Race leader Charlie Dalin reached the second cape on the route of the three capes on Sunday morning and crossed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin. However, the dominator of recent weeks has once again lost miles overnight to his two most persistent pursuers. On the morning of the third Advent, hunter Thomas Ruyant came within 67 nautical miles of him despite a broken foil. Yannick Bestaven has made up ground even faster in the past few days. The fastest skipper in the Indian Ocean fleet recently reduced his deficit on Dalin to 69 nautical miles and is engaged in a thrilling bow-to-bow duel with his compatriot barely 20 nautical miles north of Ruyant in the hunt for Dalin.
Just a fortnight ago, Dalin had held a 240 nautical mile lead over Ruyant at the Cape of Good Hope. At the time, Bestaven was 340 nautical miles behind the yellow hull of Dalin's "Apivia". But Dalin's comfortable lead is now melting away. Bestaven impressed in the Indian Ocean, positioned itself well and suffered no major damage. The fact that he also had to put up with extra miles as a participant in the rescue operation for Kevin Escoffier has almost been forgotten in view of his top position in the field. He can expect the race organisers to give him a time credit for this, which could theoretically even put Bestaven at the front of the field.
The chasing pack is led by Paralympic champion Damien Seguin, who continues to perform strongly in fourth place and is heading towards Cape Leeuwin bow to bow with his mentor Jean Le Cam and around 250 nautical miles behind Dalin. Boris Herrmann has regained eighth place from the German-French sailor Isabelle Joschke, despite finally having successfully repaired his main headsail, which he had missed so painfully in recent weeks. The 39-year-old skipper of the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" had successfully repaired his J2 on Sunday morning and was chasing the front runners 340 nautical miles behind Dalin. Herrmann enjoyed the milder conditions in the early morning of the third Advent: "Finally! The first moments of sunshine and peace since the St Helena high." In live broadcasts with German and French friends, supporters and family in Hamburg, Herrmann enjoyed a lot of encouragement and support from the shore.
Boris Herrmann took stock at the end of five weeks at sea:
"My boat is doing well after almost five weeks at sea. I certainly hope so, because certain damage or fatigue is not always visible from the outside. Hope and trepidation remain part of the game. Let's knock on wood, because a lot is demanded of the boat. Physically, I'm fine. Mentally, I'm okay. There were days last week when I felt lonely. That was painful at times. Fortunately, that feeling is almost gone now. But that can change from one minute to the next. I feel a little at the mercy of my emotions. My sleep doctor in Hamburg, Dr Holger Hein, said that with polyphasic sleep, i.e. sleeping in short units, it is normal to have a different hormone level and to perceive emotions more strongly. However, my interim results are positive. I've been able to preserve everything so far: myself and the boat. I've only gone beyond my limits once - when climbing into the mast. Otherwise, I've been careful and cautious. If the sea lets me, then I can attack. When the sea clears the way, we're there."
Shortly before reaching the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, Boris Herrmann succeeded in repairing the J2
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
