Vendée Globe: Dalin leads at the equator, but misses the "Malizia" record
With the start of the ninth week of racing, there was a little more movement in the top ten of the Vendée Globe this Sunday. Charlie Dalin's lead of just under 130 nautical miles over Yoann Richomme remained unchanged in the duel for the lead. However, both Frenchmen made the news of the day in the afternoon when Charlie Dalin crossed the equator at 3.28 pm, followed later by Yoann Richomme.
Vendée Globe: Dalin-Richomme duel rages on
Charlie Dalin mastered the stretch from Cape Horn to the equator in just 12 days and 15 hours. That was fast, but the "Macif Santé Prévoyance" skipper missed the existing record by almost a day. Boris Herrmann still holds the record for the time being. The "Malizia" skipper completed the section in 11 days and 18 hours at his Vendée Globe premiere four years ago.
This highly symbolic passage shows that the outcome of the race is now getting closer and closer - and remains exciting. The eternal rivals Dalin and Richomme, who have been sailing in the trade winds for two days, are keeping up the pace. In the duel, Yoann Richomme has even been slightly faster than Charlie Dalin in the last 24 hours, even if the gap has hardly changed.
Now the "Pot-au-Noir" is lurking in the doldrums, which the frontrunners are expected to cross during the night. Vendée Globe weather expert Christian Dumard commented on the further forecasts for the top duel between Dalin and Richomme: "Up to 500 nautical miles before the finish, the route is quite fast overall."
First escaped, then recaptured?
Seb Simon, who was still sailing in third place on the South Atlantic course, was around 855 nautical miles behind Charlie Dalin at the start of race day 57 on Sunday afternoon. At the same time, Thomas Ruyant ("Vulnerable") and Paul Meilhat ("Biotherm"), in fourth and fifth place, continued to struggle through a light wind band in four to seven knots of "speed". They were rewarded from behind.
The scenario allowed the pursuers, who had previously been so brilliantly left behind by Meilhat, to come back. On Sunday afternoon, "Charal" skipper Jérémie Beyou was only five nautical miles behind Meilhat's "Biotherm". Sam Goodchild ("Vulnerable") also advanced, overtaking Nico Lunven ("Holcim - PRB"). This was again due to the fact that Lunven decided to make a small break to the east in order to pass through the narrowest possible band of high pressure as quickly as possible. Will Nico "The Brain" Lunven be right and successful?
Boris Herrmann stayed close to Goodchild's stern during the 3 p.m. position update on 5 January - the Brit and the German were separated by 34 nautical miles. In a message from on board, Boris Herrmann had previously informed his team about a repair: "I was hit by a gust of 26 knots. The outhaul broke. It took me a while to get it repaired."
Boris Herrmann sleepless in the South Atlantic
During his race to catch up, Boris Herrmann enjoys "super pleasant temperatures" that feel "like the Canary Islands". After a difficult 4th January with a "negative speed record" at an average of just 4.6 knots per hour, Herrmann has picked up speed again.
Despite being exhausted from lack of sleep, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper signalled his determination via the team to urgently overtake his British rival, friend and "Vulnerable" skipper Sam Goodchild again: "I haven't slept yet. I don't know what's wrong with me. I really want to catch up with Sam."
On the Vendée Live! programme, Sam Goodchild said about the ongoing battles for position when asked whether he was sailing more for himself or in attack mode: "It's actually quite difficult to find the right balance. The boats are getting tired now. There are a lot of noises coming from many different corners. So you also have to look after the boat while you're fighting for the miles."
Vendée Globe: Winds from zero to 60 knots
Goodchild was also very aware that his racing team boss and "Vulnerable" team mate Thomas Ruyant had lost an important sail in this area with the J2 a few days ago when he was caught in a squall. Goodchild described the difficult wind conditions off the Brazilian coast as the "biggest risk" right now.
Goodchild said: "There are some pretty powerful clouds on the way. We have to be careful so that the boat doesn't get damaged and we can get through. It can go from absolutely no wind to 50, 60 knots." Goodchild expected a rather light windy start to the week and then increasing winds on Tuesday.
In tenth place, meanwhile, "Juju" Mettraux continued to struggle to close the gap of around 100 nautical miles on Boris Herrmann. Like Goodchild and Herrmann, she initially remained closer to the Brazilian coast. The battles in positions four to ten remained exciting as the competitors "swarmed out" slightly on Sunday evening.
Vendee Live! presenter Andi Robertson had Boris Herrmann's current direct opponent and friend as a guest on Sunday. "Vulnerable" skipper Sam Goodchild described the current conditions off the Brazilian coast:
