Vendée Globe: Will he make it or not? Van Weynbergh before the final thriller

The tenth anniversary edition of the Vendée Globe ends on 7 March at 8 am. The final, which is defined in the rules, is based on the race duration that the last person in the ninth Vendée Globe needed for his solo around the world: The Finn Ari Huusela travelled 116 days, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 46 seconds on "Stark" in 2020/2021 before his compatriots at home celebrated him enthusiastically.

Van Weynbergh threatens Vendée Globe without result

The official closure of the Vendée Globe finish line on Friday comes 52 days after Charlie Dalin's triumph. The Frenchman had already finished his fast race on 14 January. The time limit thus grants a plus of more than 80 per cent on the winning time. Despite this buffer, the approaching end of the race is likely to hit the last-placed rider hard. According to the latest forecasts, Denis Van Weynbergh will not reach the finish line until 8 or 9 March.

Denis Van Weynbergh still had around 487 nautical miles ahead of him in the afternoon of 3 March, with 23,418 heavy nautical miles already in his stern water. On the "D'Ieteren Group", designed and built in Hungary in 2013 by Nándor Fa and Attila Déry as the "Spirit of Hungury", the 57-year-old sailed towards the Bay of Biscay at the start of the week on the 114th day of the Vendée Globe. Every minute counts for him now. Here you can follow his course in the Race Tracker.

Denis Van Weynbergh has had to overcome further setbacks in recent weeks, which have put him in a precarious situation. After breaking the main halyard, he was initially only travelling under headsail. On Monday afternoon, he made somewhat faster progress again at just under seven knots. If it stayed that way, it could be enough. But the routings suggest otherwise.

Rule change not possible during the race

Denis Van Weynbergh's fate is causing discussion on social media, as his fans want the finish line to be open for longer. The rules are against this. As in other cases - such as the refusal to allow two more qualified skippers to start beyond the pre-set Vendée Globe starting limit of 40 boats - the organisers will not be able to turn a blind eye to Denis Van Weynbergh's case. This is impossible because the rules cannot be changed during the competition.

"Denis the Belgian", whose course has around 6500 followers on both Facebook and Instagram, is not giving up. He will finish his race. Even if it may no longer be officially categorised. Van Weynbergh's credo: "I want to try so that I have no regrets, no bitter taste that will stay with me for the rest of my life."

One fan once offered this consolation: "Even if you're late, you've won. You have conquered the seas, the oceans, the wind and the fragility of your boat. So the flavour will be quite delicious, Monsieur Denis. The eyes of many people will be on you. We are all waiting for you!"

No Vendée Globe prize money without a result

Manuel Cousin on "Coup de Pouce" had already crossed the finish line in 31st place on Saturday. On Tuesday, the penultimate skipper still sailing, Fabrice Amedeo with "Nexans - Wewise", is expected in the start and finish harbour of the Vendée Globe. If Denis Van Weynbergh reaches the finish line on time, he - like all other skippers from eleventh place (Clarisse Crémer) and thus also Boris Herrmann - will receive prize money of 4,347.82 euros. If the Belgian does not make it according to the current forecasts, the prize money for the others will increase to 4545.45 euros.

Denis Van Weynbergh reported on his mainsail problems here before the start of the weekend. You can tell he's been at sea for almost four months: