In the early morning, Dalin only had a lead of 22.88 miles over his new runner-up, who continued his comeback, and 31.04 miles over Thomas Ruyant, now third.
If Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) was still at the head of the Vendée Globe in the provisional ranking on Thursday at 7 a.m., but his lead over his immediate pursuers melted away during the night, benefiting Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), who went from third to second place.
Launched at full speed towards the Cape of Good Hope, the leaders of the Vendée Globe must reach the Needle Current at the southern tip of Africa at the end of the week, where the risks of accidents are numerous and often prohibitive. “This is the place I fear the most on my world tour”explained race leader Charlie Dalin (Macif) before the start, referring to this current which descends along the east African coast to create whirlpools in the south of the Atlantic. “There is a lot of debris, mammals coming to feed, tree trunks and so on. Last time, I put my foils up to pass. There's a chance I'll do the same thing this year.”he added.
The biggest budget sailboats rely heavily on these carbon side appendages, most often sunk into the water to allow the boat to take flight, in order to reach speeds of around 50 km/h. “At this speed, an impact is often terrible for the integrity of the foils and the boat. By taking your foot off the gas, we somewhat minimize the risks and consequences of a collision.”argued Dalin, emphasizing that he “there was a big element of randomness”.
Vendée Globe rankings Thursday at 7 a.m.
1. Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) 17,996.34 nautical miles from the finish
2. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) 22.88 miles from the leader
3. Thomas Rettant (Vulnerable) at 31.04 miles
4. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) at 52.61 miles
5. Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB) at 89.76 miles
6. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) at 94.85 miles
7. Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) at 181.15 miles
8. Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq V) at 228.10 miles
9. Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) at 309.01 miles
10. Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) at 570.55 miles
