After the chasing pack closed in rapidly on Vendée Globe leaders yesterday Charlie Dalin (MACIF Prévoyance) and Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), the whole leading posse of nine skippers are contemplating their next obstacle as they pass successively under Australia towards the longitude of Tasmania and the exit door out of an Indian Ocean which has been mean and merciless.
All will need to make maximum speed to avoid a growing area of high pressure which looks set to slow this top group. As such there is a good chance that Dalin, the long time race leader, might rebuild some margin.
Christian Dumard the weather consultant for the Vendée Globe explains,"Charlie will pass before the wind weakens too much. The others will be forced to go north around the ridge of high pressure to the north. The gap between them will therefore widen a little from the middle of tonight".
The skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance will be then be forced to stay south and do multiple gybes whilst the ‘hunters’ behind him will have the chance to stay north and sail a more direct route.
Along the way Dalin has just set a new record for the passage between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin. At 9d 22h 27min he betters a 16 year old record which was set by Michel Desjoyeaux when he was making en route to the second Vendée Globe win of his career. His super rapid passage across the Indian Ocean – on something of a dream sequence of weather systems – saw him take the race lead on the 35th day of the race after Mike Golding dismasted during a brutal phase which saw successive race leaders Loïck Peyron dismasted, Jean Pierre Dick hit something and the Golding also dismast.
Les Sables d’Olonne’s favourite son, second placed Simon meanwhile reaffirmed his aim not to be hamstrung too much by the loss of his starboard foil,
“I'm hanging in there, I'm staying motivated.” He told the Vendée President Alan Leboueuf on the French live show today, “There was a lot of emotion at the time. I was asking myself why now? why there? it's a tried and tested foils, it's a break that I can't explain. However everything remains to be done, I hope the Pacific will live up to its name. I'd like to do a check-up on my boat, but for the moment it's impossible because the conditions don't allow.”
Charlie will pass before the wind weakens too much. The others will be forced to go north around the ridge of high pressure to the north. The gap between them will therefore widen a little from the middle of tonight.
Straight no chaser
In the big south the most direct routes are not always the fastest. Antoine Cornic (Human Immobilier) presently seems determined to demonstrate that sometimes staying south and fighting with the big lows pays a dividend as it did for Louis Burton on the 2020-21 race when he stayed south and sailed more directly but had to fight with heinous conditions. His reward then was a temporary grip on the race lead. But for rookie Cornic it is going to be a very tough 24 hours with winds over 50kts in the gusts and big, big seas.
Meantime after reporting cracking to the forward bulkhead of Medallia this morning, Briton Pip Hare had this afternoon completed her programme of composite repairs but was due to ease back and allow the repair to cure whilst at the same time not lose too many hard earned miles to 15th placed Romain Attanasio (Fortinet-Best Western).
Hare said this morning, “The last 24 hours have been a really rough ride, looking out at the sea state it is still just a maelstrom. The waves are close to five metres, 4.5, but basically we are being lifted into the waves, we have altered our course in the lift so we are now taking the waves side on rather than from behind, but also the wind is side on to the waves and so they are breaking, the period has become shorter, much steeper and quite violent and so difficult to keep the boat going in these conditions, it is exhausting but it is really taking a toll on the boat, sadly that has taken a toll on my boat. Last night when I was doing my checks I discovered that I have a crack in one of my bulkheads forwards. It is not too bad and I have found it very, very early.”
Photo sent from the boat GUYOT Environnement - Water Family during the Vendee Globe sailing race on December 10, 2024. (Photo by skipper Benjamin Dutreux)