The Atlantic rise has opened up two possibilities for the leading group of the Vendée Globe fleet: Sailing higher upwind with boat speeds in the twelve to 15 knots, as Charlie Dalin is doing on "Apivia". Or sailing low and a little faster, which is what Louis Burton ("Bureau Vallée 2") and Thomas Ruyant ("LinkedOut") have opted for. The difference in course is around ten degrees. Boris Herrmann has positioned himself in between, with a current leaning towards the Burton and Ruyant duo. The lateral distance between Dalin in the east and Burton in the west is around 200 nautical miles.
Frontrunner Dalin explained in the morning: "Within 48 hours we should be over the ridge we are travelling around. And then we'll join the express train of the Atlantic low pressure areas. However, it is likely that we will slow down this afternoon and come under the influence of the high pressure area tonight. I've chosen the inside track of the curve, but it's quite possible that I'll end up at roughly the same point as Louis Burton."
The actual outcome of this long-distance duel will remain open until the end of the week. At the moment, the trade winds are becoming more challenging for the boats in front because their fluctuations are increasing under the growing influence of the Azores High. In these conditions, "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper Boris Herrmann is battling bow to bow with Thomas Ruyant for third place. Their duel roughly mirrors that of Dalin and Burton: Herrmann recently sailed deep and fast at around 19 knots. The 39-year-old from Hamburg was once again able to make up ground overnight with some of the fastest speeds and, after the Doldrums stumble, has made a convincing comeback in the battle for the podium places. Thomas Ruyant, who was still defending third place in the classification on Wednesday morning, sailed about 50 nautical miles to the east of him at 15 to 17 knots.
The discrepancy between the positions in the tracking and in the classification, which had caused some excitement and incomprehension for Boris Herrmann the day before, has now been evened out by the race committee with a theoretical waypoint at 37 degrees north and 25 degrees west, making the positions in the classification appear more realistic again. Herrmann had already been in a visibly good fourth place in the race on Tuesday, but was only listed in sixth place in the intermediate classification. The difference was due to the fact that the race committee had operated with a movable waypoint for the best position determination of the boats during the Atlantic descent after the start, but did not initially do this on the way back in the running final. As a result, the current positions of the boats in the classification were always determined in direct comparison to their shortest course distance to the finish. This very "straight" and theoretical calculation path without additional imaginary markers even included shortcuts over land. Race organiser Jacques Caraës explained: "We didn't expect such a close final with so many boats." The organisers have now solved the problem.
Experts are expecting a thrilling final thriller over the last few days of the race, which, according to current calculations, could finish on 27 or 28 January in the start and finish port of Les Sables-d'Olonne. When determining the chances of the leading boats, the time credits that three skippers have in their pockets since their involvement in the rescue mission for Kevin Escoffier in the South Atlantic at the beginning of December are now increasingly being taken into account. However, it will only be possible to determine exactly what these hours will be worth in the final tally after the finishes. As a reminder: Jean Le Cam was credited with 16 hours and 15 minutes at the time. Yannick Bestaven has a credit of ten hours and 15 minutes. Boris Herrmann can deduct six hours from his total sailing time.
It is already certain that the last skipper of the race - the Finn Ari Huusela on "Stark" - will pass Cape Horn before the winner crosses the finish line. This will be the first time this has happened since the premiere in 1989/1990. Conversely, the ninth edition will be much slower than usual for the leading boats, but faster for those in pursuit.
Boris Herrmann wrote about the rollercoaster ride of his emotions during this long Atlantic finale at the start of the 73rd day at sea on Tuesday afternoon:
Every day is different. The contrasts are often great. But the transitions are gradual and often barely noticeable.
Then I realise: Oh, wow, now I have the wind that I was dreaming about so desperately yesterday. And now I'm in the middle of it. The full trade winds. Two days ago they seemed too far away to imagine. The equator seemed so far away from Cape Horn. The Horn seemed endlessly far away from the St Helena High.
My next wish and dream is the Azores High. Give me some peace and quiet sailing!
There is cause for massive stress almost every day. Something makes it extreme. Extreme light winds, extreme moguls. Maybe your nerves are getting thinner over time?
The truth is: the stakes are getting higher and higher. Experiencing breakage now would feel so much more tragic to me than at any time before. With each day that brings us closer to the finish line, the positive excitement and this latent paranoid fear merge into a new mix, a rodeo of emotions throughout the day.
Last night it was almost all over. I had water in the engine compartment. The filter from the watermaker was leaking. I spent half the night dealing with the mess. Now everything is fine again. The new watermaker is running because the old one was destroyed by the water. That could easily have been the end of the show.
Looking up the mainsail for my repair doesn't help either. Neither does falling brutally into the odd oddly shaped wave. The strong increase and decrease in the wind doesn't help either.
Sleep! I'm going to sleep now. It's good to find this moment of letting go.
My mind senses the boat very actively. I'm trying to release the stress I'm putting on the machine myself. Should I opt for less foil rake? A different course? The J3? A second reef? Looking at the average wind peaks is an invitation to speed. The picture becomes blurred and the mind no longer gives clear instructions.
Sleep.
And then a fresh eye in the afternoon. Then hopefully it will only be about 19 hours until the wind dies down again and we can sail elegantly across the sea.
Then there's this strong voice that says: "Push now. You can't sleep."
Sometimes you even find a faster mode that makes life on board more enjoyable. That means J2. How many times have I changed now: six times, seven times? The wind sits right in between. The average seems pretty similar in reality. And if the wind picks up again, we accelerate better with the small J3. I'll leave it up for the next two hours and then we'll see...
I can feel the edge of sleep deprivation. There's this strange feeling at the back of my head, as if I need to cry. That's always the sign: sleep now!
Thank you very much for your support!
This impressive video by Isabelle Joschke from the Pacific, which was only published yesterday, shows what sailing on the Imoca yachts at high speeds must feel like. The German-French sailor is expected to reach the Brazilian harbour of Salvador de Bahia next weekend with her keel still afloat.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
