Vendée Globe: Rookie wins Christmas thriller - Richomme is king of Cape Horn

It's an outstanding Vendée Globe première performance by Yoann Richomme! The 41-year-old has won the Christmas duel in the Cape Horn summit race. In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the French "Paprec Arkéa" skipper passed the third and most important Cape of the Vendée Globe in first place out of 36 boats still sailing after a gripping bow-to-bow duel with his compatriot Charlie Dalin. Richomme's triumph was perfect in the first hour of Christmas Eve.

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This makes a 41-year-old Vendée Globe rookie Yoann Richomme the new king of Cape Horn. The aggressive French yacht designer and his Antoine Koch/Finot-Conq design "Paprec Arkéa" passed the milestone before the final Atlantic leg at 00:27:20 German time. His achievement is remarkable in many ways: it is Yoann Richomme's first Vendée Globe. It is his first Cape Horn passage. And it is the first time he has ever been at sea for so long.

Vendée Globe record to Cape Horn

Yoann Richomme mastered the course to Cape Horn in 43 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes and 20 seconds. This was an impressive 3 days, 13 hours, 9 minutes and 26 seconds under the eight-year-old Vendée Globe record for this distance. The then Vendée Globe winner Armel Le Cléac'h had completed the race section from the start and finish harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne to the legendary landmark in 47 days, 0 hours, 34 minutes, 46 seconds.

Charlie Dalin crossed the longitude of Cape Horn with "Macif Santé Prévoyance" just nine minutes and 30 seconds after Yoann Richomme at 00:36:50 German time. It took him 43 days, 11 hours, 34 minutes and 50 seconds from Les Sables to Cape Horn. With their thrilling duel, Yoann Richomme and Charlie Dalin ensured the closest ever top duel before Cape Horn. In 2012, the eventual winner François Gabart and Armel Le Cléac'h were separated by 1 hour and 20 minutes in their Christmas duel off Cape Horn.

With their duel, the two leading skippers of the Vendée Globe have earned themselves a Cape Horn passage in daylight and the best view of the famous rock, which is not granted to every soloist. Yoann Richomme demonstrated his good fortune with a selfie in which he can be seen with his tongue out. Overjoyed, he said while visibly savouring his success at Cape Horn: "This is brilliant!"

Dalin throws down the gauntlet to Richomme

The answer from Charlie Dalin, who was narrowly beaten here, came promptly. On the small board on which the skippers regularly display their milestone results, Charlie Dalin had noted a message to his "best enemy": "Slt Yoann, the Atlantic will not be peaceful". Slt" is short for salute, a French greeting. Dalin's greeting card has therefore been sent. You can be sure that there will be no presents between the two skippers, who appreciate and like each other, even at Christmas!

The Dalin announcement promises a hearty Atlantic thriller. Will Charlie Dalin with his 2022 design "Macif Santé Prévoyance" by Guillaume Verdier have a slight advantage? Yoann Richomme put it this way long before his successful Cape Horn passage: "I consider myself lucky to have such a strong boat in downwind conditions. Charlie knows that very well. He'll have his time in the Atlantic, but this is mine. We all have our turn."

This should keep things exciting on the last major Atlantic leg. Richomme and Dalin had less than 7,000 nautical miles from Cape Horn to the start and finish harbour. While the Cape Horn decision has been made at the top, it will be a long Christmas Eve for Sébastien Simon, who is in third place. Although the "Groupe Dubreuil" skipper is sailing towards Cape Horn alone and therefore unchallenged by the competition for the time being, he still had a good 400 nautical miles to go to the Cape in the early morning of 24 December and had to tame his boat in stormy winds.

Boris Herrmann defends seventh place on Christmas Eve

The eight participants following him are celebrating the festive season much closer together: the soloists in fourth place (Thomas Ruyant) to eleventh place (Justine Mettraux) were separated by a total of only around 340 nautical miles on 24 December. "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann was still in seventh place, 1746 nautical miles behind the leaders. Herrmann was 30 nautical miles behind his former Ocean Race navigator Nico Lunven ("Holcim - PRB"), who was sailing ahead of him.

Boris Herrmann reported overnight on his second Vendée Globe on the approach to Cape Horn: "It's grey, but a little less grey than the last few days. We are experiencing all facets of grey in the south. It's an intense rhythm. Everyone has their technical problems: I think the others have a bit more of them than I do. I have very few!"

Looking at the race situation, the family man from Hamburg realistically stated: "There are hardly any opportunities to get back to the front. It's a straight line, you don't make mega bets on one side or the other. So there won't be much movement until the horn. After that we'll see. The boats ahead of us will have better conditions. I think it looks slow for us, on the wind, but we'll see. I'm not worried or upset about the situation!"

"We have made Cape Horn! At the top! With a few minutes to spare... That's brilliant!" This was Yoann Richomme's comment on his Cape Horn passage in the first hour of the morning on 24 December: