Vendée Globe: 13 metre waves ahead - Bay of Biscay hell for Davies and Herrmann?
What a forecast! The low could bring waves up to 13 metres high, threatening above all the final of Samantha Davies and Boris Herrmann, who are sailing in twelfth and thirteenth place. This was reported on the afternoon programme Vendée Live! by British Vendée Globe sailor Pip Hare. After the mast broke on "Medallia", she had to bring her boat to Australia under her own steam.
Vendée Globe: Bad scenario for Davies and Herrmann
In the meantime, Pip Hare has visited boot Düsseldorf at the invitation of YACHT, where she gave a speech in honour of the new American 2025 Seamaster Cole Brauer and told many trade fair visitors about her personal Vendée Globe story, the "Medallia" mast breakage and the consequences. Now the Brit has arrived back in Les Sables-d'Olonne because she wants to experience the finishes of the others and welcome her companions.
The Bay of Biscay is about to go up in flames." Vendée Globe
The "Initiatives - Cœur" skipper Sam Davies, who is expected to cross the finish line on Sunday, and the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann, who is expected on Monday or Tuesday, are working on solutions to deal with the forecast, which has not improved for days. The force of the low pressure system, which according to current forecasts could hit Davies and Herrmann the hardest, appears from today's perspective to be even more powerful than its predecessors, which are still tormenting the skippers further ahead.
Pip Hare described it like this: "There's another big low coming with a huge front from the west. It's going to make things challenging for the next group. There we have Bejamin, Clarisse and Sam. Clarisse and Benjamin will be pushing hard to get in ahead of the front. But in the briefing this morning we heard that there are 13 metre waves to the south of the low. It's going to be really crazy."
Jérémie Beyou bows to Sam Goodchild
Looking at her compatriot Sam Davies, Pip Hare said: "Because Sam is a bit behind them (ed.: Benjamin Dutreux and Clarisse Crémer), she really needs to think about her tactics to get through. And we'll probably see Boris slowing down to let the worst of the weather through before he gets into the Bay of Biscay." The "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper kept a low profile on Thursday. The evening before, he had reported briefly: "I'm fine. The conditions are impressive. It's mega rough."
The battle for fourth to sixth place will be decided tonight and on Friday during race day 74 before the stormy weekend. Fourth place no longer seems to be out of Jérémie Beyou's reach. With less than 200 nautical miles to the finish, the "Charal" skipper held all the aces on Thursday afternoon. The 48-year-old Breton was last expected to cross the finish line in fourth place at around midnight.
In an interview with Vendée Live! presenter Andi Robertson, Beyou also bowed to his long-time rival Sam Goodchild, who had put up such a strong fight against many new builds and himself with an older boat from 2019 (ex-"LinkedOut"), on his way to the top spot. Only the exploded "Vulnerable" mainsail ended the thrilling duel for fourth place between the Frenchman Beyou and the 14 years younger Brit Goodchild.
I am sad. I wish we could still have our duel. But that doesn't change the fact that we all know he's a champion. I told him that." Jérémie Beyou
Almost 7000 nautical miles away from the breathlessly chasing brutal scenarios in the Bay of Biscay, the Belgian Denis Van Weynbergh sailed into the Atlantic this afternoon. He was the last skipper of the 10th Vendée Globe to pass Cape Horn. "He closed the door," said Vendée Live! presenter Andi Robertson. The "D'Ieteren Group" skipper passed the most important cape of the solo around the world on 23 January at 7.39 am German time.
Almost 7000 nautical miles to the finish for Van Weynbergh
At 73 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds, Denis Van Weynbergh's race to this point has taken him just over 40 days longer than Yoann Richomme. The "Paprec Arkéa" skipper passed Cape Horn on the night of Christmas Eve to loud cheers as first in the fleet, just ahead of Charlie Dalin.
In the end, Vendée Globe runner-up Yoann Richomme needed less time for his entire solo around the world than 54-year-old Belgian Denis van Weybergh to Cape Horn, with a race duration of less than 66 days. Van Weynbergh had set his sights higher for his second round the world after the adventurous premiere, but had to contend with a series of technical problems. Now the final Atlantic section still lies ahead of him.
REPLAY!
Click here for the programme Vendée Live! with Andi Robertson, the ominous weather forecasts for Sam Davies and Boris Herrmann, studio guest Pip Hare and interesting comments from Jérémie Beyou and Benjamin Dutreux:
