"It's been very windy for the last 24 hours and the sea has been very bad. Now the wind has died down a bit and we've got a little less than 20 knots. It wasn't easy, but I think I managed it all quite well. That's the reason why I'm now third. We are also expecting strong winds for Cape Horn. I will manage them in my own way," said Damien Seguin, summarising the developments from the 51st to the 52nd day at sea on Wednesday morning. "His" way currently seems to be a well-fitting key for the final days of the endurance test in the South Pacific, which is now showing its wet and rather brutal side to the leading group after the slack Christmas days.
Damien Seguin, who is actually competing in this one-handed race around the world with just one hand because he was born without fingers on his left hand, has long been the talk of the town. The multiple Paralympics winner and world champion offers the best in the race a striking challenge with his "Groupe Apicil". The Finot-Conq design from 2008 with the sail number FRA 1000, which played the leading role in the film "En Solitaire" about the Vendée Globe and was modified for the current ninth edition of the Vendée Globe under the direction of accomplished compatriot and competitor Jean Le Cam, is more than capable of keeping up with the young, often too impetuous foilers in the conditions so far.
Seguin is currently in third place and is even attacking second-placed Charlie Dalin with his Verdier design "Apivia" from summer 2019, while Yannick Bestaven continues to lead the fleet on course for Cape Horn with his Verdier VPLP design from 2015. According to current calculations, Bestaven could reach Cape Horn as early as Saturday. The very different Imoca generations in the top three show what is possible in this class and in this race with its often unusual conditions. In addition, three very different skippers are demonstrating what Vendée Globe top performers can be made of.
Damien Seguin and Charlie Dalin, for example, could hardly be more different types. Nevertheless, the versatile sailor and clever strategist Seguin and the sailing yacht designer Dalin share an old childhood dream. Both grew up in a place where they were already fascinated by sailing as boys: The 35-year-old Dalin roamed the jetties of the Transat Jacques Vabre boats as a schoolboy in his home town of Le Havre. The 41-year-old Seguin grew up in Guadeloupe and was fascinated by the heroes of the Route du Rhum. Seguin explains: "When we moved to Guadeloupe, we watched the final of the Route du Rhum in 1990. I didn't know anything about it, but everyone was talking about it. It was a revelation. I remember these gigantic boats and the great sailors who were asked to sign autographs. Florence Arthaud, Mike Birch, Alain Gautier, Laurent Bourgnon were like rock stars. I wanted to do the same as them and follow their sternwaters."
In an interview with the organisers before the start of the 9th Vendée Globe, Charlie Dalin also recalled this time of discovery and awakening in his youth: "At home in Le Havre, I found myself dreaming between the Transat-Jacques-Vabre boats every two years. I went to admire the racing machines and followed the races on the radio and in the newspapers. In the sailing magazines too, of course. That's how I discovered the Mini-Transat in 'Voiles et Voiliers' (ed.: French sailing magazine). I spent hours looking at the smallest details in the photos." Two decades later, Dalin is now racing around the world solo for the first time and, like Damien Seguin, has done so very convincingly in his debut so far.
Seguin laughs and says: "Here I am, dreaming of passing Cape Horn in the top five. That would be crazy! But it's what I'm really going to try to do. I still need about a week to get there. It will be Sunday or Monday. But this last week until Cape Horn will be tough. The weather models are predicting different things. We'll see." Despite all the euphoria, Seguin also remains realistic: "People have said that the foilers will speed up. That could well happen on the ascent in the Atlantic. We will see. In any case, it won't be over at Cape Horn. We know that the Atlantic ascent has often been full of surprises. But right now I'm focussing on this mystical cape!"
In his latest clip, Boris Herrmann shows just how demanding the current conditions are and how fast the boats can get again and again, evoking the Vendée Globe. The "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper had moved up to seventh place again at the end of the 52nd day at sea on Wednesday morning and was 250 nautical miles behind the leader Bestaven. It remains exciting on the course for Cape Horn, because even shortly before the end of the year the boats in third to eighth place were separated by less than 100 nautical miles. One day before New Year's Eve, Clarisse Crémer celebrated her 31st birthday on 30 December with cake, candles and a beaming smile. In twelfth place, the "Banque Populaire X" skipper defended her lead of almost 40 nautical miles over Armel Tripon on "L'Occitane en Provence". In the midfield, Jérémie Beyou continued his fascinating race to catch up and reduced the gap to "Medaillia" skipper Pip Hare, which was still around 600 nautical miles the previous day, to 530 nautical miles. The "Charal" skipper had only started the Vendée Globe nine days after the field following a breakage and repairs on land. Although he can hardly win the race, he still has the opportunity to set the fastest time.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
