In the day number 25 of the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe, more than half of the fleet has passed the Cape of Good Hope and is sailing in the indian oceanwhere it faces several fronts of considerable intensity. The most exposed since last night are the two leaders, Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) and Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil)who are those who have opted for the southernmost route, near the Kerguelen Islands and bordering on the floating ice exclusion zone.
Despite the fearsome conditions, the two leaders move quickly ahead of the great depression that shakes the fleet’s head and have increased the advantage over their pursuers. Dalin has a lead of just over 80 nautical miles over Simon, and up to 450 miles over the third, Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa).
The harsh conditions are causing problems on board several of the IMOCA 60s, and have resulted in the second abandonment of this tenth edition of the round the world race alone and without stops or assistance. Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée), who finished third in the last race, has had to abandon and is heading to Cape Town. It has damage to the J2 forestay that threatens the integrity of its mast. Without a possible solution to safely face the Great South, he has had to make the most difficult decision.
Louis Burton.
The state of the sea south and east of the South African tip has been especially harsh. «It’s like a roller coaster: go up, go down, accelerate, decelerate, and the good thing is that there is no need to go back to the cashier to buy a new ticket, we can ride this all day!«, summed up the current Vendée Globe champion, Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V)which runs ninth. Whether north of the Kerguelen Islands or near the southern tip of Africa, Vendée Globe sailors almost all face difficult conditions.
«We’ve been bumping around quite a bit the last couple of days.. The boat accelerates very fast and crashes into the next wave. It crashes in all directions and is not very pleasant. “It’s 24 hours a day like this, 7 days a week, without end, without stopping,” he commented. Louis Duc (Five Group – Lantana Environment)classified in provisional twenty-seventh position.
Brutal gusts of 60 knots
At the front of the fleet, the round-the-world leader, Charlie Dalinseemed to be almost enjoying his regatta, which right now is not against his rivals, but against the low pressure system, with ten meter waves and brutal gusts of 60 knots. But if he and Simon can stay ahead of the worst of the voracious system, the gains will be significant.
Dalin said today: “I feel a little tired, I need to rest a little. But other than that, I’m fine. I’m racing this monster. It’s not going too bad and I’m managing to stick to my route, which is good. I’m in a good place right now, making good progress eastward, every little gain eastward is pure gold, it means we’ll get caught in the low pressure further east, which means I’ll have milder sea state and winds less strong, which is good. So I’m fighting hard to stay ahead for as long as possible. They’ll catch me eventually, that’s for sure. But the later, the better.
«In terms of decision making, I spent ten hours in front of the computer, running hundreds of routestrying to find out which option was good and for what reason,” acknowledged the navigator when asked about the chosen southern route. «I still don’t know if it is a good choice. We will know in just over 24 hours. But it took me a long time to make this decision. And it’s been fun, it’s been fun sailing against this monster. I try not to look at it too much, because if you look too much you see the red arrows of 60 knots and I say to myself, ‘I don’t want to be there.’ “I am like a horse that only looks forward, at the direction, with blinders on.”
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