In less than 10 days the winner of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe will be known. Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance, 1st), calm and determined, maintains a slight lead over Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA, 2nd). Dalin is the first to have extricated himself from the doldrums, where his nearest pursuer is currently progressing.
Behind, Jean Le Cam (Tout Commerce en Finistère - Armor-lux, 16th) caused a sensation by catching up with Romain Attanasio (Fortinet - Best Western, 14th) and Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL, 15th). Meanwhile, Isabelle Joschke (MACSF, 18th) and Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian, 19th), have rounded Cape Horn.
The flying duo
The day after crossing the equator Dalin is already emerging from the doldrums. He passed the edge of the zone and was slowed down by a few clouds and other squalls, which is what Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA, 2nd) is currently enduring. While the gap had reduced (from 130 miles on Sunday to 78 miles this morning), Charlie should regain a slight lead in the coming hours. "He will come out a little earlier so it should increase again", says Vendée Globe weather consultant Christian Dumard, adding that the finale will “…be played out on speed, on choices, on breakage and on nerves". Dalin took stock of his race and his state of mind this morning:
The doldrums always look easier on the map than at sea. I didn't sleep much last night because of a storm that blocked my route a bit and the winds were unstable in strength and direction. But I'll manage to get through it soon. We'll do the math when Yoann has also gotten through it.
“The race will be played out on a set of parameters: the weather situation, the condition of the boat, traffic management, the skippers’ inspiration to make the right choices. It's quite intense, the pressure is constant but that's part of the game. All the sailors who come to the Vendée Globe with sporting ambitions would dream of being in our shoes. I'm really enjoying it, I'm more detached and under less pressure than four years ago. And we mustn't forget that what we're doing is just a game! – Charlie Dalin MACIF Santé Prévoyance
Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), a solid 3rd, is preparing to pass the north-eastern tip of Brazil and pass the doldrums with a route much further west than the leading duo. He is not really threatened by the fight that is taking place between a group of seven boats 1,200 miles further south. In this battle for the “top 10”, most are coming up against a windless zone and all are dealing with strong instability of weather systems.
For a while, Jérémie Beyou (Charal, 5th) took the advantage thanks to his western option. But the eastern partisans with Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB, 10th) and Paul Meilhat (Biotherm, 9th) could, in the long term, do better. Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) is progressing between the two, despite the lack of his J2 headsail. He says:
"It's not a very easy time. We're trying to find the waypoint to catch the south-east trade winds. I've changed my approach a bit to take a route a little further north than Nicolas and Paul. Without the J2, I know it's going to be very complicated to fight in this group. But I won't give up, I'll fight until the end. It's going to be like a new start between us and I'm going to take it as a new race that's starting". Thomas Ruyant VULNERABLE
The injuries are multiplying on the boats and on the sailors' bodies too. At the end of the morning, Clarisse Crémer (L'Occitane en Provence, 12th) revealed that she had "locked her left shoulder", causing slight discomfort. "It's hard, we feel so vulnerable when it happens to us. Luckily I was able to take painkillers.”
In high spirits
By contrast, less than 150 miles behind Crémer, Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur, 13th) says both she and her boat are still at 100 per cent of their full potential, “thanks to an amazing preparation by my team. And I’ve worked really hard the whole trip to take care of the boat, not leave any wear and tear to get worse."
Davies has closed up on the boats ahead, having worked “full on just doing everything – every single sail change and manoeuvre” to catch a low-pressure system that’s currently propelling her north.
“I was pretty happy to catch this low. It's really not mega fun sailing, but I'm back going north and that's what's really important. I'm kind of living this edition a bit like I lived 2008 in terms of enjoying the race and trying to do good stuff, doing bad stuff, making mistakes, and just absolutely loving it! I'm really happy to just found that kind of enjoyment again because 2020 was really hard for me, when I had to abandon really early on in the race and then I just sailed the whole course outside of the ranking.
“For sure life is pretty hard. I wouldn't invite anyone inside my boat right now - I had a pasta explosion last night because the sea state is so heinous you can't do anything, but you have to keep eating. These boats are physically really demanding and it's really hard to eat enough calories [to match] what my body needs every day.”
King Jean and Neptune
There’s also a mid-fleet match developing that pits Romain Attanasio (Fortinet – Best Western, 15th) and Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil, 16th), against Jean Le Cam (Tout Commerce en Finistère – Armor Lux, 17th). The latter has arrived to their east and should cross paths with them at the end of the day. "He's King Jean, he has good karma, he has done everything to have the gods of the sea with him", confided Romain this morning. It also makes Jean laugh, who reported his morning:
We must not forget that I made an offering to Neptune of a Saint-Julien from 2016 when I crossed the equator. And Aeolus is a great friend of Neptune. If you don't give away a cheap wine, it will pay off in the end! I'm not going to complain: since the descent of the Atlantic, I've been pretty consistent. I've also perhaps been a bit lucky since rounding Cape Horn. The greatest happiness was when I progressed under the Falklands in flat sea – that's what you dream of all the time when you're in the South.
Cape Horners old and new
Behind, Isabelle Joschke (MACSF, 18th) and Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian, 19th) passed Cape Horn this the morning, at 0702 and 1110UTC respectively and exactly 27 years after the disappearance of Gerry Roufs in the same area. Isabelle and Giancarlo had both waited for a strong depression to pass before allowing themselves to enter the South Atlantic.
Many more skippers will be rounding Cape Horn this week, including Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – Duo for a Job, 20th), who is expected tomorrow afternoon, then Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare, 21st) during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday and the group of “banditos”, as Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline, 29th) nicknamed them, should cross it on Wednesday during the day. In this group, there is Violette Dorange (Devenir, 28th) who decided to slow down before rounding:
“There is a front with strong winds then a big depression over South America where there is no option to take shelter,” she explains. “I thought about it a lot, I hesitated a lot but I decided to slow down. It’s the first time I’ve done that in a race but it was the wisest decision. Sometimes, in difficult times, I try to remind myself how lucky I am to be here, I realise how incredible it is."
Meanwhile, Louis Burton’s Bureau Vallée arrived in her home port of Saint Malo today, after sailing north from Cape Town, where Burton was forced to retire with rigging damage. At the same time, some 6,500 nautical miles away, Yannick Bestaven (Maitre Coq V) set sail again this morning from the Argentine port of Ushuaia following a seven-day technical stopover. The title holder is therefore no longer in the race, but remains determined to complete his solo circumnavigation. "It's not what I had planned, but that's how it is. I left for Les Sables d’Olonne. And I’m going to do everything I can to make the end of this world tour as beautiful as possible.”
