AND BREATHE…AFTER FINISTERRE IT IS TIME TO FIND THE RACE RHYTHM
For more than half of the Vendée Globe fleet Cape Finisterre is now behind them and with it the first big weather test of their solo round the world race . Leader Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé et Prévoyance) passed the Cape around 1845hrs UTC last night, inside the TSS, and early this morning is passing the latitude of Porto in a good 15kts of NE’ly breeze.
Dalin initially did two gybes, moving offshore to find strong wind and a better course angle. In this wind direction, blowing off the land, the high land of the Portuguese coast affects the wind which is steadier and stronger offshore. Britain’s Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) continues to make a great opening to his first Vendée Globe, passing Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) in the TSS at Finsisterre to move up to second place. And on the 0600hrs ranking this morning Goodchild had closed up miles to Dalin after choosing to stay slightly more east whilst Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) went right offshore and is up to third. Germany’ Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) is moving well now, further offshore and up to 14th.
HIERARCHY ESTABLISHED?
Otherwise the top half of the fleet have come through the first big test largely unscathed. There were a few ragged tracks indicating some difficult sail changes but even with the winds peaking at 40kts in the gusts, the skippers seem to have prepared well and remained ultra conservative this early in the race. The hierarchy is starting to shape up pretty much as it was expected. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) is in the peloton in sixth, Thomas Ruyant (VULERNABLE) is in the mix too. Good, high average speeds are the universal goal and today there will be a chance to really get into a rest-and-build-energy regime in these moderate breezes. While all of these top skippers, especially, are hard bitten competitors, at this stage they will be reminding themselves this is not an 11-day Transatlantic race to the Caribbean but sailboat racing’s ultimate ultra marathon. And so self-discipline now will pay a dividend eight or nine weeks down the line.
The strategy remains staying in the stronger breeze, gybing periodically, recovering after each manoeuvre which will require re-stacking unused, heavy sails and hundreds of kilos of boxed up, moveable supplies which help trim the boat for speed.
FERRÉ GOOD, MARSSET LOOKS FOR RHYTHM
Benjamin Ferré leads the daggerboard boats in tenth place on Monnoyer-Duo for a Job, a boat which is widely recognised as highly optimised, winner of the 2012 race in the hands of François Gabart.
While Ferré came to ocean racing after an early career as an adventurer, French skipper Sébastien Marsset (Foussier) is a three times round the world circumnavigator, always on crewed races or records.
He reported early this morning, “As for Cape Finisterre, my thinking was that it seemed very simple to pass through the South of the TSS but it turned out to be more complicated than I thought! There were windless areas, very gusty areas, and especially windless areas not necessarily where we expecting them! And in the strong winds I was right on the edge of the TSS zone and I am not allowed to get too close to it. I am trying to get out of there without any damage, The sea is a bit rough, it’s not easy to find the right speed for the boat and to have a stable speed especially, we have between 26 and 36 knots! I sail as I know how, as it seems to me to be suitable, in any case we have fun, we race and it’s nice. We are still very much in contact with each other but I suppose soon we will enter an oceanic mode, I don’t know when yet, and I would like to succeed in establishing my rhythm of life on board because for the moment it is not the case! Meals, sleep, the only things that have dictated until now were the weather and the maneuvers! Right now I am in my watch position, on watch and I will stay there at least until daybreak, taking little naps to monitor the evolution of the wind.”
SzabolcsWEÖRES
IN THE THICK OF IT
Hungary’s Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe) is off Cape Finisterre but memories of start day and his firs hours on his first Vendée Globe are still fresh, “I’m fine everything is fine on board! The starting day was just unbelievable. Such an emotional roller coaster. I felt and saw in peoples eyes all the support and care directed towards us. Same from my family and loved ones. All were just wishing that we come back safely. It was not easy to handle all of these things. Honestly I couldn’t calm down the whole first night, I couldn’t eat anything. Now I’m finding my rhythm and can focus on the race. The conditions were very nice. I had a good start in the light breeze I like those conditions when manual helming is better than autopilot and you search for wind with your eyes not with the grib files.
