Vendée Globe Friday Update: Single tack speed test into the northern hemisphere for leading duo
by Vendée Globe media 3 Jan 09:52 PST
3 January 2025
Photo sent from the boat Initiatives-Coeur during the Vendée Globe sailing race on January 03 © Sam Davies #VG2024
The last few days of light winds have been frustrating for the two Vendée Globe leaders but gentler winds have actually been a chance for Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) and Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) to find time to recharge their energy and triple check their boats for the final stage back to Les Sables d'Olonne.
This afternoon they are accelerating in the southeasterly trade winds on what will be a very long tack all the way north back into the Northern Hemisphere maybe as far as the Canary Islands. Their gap with Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil, 3rd) is likely to widen while Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE, 4th) is doing his best to adapt to racing without his essential J2 headsail. Getting out of a tough depression is the primary objective of the chasing pack of Paul Meilhat (Biotherm, 5th) to Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef, 10th). And Romain Attanasio (Fortinet Best Western, 14th) and Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL, 15th) have rounded Cape Horn, which race veteran Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère - Armor Lux, 16th) on his sixth Vendée Globe should pass tomorrow.
Dalin-Richomme, acceleration at last
After a protracted period battling winds of than 10 knot, which yesterday allowed leader Dalin to climb his mast, their wind will finally strengthen. "It should accelerate this evening and during the night to around 13 knots", briefs Basile Rochut, the Vendée Globe weather consultant. And so the leaders end their interlude of Brazilian light winds. The two IMOCAs will start flying again, the speeds will continue to increase and the battle will inevitably increase in intensity for a phase which will be all about straight line boat speed.
In third Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), continues his climb away from the Brazilian coast to pick up the trade winds. The acceleration of the leading duo will open the gap back to the sailor from Les Sables d'Olonne again. But with only 4000 miles or so to the finish and nearly 1000 miles of a gap back to Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) Simon who really is the outstanding surprise package of the race who is armed with a very well proven boat which already won The Ocean Race, must be feeling his dream of a podium is getting closer being realised with every mile he sails north. And with Ruyant now compromised with a damaged mainsail which he can't use with one reef and no J2 headsail, Simon knows preservation and sustained vigilance are his most important performance criteria.
Ruyant has to do all he can to work round his J2 damage, the consequence of a very localized and particularly sudden storm. "He will be quite disadvantaged in the climb back up the Atlantic," specifies Fabien Delahaye of Race Direction. "The J2 is used in 10 to 20 knots of wind, which normally be the conditions up to the Azores. He has this damage to J2 as well as to his mainsail but will also likely want to climb his mast to check that there is no other damage". And Ruyant who had a lead of over 300 miles over his pursuers has seen that margin nearly halved to 170 miles.
Behind, a group of five skippers from Paul Meilhat (Biotherm, 5th) to Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Sne 10th) are faced with a depression. Most of them were going around upwind to the East, while the Swiss skipper was trying to make gains downwind from the West. Above all, this front has created very random conditions, brutal gusts of wind, short seas. In fifth Paul Meilhat took the time to detail the situation during the morning call which he had to drop as his boat broached:
"The wind was blowing in all directions, there were storms, squalls. The idea is to make headway as far as possible towards the North to escape the centre of this depression. It's complicated, risky and very nerve wracking, especially as the little problems we all have make each manoeuvre more complicated. You have to be careful not to tear the sails, not to break anything. What's tiring is that you can't plan ahead. I haven't slept for 36 hours, I have to be on deck and on the sheets all the time."
Indeed Meilhat had to end the English session abruptly in order to adjust his sails after a squall had just hit him.
Progress does look less complicated for Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT environnement - Water Family, 11th) and Clarisse Crémer (L'Occitane en Provence, 12th) who are making progress along the AEZ east of the Falklands. Sam Davies (Initiatives Cœur, 13th) has to deal with the high pressure area that could block her for a while before reaching downwind conditions again on Sunday. Speaking on the Vendée Live show this afternoon, the Brit is still smiling:
"It's tough, tiring, there are a lot of manoeuvres. I took advantage of a little lull to rest this morning. It's true that there was a lot of frustration not to be in the group I wanted. But you can't change the past, you have to be positive and the race isn't over. I'm trying to put my frustration aside to make the most of taking part in this incredible race. And I'm happy to be on my boat." - Samantha Davies, Initiatives-Cœur
Recent Cape Horners and Cape Horners of the future
Two new skippers rounded Cape Horn this Friday: Romain Attanasio (Fortinet-Best Western, 14th) and Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL, 15th). Unlike all of their predecessors, bar Sam Goodchild who took the Le Maire Straits option too, this duo could pass inside Staten Island and will climb well to the west of the Falklands. But before that, both of them enjoyed this particularly symbolic Horn.
"A little clearing in the visibility allowed us to see it," Seguin, the Paralympic champion emphasizes. "It was there, it's the first time I've seen it so clearly," enthused Attanasio who is on his third Vendée Globe and has so far finished 15th in 2017 and 14th in 2021. "It feels so good!"
A little earlier Attanasio had savoured the moment by singing 'La Dernière Session' by Eddy Mitchell.
"Bye bye the great South!" - Romain Attanasio, FORTINET - BEST WESTERN
The passages around Cape Horn will follow one another in the coming days. Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère - Armor-lux, 16th) is expected there tomorrow with 17 to 18 knots of westerly wind. For Alan Roura (Hublot, 17th), Isabelle Joschke (MACSF, 18th) and Italy's Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group, 19th), they will have to wait until the night of Saturday to Sunday and the conditions are expected to be hard with 45 knots of wind forecast for them.
For the other skippers, the episode of the icebergs encountered along the way is now thankfully history, something to tell children and grandchildren in the future.
"The sailors concerned have left the zone now and there is no longer any alert or close detection," specifies Delahaye. For the record, three competitors actually saw icebergs last Wednesday: Éric Bellion (Stand As One - Altavia, 22nd), Sébastien Marsset (FOUSSIER, 23rd) and Conrad Colman (MS Amlin, 24th). Now, this entire group, led by Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare, 21st), is progressing in strong downwind winds, to the north of a low pressure system. Swiss German Oliver Heer (Tut Gut., 30th) is still stuck in an anticyclone. Denis Van Weynbergh (D'Ieteren Group, 35th) has been busy repairing his rudder. The Belgian is taking a northerly route, a prudent option as a strong depression will develop on his route by Tuesday.
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