#SailingTalk - The next event in Greystones Sailing Club’s Winter Wednesdays series of talks hosts Neil O'Hagan of the Atlantic Youth Trust, the project that aims to bring about Ireland's next sail training tall ship.

O’Hagan is also on-shore co-ordinator for Kilcullen Team Ireland in the Vendée Globe, and he will have all the scuttlebutt on the highs and lows of Enda O’Coineen sailing Kilcullen Voyager, Ireland’s first entry in the round-the-world solo yachting challenge.

The date for diary is next Wednesday 25 January at 8pm, bar open from 7.30pm. You won’t want to miss it!

Alex Thomson, the British sailor with strong Irish roots, has finished the Vendée Globe solo round the world yacht race in second-place after 74 days 19 hours 35 minutes and 15 seconds at sea.

Thomson, 42, crossed the finish line of the race in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, at 0737hrs UTC today on his 60ft racing yacht Hugo Boss.

He was 15h 59min 29s behind race winner Armel Le Cléac'h who finished in a time of 74 days, 3 hours and 35 minutes, a new race record.

Thomson covered 27,636 nm averaging 15.39 knots knots during the race, which began from Les Sables d'Olonne on November 6 last year.

The race, which was founded in 1989, follows the 'clipper route' around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Australia's CapeLeeuwin and South America's Cape Horn.

Third-placed Jérémie Beyou is expected to cross the finish line on Monday morning (23rd January).

After 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes at sea, British sailor Alex Thomson reached the finish line of the Vendée Globe

After 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes at sea, British sailor Alex Thomson reached the finish line of the Vendée Globe on his boat HUGO BOSS at 7:37 UTC Friday 20th January 2017, and in doing so broke his own British record of 80 days for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in a monohull.

As well as becoming the fastest Brit to ever sail solo around the world, Thomson has matched Dame Ellen MacArthur’s second place finish which she achieved back in the 2001 edition of the race. Thomson’s achievements are all the more extraordinary for the fact that he suffered potentially race-ending damage to his boat on day 13 at sea. A collision with an unidentified object in the water caused his starboard foil to break, but even with this set back Alex has fought until the finish securing second place.

At one point, Thomson fell some 800 miles behind the leader, but delivered the greatest performance of his career to get himself back in contention and to set up one of the most thrilling final stages that the Vendée Globe has ever seen.

Over the past week, Thomson and first placed sailor, Armel Le Céac’h, have been involved in a sprint to the line, with Thomson continuing to gain miles on his French rival. In doing so, the British sailor broke the world speed record, and at one point pulled the difference back to less than 40 nautical miles. The two sailors continued to battle it out to the end, before Le Cleac’h finally sealed victory on Thursday afternoon.

The Vendée Globe is a single-handed, non-stop, unassisted race around the world. Often termed ‘the Everest of Sailing’, the race – which takes place just once every four years – pushes sailors to their very limits, requiring them to compete alone at sea without stopping, setting foot on dry land, or receiving any form of assistance for almost three months.

It is one of the world’s toughest sporting challenges, with only 72 sailors to ever complete the race since its inception. Dangerous and unpredictable, only 18 of the 29 sailors who began this edition of the Vendée Globe remain in the race. In the past, three skippers have lost their lives attempting to conquer the challenge.

Thomson, who was greeted by thousands of people who flocked to Les Sables d’Olonne on the west coast of France to witness his triumphant return, said: “It’s incredible to be here in second place, particularly given the loss of my starboard foil in the early part of the race. In our sport, challenges do not get any tougher, so this is a moment I will never forget.”

“This result is not just for me; it’s for my sponsor, for HUGO BOSS, for my family and friends who have supported me, and for my entire team who have worked tirelessly both before and throughout the race. We have put in years of preparation to get to the start and to ensure both the boat and me were in the best possible shape to take on this phenomenal race.

“To sail down the canal here in Les Sables d’Olonne, back where it all started on November 6th and to see huge crowds of people was an amazing feeling. And to be back with my wife Kate and children Oscar and Georgia again is emotional and very special.”
The 2016-17 edition of the Vendée Globe began on Sunday, November 6th when Thomson, alongside 28 fellow skippers, set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Thomson and his team had spent more than two years ahead of the race designing and building a brand new IMOCA 60 race boat, HUGO BOSS. Despite the loss of the boat’s starboard foil early in the race, Thomson’s four years of intense training and preparation allowed for a recovery more defiant than anyone could ever have imaged.

CEO of Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford, said: “We are incredibly proud of what Alex has achieved. A race like this is the culmination of four years of hard work, training and preparation from both Alex and the team behind the scenes. We came here to win the Vendée Globe, but Alex’s 2nd place finish together with a number of new records is a superb achievement. Thank you to the team, sponsors and everyone who made this possible.”

French sailor Armel Le Cléac'h has today won the Vendée Globe, setting a new record for the solo non-stop round the world race in the process.

Le Cléac'h, 39, from Brittany, crossed the finish line of the race in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, at 1537hrs UTC after 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds at sea on his 60ft racing yacht Banque Populaire VIII.

His time sets a new record for the race, beating the previous record of 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes set by French sailor Francois Gabart in the 2012-13 edition by 3 days, 22 hours and 41 minutes.

Le Cléac'h, the runner-up in the 2008-09 and 2012-13 editions of the Vendée Globe, covered 24,499.52 nm at an average speed of 13.77 knots during the race, which began from Les Sables d'Olonne on November 6 last year.

The Vendée Globe, which was founded in 1989, follows the 'clipper route' around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Australia's Cape Leeuwin and South America's Cape Horn.

Second-placed Alex Thomson is expected to cross the finish line on his boat Hugo Boss around 12 hours behind Le Cléac'h.

The Full story of Armel Le Cléac'h's 2017 Vendee Globe victory

Armel Le Cléac'h's momentous victory in the Vendée Globe brings to an end an epic struggle with Alex Thomson that began the moment the 29-strong fleet left Les Sables d'Olonne on November 6.
Both sailors had built new-generation IMOCA 60 boats for the race that featured the addition of foils – L-shaped daggerboards that sit in the water providing lift and therefore extra speed in certain conditions. With two runners-up places from the past two editions of the race under his belt, Le Cléac'h began as one of the favourites to take the top spot this time round. Similarly Thomson was also tipped for the top as he began his fourth Vendée Globe looking to improve on his third-place finish of 2012-13.
Since the start on 6th November 2016 from Les Sables-d’Olonne, the Breton skipper from St. Pol de Léon in Morlaix Bay has had to use all his skill and experience as two times winner of the French summer classic, the Solitaire du Figaro, to ward off attacks from Britain’s Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss. Before the start, the skipper of Banque Populaire VIII spoke about his position as favourite in the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe. “It is the sailor, who makes all the difference. The one who comes out on top will be the one, who makes the fewest mistakes. We are setting off as pioneers, as no 60-foot monohull has ever sailed around the world with foils. I am one of the favourites, but I’m not the only one. There have been four transatlantic races since I started sailing on board Banque Populaire VIII and I won one of them.” Living up his reputation, the Jackal never gave an inch away, but the pressure was on him throughout the race from his British rival, Alex Thomson. Since 7th November, the day after the start, Le Cléac’h and Thomson have been taking it in turns as leader. “When I’m on a boat, I shift to warrior and adventurer mode,” explained the Breton skipper, who has looked solid physically and mentally during the whole race.
Le Cléac'h shot out of the blocks, taking an early lead alongside fellow Frenchman Vincent Riou, but by the Equator Thomson had a three-hour jump on the fleet after taking a shortcut through the Cape Verde Islands. Thomson's reference time to the Equator of nine days, seven hours and two minutes beat the existing record set by Jean Le Cam of 10 days and 11 hours. Disaster struck for Thomson on November 19 when a collision with an object floating in the waters of the South Atlantic destroyed his starboard foil, leaving just a stump sticking out. In spite of the setback Thomson rounded the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of South Africa in the lead four hours and 22 minutes ahead of Le Cléac’h, his time of seventeen days, 22 hours and 58 minutes obliterating the previous race record for the passage of 22 days and 23 hours set by Le Cléac'h in 2012.
The record pace carried on through the Indian Ocean with Thomson clinging to the top spot despite much of the action taking place on port, the tack on which Hugo Boss had a slight speed deficit due to the missing foil. As they reached the remote Kerguelen Islands Le Cléac'h was within touching distance of Thomson, finally overhauling him on December 3. The occasion was marked by a visit from a French navy helicopter, which was able to film incredible images of the two boats blasting along at almost 30 knots. It was the first time racing yachts have ever been filmed so far south. Le Cléac'h started to pull away but Thomson refused to let to go his French rival, staying within 100 miles at Australia's Cape Leeuwin. Again the race records fell, Le Cléac'h shaving off five days and 14 hours from François Gabart's 2012-13 record, and Banque Populaire accelerated away.
By Cape Horn Le Cléac'h had amassed a whopping 819nm lead on Thomson, the equivalent of two days on the water. Again Thomson replied with a blazing run up the South Atlantic that reduced the gap to just 50 miles by the Equator. Thomson's passage from Cape Horn has taken 13 days, five hours and 30 minutes, smashing 2012-13 Vendée Globe winner François Gabart's existing record for the passage by 14 hours.
With Le Cléac'h snared by the Doldrums the sprint through the North Atlantic began at slow pace, tricky weather systems confusing the leaders' route back to the finish line. Both skippers admitted to being mentally and physically exhausted as they pushed man and boat to the limit in pursuit of the ultimate prize. Extra pressure was heaped on Le Cléac'h when on January 16 Thomson set a new 24-hour distance record of sailed 536.81nm averaging 22.4 knots, breaking François Gabart's existing record by two miles.
In a nail-biting finale that had race fans on the edges of their seats, Le Cléac'h entered the final 24 with the narrowest of advantages, just 33 miles splitting his boat Banque Populaire VIII from Thomson's Hugo Boss. But by the time Le Cléac'h, nicknamed 'The Jackal' for his predatory nature on the water, got to within 200nm of the finish he had pulled away to create an unassailable buffer of 100nm. Thomson's final assault compounded by autopilot problems that left him dangerously tired and with Le Cléac'h out of reach he was forced to concede. Le Cléac'h sailed Banque Populaire VIII over the finish line at 1537 UTC in a time of 74 days, three hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds to win the Vendée Globe and set a new race record in the process.
Despite the incredible length of the Vendée Globe the race is not unfamiliar with close finishes. In the very first edition winner Titouan Lamazou beat Loick Peyron by just 17 hours after 109 days at sea. In 2005 Vincent Riou came in just seven hours of Jean Le Cam to win the race, setting a new record time of 87 days, 10 hours and 47 minutes in the process. The closest finish the race has ever seen was in the previous edition when François Gabart beat Le Cléac'h by just three hours.

#VendéeGlobe - Despite Enda O’Coineen’s New Year mishap taking him out of contention, the battle for victory in the Vendée Globe retains a distinct Irish flavour.

Although he conceded yesterday that his chances of victory were slim – confirmed by the latest race update — Alex Thomson is still in hot pursuit of race leader Armel Le Cléac'h and Banque Populaire to clinch second place on the home stretch to Les Sables.

The route took Thomson’s record-smashing HUGO BOSS and the rest of the fleet just hours south of Cork Harbour, where the British skipper spent many formative years affirming a love of sailing that’s taken him to the peak of the sport.

His team boss at Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford, is also based in Cork, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

“In the year that saw Ireland win an Olympic medal for sailing, and the first Irish entry to the Vendée Globe, it would be wonderful to see the team led by an Irishman win the globe’s most challenging race”, said Hosford earlier this week.

Other Irish connections were present earlier in the race, in the form of French yacht SMA — whose team director is a Corkonian, Marcus Hutchison – and the Japanese entry Spirit of Yukoh, managed by Dublin-born Tony O'Connor.

And while both boats have since retired, their contention remains a good omen for Ireland’s place in global sailing — and might influence greater Irish participation in the next Vendeé Globe in 2020.

Vendée Globe leader Armel Le Cléac'h is expected to cross the finish line at approximately 1530hrs UTC today after 74 days at sea.

The French skipper is currently 36 nautical miles from the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, travelling at just over 12 knots.

The race finish will be streamed live on the race website and on social media once Le Cléac'h is within 30 minutes of the finish line.

Second-placed Alex Thomson is expected to cross the finish line around 12 hours later.

British sailor Alex Thomson – with Cork Harbour connections – today conceded that his chances of overhauling Vendée Globe leader Armel Le Cléac'h on the home strait of the Vendee Globe were slim, despite narrowing the gap to just 35 miles. In the last 24 hours Thomson, 42, has halved Le Cléach's lead of 70 miles but as the pair prepared to enter the final 300 miles of the solo round the world race this afternoon he said the advantage was now firmly with his French rival.

Thomson revealed that for several days now he has been battling problems with the wind instruments on his cutting-edge 60ft race boat Hugo Boss, which in turn have prevented the yacht's autopilot from working properly. In spite of knocking miles off Le Cléac'h's lead overnight he said he had not slept for two days and was now dangerously tired. Speaking to the Vendée Live show today Thomson said his thoughts were on getting Hugo Boss' anemometers working again rather than the impending finish in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. "I don't think I can catch Armel," he said. "The routing is very clear – we will go nearly to the Scilly Isles, wait for a left shift and when it comes we tack. There are no real options for me any more, I think my options have run out. It might be possible to catch a few miles but it's difficult for me at the moment. Until I can get my autopilot driving on a wind angle it'll be very tricky in the conditions I have. I can't imagine another few days like the last couple of days. I don't have any tension about the finish. I have tension about trying to make the autopilots work. I've got an anemometer in my hand and I'm trying to splice wires. I don't care about the finish right now, I just want to sleep.”

Le Cléac'h, runner-up in the past two editions of the Vendée Globe, might now be odds-on favourite to claim his first race win but he was not taking anything for granted as he prepared to tack and head down the west coast of France to Les Sables. The race mantra of 'to finish first, first you have to finish' will be ringing in his ears as he sails into his final night at sea in 74 days. “For the moment I'm holding my own against Alex,” the 39-year-old Breton said, “but the final 24 hours are going to be complicated. I'm going to have to be careful as there are a lot of dangers - we have been seeing fishermen and cargo vessels since yesterday. I'll be passing the tip of Brittany tonight, then going along the south coast of Brittany. I have to remain cautious to avoid doing anything stupid.” Le Cléac'h is expected to cross the finish line between 1300 and 1900 UTC tomorrow, barring any mishaps, with Thomson following suit around four hours later.

The race tracker will update hourly once the leader gets to within 100 miles of the finish, and live streaming will begin 30 minutes from the line. For more information on how to follow the arrivals click here 

Third-placed Jérémie Beyou said his routing software has calculated that he should arrive in Les Sables on Sunday evening, around three days behind the leaders. “Over the past few days I have been faster than expected,” said Beyou, whose podium position is secure for now with fourth-placed Jean-Pierre Dick trailing him by more than 1,000 miles. “The seas are not as cross and are more manageable. I'm trying not to think of the finish, as I still have the Bay of Biscay to deal with, and it's not looking very cooperative, as there won't be much wind, so I won't be advancing very quickly.” Seventh-placed Louis Burton will be the next skipper to cross into the northern hemisphere. At the 1400 UTC position update he was just 20 miles south of the Equator.

The Vendée Globe is going down to the wire with the leading pair of Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson split by just 78 miles as they enter the final 1,000 miles to the finish.

Thomson has been playing catch-up since Le Cléac'h took the lead on December 2 but as the race enters its final few days he has transformed from the chaser into the hunter, ruthlessly stalking his French rival in the hope of being able to deliver the killer blow before the race is up. The British skipper delivered a timely warning to French skipper Le Cléac'h today when he smashed the world record for the greatest distance sailed solo in 24 hours. Hugo Boss skipper Thomson maintained a staggering average speed of 22.4 knots in the 24 hours leading up to the 0800 UTC position update to notch up 536.8nm. The distance breaks the 534.48nm record set by François Gabart in the 2012-13 Vendée Globe that he went on to win, beating Le Cléac'h by just three hours. In that respect the new record could be considered a good omen by Thomson, who is aiming to become the first Brit in the race's 27-year history to win it. He actually beat Gabart's record two weeks into the race, sailing 535.34nm in 24 hours, but the rules of the record state it must be superseded by one whole mile. Thomson previously held the record between 2003 and 2012 with a distance of 468.72nm. The new record will now be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Banque Populaire skipper and pre-race favourite Le Cléac'h has hardly been easing off on his run into the finish. Over the same 24-hour period he covered 515 miles at an average of 21.5 knots. By the 1400 UTC report Le Cléac'h was matching Thomson's 21 knots of boat speed with a slim buffer of 78 miles at the latitude of Cape Finisterre on the north-west point of Spain. Rather than head for the finish line in the Vendée port of Les Sables d'Olonne the duo must continue north east to avoid the centre of an anticyclone currently blocking their path east. By tomorrow the winds and therefore boat speeds will have dropped, and several days of light-wind sailing lie ahead. Both skippers are expected to finish on Thursday January 19, potentially just a few hours apart.

Throughout the fleet, today split by 9,000nm from head to tail, there has been admiration for Thomson's new record. “Alex's record is seriously impressive,” said New Zealander Conrad Colman, some 6,000nm behind the leaders. “I've been watching his average boat speed closely, and the idea of staying at 23 knots for 24 hours is absurd. I think the new generation of IMOCAs are incredible and as soon as I put my feet back on the ground I'll be looking to cement a new project for myself and join the club 'flying'.” Yann Eliès, skipper of fifth-placed Queguiner-Leucémie Espoir, added: “It's a great performance. Alex seems to be able to keep up average speeds a little above those of Armel, so we'll be watching the final four days closely.”

Thomson was not the only skipper with cause for celebration today. Fabrice Amedeo in 11th and Arnaud Boissières in 12th both rounded Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America, to begin their ascent through the Atlantic to the finish line. Amedeo rounded at 0140 UTC with Boissières following suit just over four hours later. Thirteenth-placed Swiss sailor Alan Roura will be next round Cape Horn, adrift by just 30 miles at 1400 UTC. Rich Wilson in fourteenth still has 150nm to go. Meanwhile 65-year-old Dutch sailor Pieter Heerema passed Point Nemo, the most remote place on the planet more than 1,700 miles from inhabited land. “Now I want to get around Cape Horn as quickly as possible,” he said. “It's a really key landmark. We're now 70 days into this race and there's still a long way to go. I'm enjoying it but I've also more or less had enough.”

The current Vendee Globe Race non-stop round the world is deservedly attracting enough attention without having to make over-stated claims on behalf of some of its participants writes W M Nixon.

The official website is today carrying a story that if Enda O’Coineen can succeed in his plan of sailing his dismasted IMOCA 60 Kilcullen Voyager from Dunedin at the south end of New Zealand under jury rig to Auckland 800 miles away to the north, where a loaned replacement masts awaits, then if he can continue the voyage back to les Sables d’Olonne round Cape Horn he will become the first Irishman to sail solo round the world.

Not so. Noted Dublin marine artist Pete Hogan, who sailed solo round the world in his gaff ketch Molly B, said today that the number of misapprehensions about who was first doing what in the Irish circumnavigation stakes is astonishing.

For instance, when he rounded Cape Horn in the 1990s, he was acclaimed as the first Irishman to do it alone, for of course Conor O’Brien had done it with the crewed Saoirse in 1925. Yet Pete Hogan found it very difficult to get anyone to listen when he subsequently tried to set the record by saying that Bill King of Galway with the junk-rigged ketch Galway Blazer was the first solo, and that was way back in 1973.

The fact that Bill King was a distinguished former British submarine commander may have projected the image of being non-Irish. But in fact he flew both the Irish tricolour and the
British red ensign, and his home was Oranmore Castle at the head of Galway Bay.

Bill King’s purpose-designed Galway Blazer circumnavigated the world solo south of the great Capes in 1973.

Since then, other Irish sailors who have striven to circumnavigate include Declan Mackell, originally from Portaferry but Canadian-based by the time he undertook his voyage in a Contessa 32, with which he returned home to Ireland for a prolonged stay during his circuit.

Another lone circumnavigator, Pat Lawless of Limerick who completed his voyage with a Seadog ketch in 1996 at the age of 70, had hoped to take in Cape Horn, but rigging damage forced him into a Chilean port, and eventually he returned to Ireland via the Panama Canal. But his circuit was definitely completed, and completed alone.

And Pete Hogan believes there may be one or two other Irish lone circumnavigators who have done it without fanfare. For not everyone seeks the kind of publicity which the Vendee Globe inevitably provides.

Limerick circumnavigator – the irrepressible Pat Lawless aboard his world-girdling Seadog ketch

British sailor Alex Thomson – with Cork Harbour connections –  today smashed the world record for the greatest distance sailed solo in 24 hours notching up 536.8 miles on his 60ft racing yacht.

Thomson, 42, is currently in second place in the Vendee Globe just 70 miles behind French race leader Armel Le Cleac'h with 1,000 miles to go to the finish line.

During the 24-hour period running up to the 0800 UTC position report he sailed his racing boat Hugo Boss at an average speed of 22.4 knots, or 25.7mph.

His 24-hour distance beats the record of 534.48 miles set by French sailor Francois Gabart in the 2012-13 edition of the Vendee Globe, a singlehanded race around the world without stopping.

Thomson was among a fleet of 29 mostly French solo sailors that set off from Les Sables d'Olonne in the Vendee region of France on November 6.

He actually bested Gabart's record two weeks into the race, sailing 535.34 miles in 24 hours, but the rules of the record state it must be superseded by one whole mile.

He previously held the record between 2003 and 2012 with a distance of 468.72 miles. The new record will now be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Thomson is expected to arrive in Les Sables d'Olonne on Thursday after 74 days at sea. The fastest time the race has ever been completed was 78 days, set by Gabart in 2013.

If Thomson, from Hampshire in England, can overhaul Le Cleac'h before the finish line he will be the first Brit to win the race in its 27-year history.

It is the fourth time he has competed in the quadrennial Vendee Globe, which is considered among the toughest sporting challenges in the world. He finished third in the previous edition.

The race to the Vendée Globe finish line today became an all-out, neck-and-neck sprint as the leading pair's speedos rocketed into the 20s. 

After several days of slow progress north in light winds, Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson (with Irish connections) were today blasting towards the home straight of the solo round the world race in winds of up to 30 knots.

The skippers, split by just 95 nautical miles, were eating up the 1,300nm standing between them and the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, as they try to squeeze every last bit of speed from their foiling IMOCA 60 raceboats.

At the 1400 UTC position update British skipper Thomson, who led the race through most of its early stages, had a narrow speed advantage as he hurtled north on Hugo Boss at 24 knots. French skipper Le Cléac'h, who has topped the rankings since December 2, was more than two knots slower as he closed in on the Azores. With the ETA in Les Sables currently Thursday, the Vendée Globe is shaping up to go right down to the wire.

“We have 17 to 20 knots of breeze at the moment and not very nice seas to be honest with the waves coming in from the east,” Thomson told Vendée Globe HQ in Les Sables today. “It's difficult to go fast but I'm not complaining because I am making good speed. It's going to get windy in the next 24 hours, up to 30 knots. We'll be going fast, and we'll have to see how things pan out.”

Thomson is competing in the Vendée Globe for the fourth time and is aiming to become the first Briton ever to win the race in its 27-year history. If he can continue to eat into Le Cléac'h's lead there is a chance he could realise his goal. Le Cléac'h, meanwhile, is hell-bent on ensuring he scores his first ever Vendée Globe win after posting runner's-up finishes in the past two editions.

The anticyclone currently blocking the duo's path to Les Sables is moving towards the English Channel and in another 36 hours the pair will be able to point their bows towards the finish line for an upwind drag race to glory.

Some 6,000nm behind the leaders the quartet of Fabrice Amedeo, Arnaud Boissières, Alan Roura and Rich Wilson from 11th to 14th were fighting a battle against Mother Nature as they approached Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. North-westerly breeze of up to 40 knots was making for a testing passage past the legendary milestone, not only battering the boats but whipping up seas of up to six metres high.

Amedeo, a sports journalist-turned-solo sailor, said his primary focus was to preserve man and boat in order to keep his dream alive of finishing the Vendée Globe. “It's an amazing moment for me because it's my first rounding of Cape Horn, and it comes after one month in the south,” he said. “But because of the wind I feel a little bit stressed and it hasn't quite sunk in that I will round Cape Horn in a few hours. I'm very concentrated now but I will feel better in two days – then it will feel like a victory. I'll have a lot of wind today and tomorrow so my psychological Cape Horn will be tomorrow evening.”

The enormity of the task at hand is not lost on Swiss sailor Alan Roura, who at 23 is the race's youngest skipper. “It's my first Cape Horn and it's no holiday that's for sure,” he said. “It'll be a big, big relief to round it as it's a key passage and marks our return home. I hope we'll have milder conditions in the Atlantic.”