After the third night at sea, the Vendée Globe fleet has a new leader: "Paprec Arkéa" skipper Yoann Richomme led the field on Wednesday morning ahead of Charlie Dalin, Sam Goodchild and Jérémie Beyou. Boris Herrmann had already worked his way up to fifth place with an efficient performance with few gybes. He was eighth at the 11 o'clock update.
With an average speed of 22.7 knots over 24 hours, Boris Herrmann's former navigator Nico "The Brain" Lunven is a newcomer to the top five. The Frenchman is currently not only reaping the rewards of his westward curve. He was the only one to choose this extreme outer course. One of the reasons was that he found the traffic too heavy near the coast.
Nico Lunven sets 24-hour record
On his "return to the fleet", Nico Lunven then found "ideal conditions", as he himself reported. The almost inconspicuous result: the 24-hour solo record, which has yet to be officially ratified! Nico Lunven has so far covered an incredible 546.6 nautical miles in 24 hours, beating Thomas Ruyant's old record by more than six nautical miles. "Nico Lunven has broken the record - that's for sure. At the moment it stands at 546.6 nautical miles. He could do more, but in any case: the record has been broken," said Yann Groleau from Team Holcim - PRB.
Nico Lunven had previously said of his striking outer course around the traffic separation area at Cape Finisterre: "I wanted to keep things simple. I didn't like the idea of the inside passage with the coastal traffic, the strong winds and the rough seas. I favoured the simpler route, even if it meant losing some time. Unfortunately, I had a small problem with the rudder last night when the tiller boom broke off. The repair cost me some time."
Nico Lunven has now rewarded himself for the minor setbacks with a strong record. The scramble for the top ten places continues on the fleet's current course towards the Azores. Before Boris Herrmann, Thomas Ruyant ("Vulnerable") and Louis Burton ("Bureau Vallée") were in sixth and seventh place respectively. The fleet had another rough night behind them.
Isabelle Joschke not yet in the Vendée Globe rhythm
But not all of the challengers are happy with their start. Isabelle Joschke, in 35th place, also struggled with the course so far. The Munich-born "Macsf" skipper said: "The start of the Vendée Globe wasn't easy on board Macsf, I felt a bit like I was doing a lot of things but not the right things! Basically, I was there the whole time, but I was making things more difficult for myself rather than making them easier!"
Isabelle Joschke described the consequences of this impressively: "It exhausted me and I couldn't navigate fast enough. I really realise that it's this thing about the first few days of the Vendée Globe that I found so impressive last time. It's so different to a transatlantic race that you have to get used to it! I have to get used to the rhythm of this race, which is very special. At the moment I've clearly missed it? That's a bit frustrating!"
The first reports of breakages and injuries are even more frustrating for the skippers affected: Maxime Sorel, for example, was hit on Tuesday. The "V and B - Monbana - Mayenne" skipper reported problems with his mainsail. He had chosen the outside lane during the Cape Finisterre passage. As a result, he experienced 35 knots of wind, and even 40 knots in gusts. "At the end of the night, when the wind had picked up again, I wanted to reduce my mainsail from the first to the second reef," Sorel reported in a message from the sea. A main halyard lock had jammed.
Double challenge for Everest conqueror Sorel
While repairing on the boom, Maxime Sorel twisted his ankle in a wave. The ankle is immobile. Sorel quickly got in touch with the race doctors, who are now checking his condition remotely at regular intervals.
On the morning of 13 November, Maxime Sorel reported an "unpleasant night". He had tried to get some rest. But that was not easy. At the same time, the Frenchman is feverishly searching for possible solutions to the problem with his mainsail.
The 38-year-old from Saint-Malo finished the ninth Vendée Globe in tenth place in 2020/2021. He then became the first person to complete the "Everest of the Seas" in May 2023, climbing the real Mount Everest. Before the start, Maxime Sorel had cited "breakage" as his biggest fear ahead of his second Vendée Globe participation. Now he has to fight on two fronts on the third day after the start with an injured ankle and mainsail problem.
Clarisse Crémer loses large gennaker
L'Occitane en Provence" skipper Clariss Crémer also had a mean night. The Frenchwoman, who has held the female Vendée Globe course record since the ninth edition with 87 days and 2 hours, lost her large gennaker (MH O) overnight. "Without this sail, the next few days with less wind will not be fun. I've lost a lot of energy with the sail, but the race is still long."
Close-up! Here, Nicolas Lunven had already spoken the day before about the "ideal conditions" he experienced on the way to his new record:
Team Malizia's review of the first days of Boris Herrmann's second solo circumnavigation:
