Joy and sorrow are once again very close together in the final week of the tenth Vendée Globe. On 4 March, Frenchman Fabrice Amedeo crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe in 32nd place after 114 days, 1 hour, 58 minutes and 49 seconds. Will he be the last to achieve an official time and place after a great struggle?
Vendée Globe: Will Amedeo remain at the bottom?
Denis Van Weynbergh is still fighting his way towards the finish line - now "alone" at sea. However, the routings still give little hope that the marathon man will be able to reach the finish line by the time it officially closes at 8 a.m. on 7 March. If he fails to do so, he will not receive an official finish time or a place in the rankings after almost four months of running. Like the seven skippers who have already dropped out, he would be given a classic "DNF" (Did not finish).
Most recently, even the most optimistic forecasts suggested that the Belgian would arrive on Friday night - too late! It is a cruel sporting performance, after which Denis Van Weynberg will probably miss the time limit by just a few hours at the end of his tough lap around the world full of setbacks.
The actual duration of his determined final spurt now depends on his choice of course, but also on the durability of his mainsail repair. Denis Van Weynbergh was only able to use his main to a limited extent in the third reef. He still had 419 nautical miles to go on Tuesday afternoon, making progress at a good nine knots. Click here for the Race Trackerwhere the final spurt of the "D'Ieteren Group" skipper can be followed.
Fabrice Amedeo pursued by bad wind luck
While Van Weynbergh is fighting with everything he has left, Fabrice Amedeo can now enjoy the end of his race on a warm and sunny March day in Les Sables-d'Olonne. His journey to the finish line on Tuesday in very, very light Bay of Biscay winds demanded a lot of patience from the French skipper and journalist one last time. Now the eleventh-placed sailor in the eighth Vendée Globe 2016/2017, who was eliminated in the ninth edition, has completed his second solo around the world. The result is not a desired outcome.
However, Fabrice Amedeo had to learn the hard way during the Route du Rhum 2022 that a completed race is a success and cannot be taken for granted, when an explosion occurred on board before a fire broke out. As a result, the skipper had to be rescued from his life raft and lost his boat. Amedeo survived this drama and other setbacks on course for the Vendée Globe 2024/2025.
The 47-year-old "Nexans - Wewise" skipper found his Owen Clarke design from 2007 on a small budget and has now brought it back to the start and finish harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne. Crossing the finish line in very light winds demanded all his patience once again. He has had to prove it too often during this Vendée Globe. Most recently in the Atlantic near the Azores, when a persistent area of high pressure slowed him and the other stragglers down for days. Fabrice Amedeo was not one of the lucky weathermen in this race around the world.
49 days after the winner of the Vendée Globe finish
Fabrice Amedeo completed his solo 28,926.63 nautical miles over ground. He achieved an average speed of 10.56 knots. In comparison, winner Charlie Dalin: the compatriot averaged 17.79 knots over 27,668 nautical miles over ground. The Vendée Globe runner-up Yoann Richomme was a tick faster with a rapid 17.95 knots at 28,326 nautical miles over ground.
After crossing the finish line, Fabrice Amedeo could no longer hold back the tears of relief and joy at his arrival as he embraced his wife and three daughters on board. He has now completed two of his three Vendée Globe projects.
Replay. The slow-motion finish of Fabrice Amedeo:
