The leading trio of the Vendée Globe has arrived in the loneliest spot on earth. But they have themselves and their three-man battle. In particular, front runners Charlie Dalin ("Macif Santé Prévoyance") and Yoann Richomme ("Paprec Arkéa") have moved closer together again overnight. They have now both passed Point Nemo, separated by just over 20 nautical miles on the early morning of Friday 20 December. Around 100 nautical miles behind Dalin, Sébastian Simon ("Groupe Dubreuil") completes the trio, which is now sailing towards the last of the three capes that characterise the Vendée Globe course.
Vendée Globe: thrilling battles for positions in the top ten
Yoann Richomme's most recent 24-hour average speed of 19.96 knots was a good half a knot faster than Charlie Dalin - which explains the reduction in his deficit. The "Paprec Arkéa" dynamo also achieved the fastest speed of the fleet on Friday morning at 24.14 knots. The pursuers of the three pacemakers, on the other hand, have again lost a few miles in somewhat lighter winds. At the same time, they are engaged in thrilling battles for position. After just over 14,000 nautical miles sailed, Nico Lunven ("Holcim - PRB") and Jérémie Beyou ("Charal") were separated by just two nautical miles!
Boris Herrmann was able to extend his lead over Britain's Sam Goodchild in eighth place, just under 1150 nautical miles behind Charlie Dalin. Goodchild in turn is being attacked by the resurgent "Biotherm" skipper Paul Meilhat. The Frenchman worked hard to close his leak and repair the defective deck bushing for the mast cable. In tenth place, Paul Meilhat was recently travelling on average almost two knots faster than Sam Goodchild.
Boris Herrmann had also had to carry out repairs the day before after finding a problem with the furlers. He replaced them and noted: "That cost time, a few miles and energy." At the same time, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper also said: "All in all, it's fun sailing eastwards! Only one week to go to Cape Horn - it's crazy! Now every day is valuable in these last seven days in the Southern Ocean. After the Horn, we might have some time left in the Southern Ocean - it depends on the route."
Flying is more beautiful with "Malizia - Seaexplorer"
Boris Herrmann praises his boat to the skies: "We have a fantastic boat! With the high bow and the rocker, you can actually work on the foredeck and reach a boat speed of 22 knots or even more. I mean, without being sucked underwater or thrown back when nosediving - that just doesn't happen. It was really cool flying high above the water while I was tinkering with the lines and then finally getting the sail up."
For the Malizia skipper from Hamburg and the other chasers in the trio that has been left behind, the course continues to zigzag along the ice edge. The soloists' courses are currently painting optical mountain ranges on the tracker: it's up and down. The challenge is to stay below the bubble of the high and at the same time utilise the best wind angle to make maximum progress eastwards.
While "TeamWork - Team Snef" skipper Justine Mettraux earned her eleventh place just behind Paul Meilhat after a day-long battle in the heart of the Pacific storm and finally had to painstakingly repair her water desalination system, her two fellow competitors had missed the point-nemo train. Just a few days ago, "Juju" Mettraux and "L'Occitane en Provence" skipper Clarisse Crémer were still quite close to each other, but by the end of the 40th day of racing they were already separated by 940 nautical miles. Samantha Davies was even 1000 nautical miles behind Justine Mettraux, 2314 nautical miles behind the leader.
The boat jumps over the waves like a kangaroo - it's hell! I apologise if it's very loud!" Samantha Davies
"We're sailing in a terrible section, with a headwind and four metres of swell. This never normally happens in the Southern Ocean, but we have to pass a low-pressure area on the wrong side! Not only have we lost a lot of miles because we missed the depression two days ago, but we're also being penalised twice over!" said "Initiatives-Cœur" skipper Samantha Davies, giving an insight into her current challenges.
More optimism, less muscle
Sam Davies continued: "I'm currently working on my positive attitude, trying to come to terms with what has happened so far and look ahead." After almost six weeks on the foiler, the Brit is also physically challenged, while the strength in her legs is diminishing: "You can't move as much, you spend a lot of time sitting or lying down because you don't have much choice. I notice that I have less muscle in my legs, inevitably!"
Compared to her previous three Vendée Globe appearances, the difference is also clearly noticeable: "It's really quite different from my other Vendées, I'll almost have to do something like physical rehabilitation on my return, it's going to be difficult! I have small plasters on board for electrostimulation. I think I'll use them on the way back in the Atlantic to make my legs muscular again!"
