The picture of the fleet that emerged yesterday has become clearer. At the top, Charlie Dalin with "Apivia" was able to pull away further with his southerly course and at the position update at 4:00 UTC was leading by 82 nautical miles ahead of his pursuer Thomas Ruyant on "LinkedOut", who is following a similar course choice.
The first boat in the chasing group is Jean Le Cam on "Yes we Cam", 362 nautical miles behind "Apivia". Apparently the more westerly course variant, which leads almost exactly south but means a longer route, is now the better option. Of the chasing group, only Boris Herrmann ("Seaexplorer"), Yannick Bestaven ("Maître Coq IV") and Jean Le Cam still sailed the south-east option.
By contrast, the other five boats in the chasing group have turned onto the south to south-south-west course. This is led by Samantha Davies on "Initiatives-Cœur", who was the first to choose this option together with Louis Burton on "Bureau Vallée 2" and with whom both were able to pull away. The decision does not yet affect the overall classification, as the southerly course means hardly any gain in distance towards the finish. However, if there is more wind further west, things could turn out badly for Boris Herrmann. In fact, it looked that way in the last few hours.
One of the boats with the south-south-west option is Alex Thomson with "Hugo Boss". The repairs to the severe damage to the hull stiffeners in the forecastle have been completed and he was recently back in full racing mode, in eighth place, but in light winds and at a speed of just under nine knots. It remains to be seen whether the repairs will last after leaving the St Helena High.
The German provided very special shots from on board for this event. Not only did Boris Herrmann use his drone, he was also extremely close, within shouting distance of the Frenchman Yannick Bestaven. And that after 5600 nautical miles.
Drone shots by Boris Herrmann
And in two videos, Herrmann provides interesting insights into everyday life on board and the drudgery involved in changing sails.
Change of sails with Boris Herrmann - Part 1
Change of sails with Boris Herrmann - Part 2
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
