Nico Lunven in the Vendée Globe: Pitiless Atlantic!

Nico Lunven on Holcim-PRB during the Vendée Globe Race © Adrien Nivet / polaRYSE

After passing Cape Horn 6 days ago, Nicolas Lunven is sailing in 6th place in his first Vendée Globe, battling within a group of competitors, including Paul Meilhat, Jérémie Beyou, Boris Herrmann, and Sam Goodchild. These five boats are separated by just 150 miles. All are trying to escape the depression center, which brings extremely unstable and unpredictable winds.

Holcim-PRB, Biotherm, Charal, and Malizia contend with extremely challenging winds and seas."Right now, I'm in the storms. We're crossing a stormy depression center. Last evening was more than intense. We got shaken up quite a bit with lots of maneuvers. Last night was the same—sail changes, tacking... I'm still trying to get through this zone of light, erratic winds and a choppy sea. It feels like I'm in the witch's cauldron!" describes Nicolas.

Facing challenging circumstances, the masthead cap gave way, resulting in the loss of antennas and wind instruments. For several hours, the skipper of Holcim-PRB has been sailing nearly blind, without reliable wind data.

"To top it all off, today isn't great. After being tossed around so much, the masthead cap got torn off, along with all the antennas (VHF, Oscar, etc.) and the wind instruments. So now, I don't have any wind instruments. In these storms, with erratic winds and messy seas, it's hard to find the right course, know how to trim the boat, or decide which sail to use. I have a backup wind vane, but for now, it's too imprecise to be effective. I'm not giving up on improving the situation, but for now, it's a bit of a setback," explains Nicolas, who hopes to see light at the end of this tunnel soon.

"For the past 24 hours, I haven't had much sleep, so I'm really looking forward to finding stable conditions and possibly getting the backup wind vane working so I can finally get some rest."

Earlier this week, in similar conditions, Thomas Ruyant, in 4th place, tore a crucial sail for the final stretch toward Les Sables d'Olonne—his J2. The skipper described sudden, impressive gusts that slammed into him, nearly capsizing his boat. The result: a shredded sail after a stressful battle with the elements lasting several long minutes. Paul Meilhat shares a similar sentiment, admitting he hasn't slept in 36 hours! "It's impossible to rest with constantly shifting winds that require relentless maneuvers to avoid putting the equipment at risk. Under such conditions, extreme vigilance is necessary to prevent damage."

In the meantime, the two leaders, Charlie Dalin and Yoann Richomme, approaching the Brazilian cape, are beginning to feel the positive effects of the trade winds, while their pursuers endure tough conditions.