Vendée Globe: Dalin already in the Pacific, Herrmann passes Cape Leeuwin
Tatjana Pokorny
· 13.12.2024
Boris Herrmann's second Vendée Globe took 32 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes and 54 seconds from the start and finish harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne to the passage of the longitude of Cape Leeuwin. The five-time circumnavigator was then able to celebrate this second of the three major Cape milestones along the route on the evening of 12 December. He pulled out a bottle of rum and said: "Do you know what this means? When the rum bottle comes out, it means we've passed a major cape!"
Herrmann's forecast: storm on Monday
Boris Herrmann continued: "It is a great success for Team Malizia to be here. I have to say thank you to the team. We have a reliable boat. I feel good. We are now going to tackle the next cape, which is in a fortnight and a few days. Hopefully before 1 January. We have a storm coming up on Monday to watch out for. So wish us luck next Monday when you go into the office. Remember us and keep following us."
Justine Mettraux ("TeamWork - Team Snef") from Switzerland, who was 43 nautical miles behind Boris Herrmann early on Friday morning, as well as Samantha Davies ("Initiatives - Cœur") from Great Britain, who was a good 100 nautical miles behind her, and Clarisse Crémer ("L'Occitane en Provence"), who was a further 20 nautical miles behind, have also passed Cape Leeuwin.
While the skippers chasing Boris Herrmann were still working their way eastwards around the 45th parallel south, above the prohibition zone high up in the north, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper in tenth place had already started the "descent" to the south and reached the 47th parallel on the 33rd race day of the Vendée Globe.
Vendée Globe frontman Dalin in the Pacific
At the same time, leader Charlie Dalin dived into the Pacific shortly after midnight on the very early hours of 13 December. He was the first to reach the third ocean of the Vendée Globe. Like his pursuers, the dominator also skirted the no-ice zone. Jibing almost surgically along the edge, Dalin sailed eastwards at around 18 knots at 50 degrees south latitude. The Frenchman will soon have reached the next corner of the exclusion zone, where it drops steeply to latitude 56 degrees south. Accordingly, Dalin's "descent" into the "screaming fifties" can then be expected.
With 11,923 formidably completed and 11,966 nautical miles to go, Charlie Dalin had already come very close to his personal Vendée Globe halfway mark at the 7 o'clock update. The "Macif Santé Prévoyance" skipper has been leading the fleet for almost ten days. At around 200 nautical miles, he still has a comfortable lead over Sébastien Simon ("Groupe Dubreuil"). Yoann Richomme ("Paprec Arkéa"), who continues to make strong progress, is breathing down his neck.
Seb Simon, Dalin's first pursuer from the French département of Vendée, said: "I can see that Yoann is pushing hard to catch me, whatever the cost. I stayed in my rhythm. I'm watching him, I'm sailing my course, my race, that's what allowed me to make my little shift in the east. I think that will be an advantage in the next 24 hours. There is an opportunity for a little breathing space if the routings prove to be right."
Will the high pressure area also catch up with forward boats?
On the other hand, the fading winds could also slow down the fast progress, as Seb Simon explained: "There is still the high pressure area coming from behind. I'm afraid that we'll be a bit slow with all the gybes along the forbidden zone!"
In order to keep their course as short and therefore as fast as possible eastwards and to make the most of the southerly wind, the leading soloists are currently sticking to the edge of the ice zone like moths to a flame. Sebastien Simon, who lost his foil a week ago, told us what sailing below Australia feels like for him: "My boat is now 'asymmetrical', of course. I'm missing about 30 per cent of the boat on one side."
Sebastien Simon explained the effects: "I don't have the feeling that it fundamentally changes the course. It just slows me down a bit on the port side. You don't notice it so much when the swell is really terrible. It will be more noticeable when the sea gets longer and the foil allows surfing, which I can't do then!"
Dalin and Simon at Cape Horn for Christmas?
Current routings indicate that "Groupe Dubreuil" could reach Cape Horn as early as 26 December. Charlie Dalin accordingly before then, should he be able to continue to defend his lead in the same style as before. Seb Simon said: "That would be a nice Christmas present! It would be pretty incredible to be able to cross the Pacific as fast as the Atlantic in just twelve days. I can't wait to discover it all."
Seb Simon also had some open wishes one day before the 3rd Advent: "I'd like a bit more sunshine and a bit of calm weather - not too calm - to get out of the cockpit and get some fresh air. We've been cooped up in there for a few days. It would be good to get some air."
