The pacemakers of the Vendée Globe fleet continue to sail towards the Southern Ocean at high speeds. The first of the three major capes along the route of the solo circumnavigation is now fast approaching for them. The longitude of the Cape of Good Hope was only around 800 nautical miles away for the best of them on the morning of 27 November. Frontman Charlie Dalin propelled his "Macif Santé Prévoyance" at a speed of more than 27 knots on Wednesday morning.
Sebastien Simon sets 24-hour record
The toughest overnight guest was "Groupe Dubreuil" skipper Sébastien Simon. This has now earned him the latest 24-hour monohull solo record. The Frenchman mastered a distance of 596.23 nautical miles! Seb Simon said: "I have beaten the record! That's not the goal, but the boat is doing really well. There was only about one metre of wave and reasonable winds between 24 and 26 knots. I had two reefs in the mainsail, under FRO, in a relatively safe configuration for the boat."
The night was tough and I collapsed this morning from lack of sleep, but everything is fine." Sebastien Simon
Simon's first reaction to the incredible run: "That's an incredible distance, I could never have imagined it! In my opinion, it's not over yet, because the scenario is improving for us. And since I'm staying in the lead group, I'll stay in this low pressure area until the Cape of Good Hope instead of leaving it tonight, so I'll continue at this pace for almost a whole day."
The mountains of miles pile up behind the top boats
The Frenchman - also known to German fans from the Ocean Race as a crew member in the Guyot team of then co-skippers Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek - had moved up to third place by the morning behind Charlie Dalin and his continued first pursuer Thomas Ruyant ("Vulnerable"). The trio are separated by a total of around 60 nautical miles.
With less than 100 nautical miles behind Charlie Dalin, Nicolas Lunven ("Holcim - PRB") and Jérémie Beyou ("Charal") were also able to keep up. The second "Vulnerable" skipper Sam Goodchild, Vendée Globe title defender Yannick Bestaven ("Maître Coq V") and the "Biotherm" skipper Paul Meilhat, who is in ninth place, are now 150, 200 and 250 nautical miles behind. They, too, are still benefiting from the depression, which is bringing them quickly southwards. But for how much longer?
Behind the top nine, the mountains of miles are now piling up like mud castles on the beach created by eager children's hands. And as predicted by Boris Herrmann and others. Towards the end of the 17th day of racing, "Initiatives - Cœur" skipper Samantha Davies was in tenth place, more than 400 nautical miles behind Charlie Dalin. "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann was another 70 nautical miles behind the Briton on Wednesday morning. The string of pearls in the front group is pulling further apart.
Balancing act between speed and safety
Looking at the blistering speeds in the top group, there are also those skippers who do not indulge in pure speedbolting. Paul Meilhat said of his approach: "I really try to sail at the same intensity all the time, with a fairly stable average speed and a tight course. Because that's what's interesting over time, to preserve the equipment, not make mistakes and develop a certain operating routine."
After the spearhead of the field has been travelling at speeds of more than 20 knots and often over 25 knots for days, Meilhat took a closer look at the various Imoca gears: "20 knots is a bit of a limit on these boats: below that, the boat is ultra-comfortable, life on board is super easy. When you go over 20 knots, it's immediately a bit different."
This applies "especially when you go over 24, 25 knots, where the boat still has acceleration phases". Paul Meilhat explained: "It lifts off a little, it falls back again. So the movements are a bit more difficult, life on board is a bit more complicated for everything: taking care of the navigation, eating, moving around."
Splits in the Vendée Globe fleet
Meilhat recently assumed "that there will be one or two more days like this". After that, according to the 42-year-old French skipper of a new Verdier design from 2022, which has already been trialled in the Ocean Race like Boris Herrmann's "Malizia - Seaexplorer", things will "change a bit because we will all find ourselves in different conditions." Paul Meilhat assumes that "the fleet will split up a bit as a result" and that this development will "change the philosophy of the race a bit".
It's very capitalistic: the richest get richer, the poorest get poorer." Paul Meilhat
The "Biotherm" skipper's view of the weather and forecasts is currently even more favourable than that of Boris Herrmann's group, which has already fallen further behind and is unable to take advantage of the low like the front runners. Paul Meilhat explained: "We are still very lucky with what we have. It's not often that you can ride so directly from Brazil to the Cape of Good Hope. So let's make the most of it!"
Meilhat's view of the development is striking: "It's very capitalistic: the richest get richer and the poorest get poorer. The boats in front of me get further, that's a bit hard to accept. But after that I'm still happy to be here because I'm not too far behind. Then we'll see what happens next."
Vendée Globe: Anticipation of the first albatrosses
Like Boris Herrmann and other skippers in the fleet, Meilhat pointed out that the race still has a long way to go and new challenges lie ahead: "In a week's time, we'll be looking at the weather in the Indian Ocean. There are strong winds in the Kerguelen Islands, but will it be the same? That could reshuffle the cards a bit. I'm trying not to be too late compared to the group in front of me anyway. On the other hand, it would be cool if I could have a good lead on those behind me!"
It was clear to Meilhat that he too would soon have to get off the "Cape Town Express", "that the low-pressure area would overtake us". The "Biotherm" skipper assumed that "those who have not managed to reach the south will fall into the St Helena anticyclone and be slowed down".
Paul Meilhat also attested to the monotony of the current race with the low. He said: "The weather is nice, we also enjoy the sea, even if it is a bit monotonous. There is no marine life in this area, no birds, not too many flying fish in the southern hemisphere. I can't wait to see the first albatrosses in a few days!"
With "Biotherm" skipper Paul Meilhat on board:
This review of the 1996/1997 race shows just how brutal the Vendée Globe can be:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
