The 36th night of the Arkea Ultim Challenge lies behind the five Ultim skippers. Charles Caudrelier continues to lead the widely spread field of five giant foilers. On the morning of 13 February, the "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" skipper still had a lead of almost 1,700 nautical miles over second-placed Armel Le Cléac'h on "Banque Populaire XI".
Arkea Ultim Challenge: Three out of five skippers have passed Cape Horn
Around 400 nautical miles behind Charles Caudrelier, Thomas Coville is struggling to catch up with second place after his Cape Horn passage on Sunday. Fourth-placed Anthony Marchand ("Actual Ultim 3") is fighting his way towards Point Nemo and Cape Horn after two pit stops in the Pacific. Meanwhile, last-placed Éric Péron ("Adagio") is approaching the longitude of New Zealand.
The day after his Hoorn passage, Thomas Coville published a poignant video on Monday afternoon. The 55-year-old "Sodebo Ultim 3" skipper was close to tears as he described his experience. As third in the fleet, he made good progress along the east coast of South America, but was usually travelling a few knots slower than Armel Le Cléac'h before him.
Master storyteller Coville in his element
But nobody can wax lyrical quite like Thomas Coville. The oldie in the field talks about the ocean, the sky, the speed and the boats in a visually stunning way. Listening to the words of the "Sodebo" skipper is like being transported to a parallel universe. Coville describes the colours, the emotions and the struggle behind the numbers. This became clear once again on Monday when the sailing star from Saint-Brieuc sent his latest video from the sea.
The scenery: Day is just dawning on the street of Le Maire. The blue of the sky blends with darker clouds, illuminated by orange and pink tones. The island of the States lies in the background. A bird can be seen in the distance in the moving images. You can hear the Ultim trimaran at work.
There is a strong current, the sea is very determined. It is hostile, wild and impressive" (Thomas Coville)
In the process, Thomas Coville becomes a storyteller: "We are leaving Antarctica. The colours are incredible. There is a strong current, the sea is very determined. It's hostile, wild and impressive. The wind comes in strong between Tierra del Fuego Island and Tierra del Fuego and they let us pass."
Thomas Coville continues in an agitated mood after the successful Hoorn summit attempt: "You're under pressure for a long time and tell yourself that you can't collapse because nobody is there. This is a very important moment of this Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest. It's not quite tangible for me yet, but we're here, guys! The sailor is on the verge of tears. There's a kind of relief mixed in with the emotions."
Hard labour for a soloist: Caudrelier's lead melts away
At the same time, Coville has continued its opening of the Atlantic home stretch with an average speed of 17 knots over the last 24 hours. The presence of a persistent depression to his east had prompted Coville to choose a course close to the coast. Just as Armel Le Cléac'h had done before him on "Banque Populaire XI". "They are in the same situation as yesterday and have taken shelter," race director Guillaume Rottée explained the situation early Tuesday morning. The depression is just moving away.
Charles Caudrelier, who was sailing with only eleven knots of wind in the early morning of 13 February, continues to fight his way north along the Brazilian coast at a much lower speed. The day before, his Gitana team had already explained that Caudrelier had to line up around ten tacks within 48 hours - that means hard labour for a soloist!
Atypical Atlantic ascent for the front-runner
Benjamin Schwartz is not the only one to describe Caudrelier's Atlantic ascent as "quite atypical". The "Holicim - PRB" final skipper describes Caudrelier's scenario in a Gitana press release as "a very weak trade wind situation" and "a very extensive area of high pressure over the South Atlantic". Nevertheless, Charles Caudrelier is currently connected to the trade winds. At the beginning of the sixth week at sea, Caudrelier was working his way towards the equator at around latitude 20 degrees south.
However, the lead over its two pursuers has been significantly reduced. The "Maxi Banque Populaire XI" has made up 600 miles on the "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" in the past few days, even if this figure should be treated with caution. "The two boats have moved closer together, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially as we are talking about distance and not time," Guillaume Rottée points out.
Marchand at a disadvantage with clipped wings
In the Pacific too, "Ultim Adagio" skipper Éric Péron has made up almost 700 miles on Anthony Marchand in the last four days. As a reminder, the skipper of "Actual Ultim 3" is sailing without a port foil. He can only use the starboard foil, which is fixed in its upper position. The two skippers should have similar wind conditions until Cape Horn.
Cape Horn is done! Thomas Coville's emotional video from 12 February:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
