40-50 knots of wind. I did well in the South Seas this year. The boat is still impressive. Sometimes it is even too fast when there is sea. I have to find solutions to calm it down rather than making it speed up..."
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