Vendée Globe
Leader Yannick Bestaven is forced to play hen with the edge of the Vendée Globe ice zone in the South Pacific as he seeks to pull his Maître CoQ IV first out of a frustrating anticyclone that offers unusually light to moderate breezes despite the fact that they run at 55 degrees. south. ? Bestaven, which has seen its margin eroded at 84 miles by Figaro’s design ace Charlie Dalin, while Thomas Ruyant is also around 80 miles behind.
The problem faced by the three leaders is that the center of the system is moving east at about the same speed as them. But if Bestaven can slip away and his pursuers are still trapped, then the leader could win the jackpot, earning a breakthrough of many hundreds of miles. Bestaven hovered 3.4 nautical points from the virtual line today before gybing northeast, all the while trying to stay as far south as possible where the winds are strongest.
Charlie Dalin, second, admitted that the stress of the stage was keeping him awake during a phase that he really needs to maximize his rest. Speaking at the Vendée Globe English Live show today, in the dark overnight of the South Pacific Ocean, Dalin said,? “I am under high pressure because my 90 mile deficit with Maitre Coq could turn into 1000 miles if I cannot overcome this high pressure. I am under a lot of stress, trying to navigate as hard as I can. I can stay east of this. center of high pressure, which will travel to us in the next few days. It’s really stressful because I know that if I don’t make it, I could end up in a different system than Yannick and lose a lot of ground. ”
He states: “The weather we have in the Pacific is strange, I feel like I’m sailing more of a Figaro stage than the Vendée Globe. It’s full of regattas right now. I have so many square meters of sail upstairs that it may have lifted. It’s really strange Before the start of the race I didn’t expect to sail like this at 55 degrees south. It’s always easier to sleep at night, so I should be asleep right now. But it stays awake. It’s hard to find the balance in the long term because when the wind is starting to drop, I know I’ll have to be in top shape. So it’s not an easy compromise to find between resting a bit and trimming the boat to be as fast as possible. ”
Arriving later towards the center of the high, the second wave is led by Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco) and right now we are looking closely to see if the three leaders can get out of the system. “We are the hunters for sure at the moment. Our question is whether they will escape or we will all end up in the same system.”
The first six skippers, Bestaven, Dalin, Ruyant, Herrmann, Le Cam and Benjamin Dutreux are the most affected by this zone of weak and erratic wind. Behind them, systems are lining up to deliver significant recovery in a strong northwest flow. “There will be a regrouping, they will come back strong from behind, it’s a bit annoying but it’s all part of the game,” Dutreux said. ? Groupe Apicil’s Damien Seguin is fighting hard to make the best of any possible comeback: “I have a chance to come back. I’m ready to fight. I’m waiting for the right moment.”
After his stop at Macquarie Island, Louis Burton is in a wrestling state, ready to push as hard as he can to make up for the lost miles. Having been second in the southern Indian Ocean before his damage, the Saint Malo skipper is focused on giving his all in pursuit of the top five, which was his goal before departure.
And the best in the South Pacific had consistently been Armel Tripon at L’Occitane en Provence. He posted the best average speed in the fleet today – 446 miles 24 hours compared to just 257 for Thomas Ruyant. “Numbers speak louder than words.” Tripon wrote this morning after entering the South Pacific: “To my right, Antarctica, an immense continent that I dream of seeing up close one day, and in front of me, far, far away, Cape Horn! , a gigantic ocean and in front of a lot of small boats that I dream of overtaking! “A part of that dream seems to be coming true.
Didac Costa from Spain: The passage of Cape Leeuwin as a gift for his 40th birthday? The Barcelona firefighter who currently occupies the 19th position today celebrated his 40th birthday and must cross Cape Leeuwin before midnight on Ellen MacArthur’s ex-Kingfisher with whom he won the Ruta du Rhum 2002. Didac, who ran his 2016-17 career largely on his own under Australia struggling with the mainsail and technical issues, he is fighting in one of the 5 IMOCAs in a match that is as exciting as at the top of the fleet. He’s fighting all the time with British captain Pip Hare, Stéphane Le Diraison, Manu Cousin and Arnaud Boissières, who is the leader of the little gang.
Standings at 17:00 UTC: (top five)
1. Yannick Bestaven [Maître CoQ IV] -> 10,293.1 mn from the finish
2. Charlie Dalin – [APIVIA] -> 73.42 nm from the leader
3. Thomas Ruyant [LinkedOut] -> 154.36 nm from the leader
4. Boris Herrmann – [SeaExplorer – Yacht Club de Monaco] -> 285.25 mn from the leader
5. Jean Le Cam [Yes, We Cam! ] -> 360.48 nm from the leader
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