In a week, the winner of the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe, the solo, non-stop round-the-world trip, is expected in Les Sables d’Olonne. Leader Charlie Dalin and second place Yoann Richomme begin to feel the end is nearbut they know that they need to be one hundred percent focused: they know the obstacles that other skippers have suffered in the final phase of the non-stop solo race around the world. Within a week they should be well into the Bay of Biscay and grappling with the final sprint to the finish line, but right now it’s too close to say who will win, with just 135 nautical miles ahead of each other.
After crossing the equator this past Sunday, The two leaders sail in the northern hemisphere immersed in the trade winds. They are heading north, towards the Azores anticyclone, which they should reach in 24 hours. This is the last major meteorological obstacle that stands between them and the Bay of Biscay and the finish line of Les Sables d’Olonne. The last big obstacle that could decide who will win this tenth edition.
Barring unexpected setbacks, third place seems assured for Sébastien Simon, but From fourth to tenth place the battle is very open. There has been a shake-up north of Rio, with gains for sailors who have chosen to stay west, so Jérémie Beyou (Charal) is in fourth place and Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) in fifth place. However, the gain may be short-term and will depend on your ability to work your way back to the east, to connect with the SE trade winds. Other boats, such as Nico Lunven’s Holcim PRB, have opted for the eastern option, but it is not clear which group will fare better.
«This climb through the South Atlantic is not easy – explained Lunven -, it is a complicated part in meteorological terms, we have very unstable conditions and many storms, I have not yet had any that are too violent, but I have had some very annoying storms. There is also a nasty swell, from the bow, that hits the boat, it’s hell!».
Almost two months of racing
About twenty vessels are already sailing in the Atlantic, including Jean Le Camwho starred in his seventh passage of Cape Horn in regatta. In the next few hours, Conrad Colman (MS Amlin), who is sailing classified in twenty-second place, will round the legendary rock.
«Two months at sea is a long time! -the charismatic New Zealander exclaimed today-. I’m a little jealous of the first ones, who will be home in a few days and will be able to pick up their children from school.. I’m in a small group, the competition is intense, it’s exciting! I think two months at sea without direct competitors would have been difficult… I’m glued to the screens, I’m doing everything I can to go as fast as possible and safely, so it’s exhilarating. Current conditions are pretty easy, 30 knots of wind. The ship is a mix between a submarine and an airplane. Sometimes you dance above the waves, sometimes below. Soon it will be my fourth passage around Cape Horn!
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