At the end of the fourth week at sea, the field has regrouped after last week's disasters. The dominance of Charlie Dalin ("Apivia"), which has lasted for around two weeks, has not changed, but there has been a change in the leading trio, as Thomas Ruyant ("LinkedOut") has regained his second place, 200 nautical miles behind Dalin. This is due to the fact that Louis Burton ("Bureau Vallée 2"), who made such good progress last week on the southernmost course near the ice edge and is now back in third place, no longer enjoyed any wind advantages recently and even made slower progress than the two boats ahead of him, which are sailing around 250 nautical miles north-east (Dalin) and 150 nautical miles north (Ruyant) of him in winds of around 25 to 30 knots.
Charlie Dalin reported from on board in the morning:
"I'm happy that I'm in the lead, but I don't pay any further attention to it. I'm trying to protect my boat as much as possible. I know that the conditions are preventing us from sailing fast. And then there are still so many miles to go! I'm dealing with high, confused seas, blue skies with gusts. But the swell is the main problem. It always stays the same. The boat digs itself into the sea. It's this condition that makes it so hard. As far as the wind is concerned, we're dealing with 30 to 40 knots. It depends entirely on the moment. It's not quite as bad at the moment. But the conditions have been like this for days. But I've found my rhythm in the strong winds and I'm well rested. I slept well last night. There have been a few days when I haven't eaten well. It's a different world here in the Indian Ocean. We've had pretty much a week in these conditions now. It's a bit monochrome. The days are long and I feel like I've had my share of the Indian Ocean. But you still get the feeling of progressing eastwards because the sun rises a little earlier every day. So you get the feeling you're doing a section every day. This morning the sun rose at 1am and last night it set at 5.30pm."
Boris Herrmann was still 500 nautical miles behind Charlie Dalin in eighth place on Saturday morning. The 39-year-old skipper of the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Malizia" reported in the morning: "The Crozet Islands will soon appear on the virtual horizon." Like Prince Edward Island, this group of volcanic islets is also located in the zone below the ice line between 46 and 47 degrees south latitude, which has been closed by the race organisers, and will be passed by the fleet to the north. Herrmann also has to contend with the extremely unpleasant and unpredictable swell:
"The acceleration of the boat on the waves gives me a headache. It doesn't scare me, but it worries me. I don't have a solution yet. I've already retracted my foil, the sails are small. If I reduce even more, I'll slow down even more. We weren't any slower with our Class 40 'Beluga Racer' in the 2008/09 double-handed race around the world with Felix Oehme. It's a somewhat frustrating phase and I'm looking forward to the two liberation stages: First out of the Algulhas Current, then out of the Indian Ocean, which is notorious for these demanding conditions."
These pictures by Boris Herrmann show well why the Hamburg native describes the current conditions with this sentence: "The sea is boiling"
The next small passing milestone of the extremely demanding race gallop of the front field over the bumpy track of the heavily confused sea is the Kerguelen. This also brings the possible exit of Kevin Escoffier closer. The Frenchman, who was rescued from a life raft in the Southern Ocean on 1 December after an eleven-hour odyssey, is still on board the "Yes We Cam!" with his rescuer Jean Le Cam. The plan is for him to be rescued by the crew of the French frigate "Nivose", which is stationed in the Indian Ocean, depending on the weather conditions and Le Cam's agreement.
While the leading group is longing for more constant wind and wave conditions, the casualties and retired sailors are licking their wounds in Cape Town, which Boris Herrmann already described a week ago as the "harbour of the unfortunate" who have to give up here. Alex Thomson has long since arrived in Cape Town. Sébastien Simon has also announced his departure. The official decision of Sam Davies, who also sailed to Cape Town, is still pending. The 46-year-old Briton had been given top-five chances before the start of the race. The most experienced Vendée Globe skipper had her sights set high and gave her fans a touching insight into her current emotional world during the retreat to the Cape of Good Hope, where her hopes were dashed in a violent collision with an unknown object:
"The sun came out too, and that helped ease the pain - I went on deck and sat outside in the warm sun. Suddenly I found myself in a torrent of tears. It's a bit strange for me, who never cries, to deal with all these emotions. I wasn't even sure why I was crying. Was it sadness for my boat and my position in this race or relief that my boat and I were safe? Or a mixture of all these emotions? I always had the feeling that it's stupid to cry when you're alone on the boat. There's no one there to help you, to hug you or encourage you. So it's quite a waste of time and energy. But at that particular moment, I had no control over my emotions. I was leaning against the deckhouse and looking out to sea. And right there, really close, unusually close, was the most beautiful albatross I've ever seen. It glided past quietly and slowly. Normally albatrosses keep their distance, but this one was different. It was as if he could understand my feelings and wanted to help me. He stayed close and demonstrated his marvellously effortless flying skills, which was a welcome distraction. It is said that the souls of deceased sailors live on in albatrosses, and I like to believe that. I feel that I am escorted to safety by these unique creatures and I am grateful for their care."
Sam Davies explains the damage to her boat
Update, 5 December, 3.30 pm
Sam Davies officially announced her retirement on Saturday afternoon - but not the end of her adventure. The comeback outside the classification is being planned. Here are excerpts from her statement on Saturday afternoon:
"I had two or three days of slow sailing to come to terms with the decision. You have a lot of time to think, analyse and make sure you make the right decision that is not too affected by emotions, fear or tiredness. In the end, I don't feel like it was a difficult decision for me because it's simply not possible to continue the race safely - even if repairs to the visible damage were possible. There are too many uncertainties around the keel that need to be checked and inspected. This is not possible without taking the boat out and dismantling the keel. There is no way to continue the race with the damage I have. It's bad luck and frustrating because it's really just bad luck. It's part of the game. It's Russian roulette. What can you do? On the plus side, I still have a boat and it floats. That's more than other people have in this race. It has a mast and a keel, just about, and two foils. And apart from the damage, everything is perfect. I'm totally motivated to repair the damage with support during a stopover. That means I'll have to give up the Vendée Globe. But if I can repair the boat with my team - they're arriving today and I'm confident - if we can fix everything and make sure it's solid, then I'm very keen to continue sailing. Obviously outside of the Vendée Globe classification, but as part of the adventure. And I think that's a great aspect of the history of this race. One of the people you think of is Isabelle Autissier. One of the first female skippers to sail the Vendée Globe. She did the same thing. She had a problem and made a stopover in Cape Town. And she sailed the rest of the race outside the classification. Or Nick Maloney. Many sailors have done that. If I can do that, it would be just great. That's the mission."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
