Clarisse Crémer - Vendée Globe 2024 - photo © Clarisse Crémer #VG2024
Dear Recipient Name
When it comes to literary genres, I've always been drawn to tales of high-latitude exploits. As such, I've currently got my nose buried in Julian Sancton's Madhouse at the End of the Earth, which is the story of a (mixed) Belgian-flagged expedition to Antarctica and the South Pole (1897-1899). As its moniker suggests, the wheels quickly come off the bus (ahem). But the part that stuck in my head over the weekend was when the expedition's leader, Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery, conspired with the vessel's captain, Georges Lecointe, to intentionally get stuck in the pack ice for winter, rather than heading north for the far more hospitable climes of Australia, as the crew had been promised prior to departing Europe.
As someone who lives at 48.5 degrees north latitude, I can tell you that days are short as we approach the winter solstice, however the darkness that we experience in the winter months in Bellingham, Washington, is nothing like the (roughly) three solid months of nightfall that the crew of the Belgica experienced.
This, of course, brings us to the singlehanded around-the-world Vendée Globe race, where the fleet's leaders are now, at the time of this writing on Monday morning, West Coast time, well east of the Cape of Good Hope, not too far north of the ice-exclusion zone. Granted, a foiling IMOCA's hull would stand little chance against a direct impact with a big iceberg (or a winter spent locked in pack ice), but these brave skippers are the polar (sorry, bad pun intended) opposite of de Gerlache.
As reported last week, conditions in the South Atlantic were ideal for laying down the miles, and skipper Yoann Richomme, racing aboard Paprec Arkea, sailed 579.86 miles on November 24 to establish the new 24-hour solo distance record for a monohull (N.B., subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council).
The sailing world barely had time to celebrate this proud achievement before skipper Sébastien Simon, sailing aboard Groupe Dubreuil, sent an astonishing 614.25 nautical miles on November 17 (N.B., again, subject to WSSRC ratification).
The situation in the Indian Ocean this week is much different, however, as a strong depression is set to comb the area in the next few days. To the north of the rumb line, skippers can expect big winds and ugly seas; to the south, conditions are expected to intensify to 65-knot gusts and thirty-plus foot seas that won't be winning any beauty pageants.
Unlike de Gerlache's warped sense of heroism, all skippers are opting to preserve vessel and flesh. "All the solo sailors will logically pass to the north of the system," said Christian Dumard, who serves as the race's weather consultant, in an official communication. "To go lower in latitude they would suffer in the system for much longer, but also with more wind and more seas and would find themselves upwind at some point."
Not that the ride to the north will be smooth.
"We will still get 40-45 knots, which is strong but ultimately a bit like usual strong stuff in the south," said Yannick Bestaven, skipper of Maître CoQ V and the winner of the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe who—as of this writing—was sitting in seventh place out of 39 boats, in an official release. "Today is the boat inspection day. Preparation for the heavy weather is under way getting ready to set the appropriate small sails."
While 45 knots sounds like a heck of a lot of air from the comfort of my office, for veteran around-the-world sailors, this edition of the Vendée Globe is just getting going.
"We are in 26 and sometimes 29 knots and so this is quite a good wind we are already fast and don't get much quicker with more wind," said Boris Herrmann, who is skippering Malizia-Seaexplorer, and who is currently sitting in 11th place, some 1,300 nautical miles astern of current race leader Charlie Dalin (Macif Sante Prevoyance).
"But definitely the sea state is key in this part of the Indian Ocean, and it is a challenge I am really looking forwards to getting to the east here, to get into the rhythm of the south and building my confidence," Herrmann continued. "There has been a bit of re-start for me, the real Vendée Globe has started and this month of December to make it all the way to Cape Horn for the first of January."
Sail-World wishes safe and speedy passage through this storm to all Vendée skippers, and we are looking forward to hearing about their adventures during the next month of Southern Ocean sailing.
Speaking of fast around-the-world passages, skipper François Gabart and his five-person crew embarked on a Jules Verne Trophy attempt last Saturday (November 30) aboard the ultim tri SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran, with the goal of besting the current record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds, which was established in 2017 by skipper Francis Joyon and crew aboard IDEC Sport.
"To succeed in this challenge, you need a good boat, and we have it with the SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran," said Gabart in an official communication. "It has potential and is reaching maturity. You also need a good team, and we have it too, whether it's the crew on board or the team on land, without forgetting a bit of luck and we're going to do everything we can to seize it.
"Even if I will continue to sail, this is probably my last round the world race or record, and I'm very happy to do it in these conditions," Gabart, who won the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe, continued. "We know that there will inevitably be some breakage, I just hope it's minor breakage. You can't sail around the world without having some minor problems. You'll have to be able to manage them to maintain the boat's performance. It would be extraordinary to go under the 40-day mark."
Editor's Note: The trimaran SVR-Lazartigue has just abandoned its Jules Verne Trophy record attempt following a failure to the starboard foil. The team have now turned around to Concarneau to repair and hold for a new weather window.
This of course brings us back to de Gerlache and the (presumably) doomed crew aboard the Belgica. While attitudes change over a span of 125-plus years, there's simply no comparing the seamanship and leadership that goes into a modern Vendée Globe or Jules Verne attempt with the kind of hunger for firsts that consumed the Belgian-flagged expedition. Fortunately, these modern sailors will be passing the three great capes during the longest days of the year in the Southern Ocean, and they are carrying the kind of weather-routing equipment that makes it possible to endure rough weather aboard highly wicked-up raceboats.
As for firsts, this is always a big part of any sailboat race, but it's more than fair to say that the goals for these modern sailors involves preserving their vessels and getting home fast, rather than enduring one heck of a long Antarctic winter.
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor
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