Tuesday review

At the head of the Vendée Globe fleet it looks very much like the two leading skipper Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) and Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prevoyance) are following suit, progressively repositioning to the north away from the path of a malicious Southern Ocean low pressure system which is holding a potentially dangerous 50-60kts of wind and seas to ten metres high.

Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) chose prudence ahead of hard-headed valour last night and sharply turned north in modest upwind conditions to reposition himself 185 miles north of the route being taken by the leading duo. Richomme will likely tack back on to port tack and assume the line taken by fourth placed Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE). With a high pressure ridge to their west there is every chance Richomme and Ruyant might lose more miles to the chasing pack behind them but their prudent approach gives them most chance to keeping their boats and themselves in optimum condition as they race some 500 miles west of the Kerguelen Islands. 

Simon, who is just 12 miles behind leader Dalin, explained their situation, “The road stops dead. We will just have to be very careful and cautious with the boat. Let the worst of the storm pass by in the hope that we get through it without a hitch and that everything goes well.” 

The skipper from Les Sables d’Olonne added, “I'm a little apprehensive. We're going to be clenching our buttocks for 48 hours. I've already seen 67 knots during The Ocean Race in 2023. I know it's not pleasant at all but there's no escape. It's not going to be easy for anyone. We're going to suffer." 

Hare in repair mode 
In 17th position Briton Pip Hare should cross the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope early this evening on Medallia. It has been a very tough 24 hours for her following a failure somewhere in the electrical system which drives the motor to power her keel’s canting system. 
She had to try and replace a relay in the system which did not work initially and only after rebuilding a new relay from the parts of two faulty or damaged ones did she get the keel canting system working again. But when she rested after her initial efforts, attempted in strong winds with Medallia surfing and lurching everywhere, a furling line broke. Between the flapping unfurled sails she sustained damage to her FR0 and her Quad (Masthead gennaker). Latest reports are that Hare has repaired the tear in her FR0 but will need to wait for another light patch to get the masthead gennaker on the deck to fix it. “It has been a tough day, carnage really, but I need to just keep taking it step by step, one foot at a time and we can get through this.” Grimaced Hare. 

We will have to clench our buttocks

For Pip and those around her the wind conditions should remain much more manageable than for the leaders, even if the Agulhas currents risk making things more difficult around the Cape of Good Hope. Some will even manage to slip through the cracks of these tough systems, such as Manu Cousin, who is pleased to be making good progress after his mishap with a UFAO the day before yesterday. "My routings actually put me behind this big system which is pretty good. That gives me a bit of time to recover from the psychological shock I experienced. I really thought my race was going to end there. I was really scared. I'm glad I'm not going into a big system right after that." concluded the skipper of Coup de Pouce who knows well how close to the edge the Vendée Globe takes the solo racers. 

Photo sent from the boat TeamWork - Team Snef during the Vendee Globe sailing race on December 03, 2024. (Photo by skipper Justine Mettraux)