It's officially time for the home stretch of this Vendée Globe! In the middle of the afternoon this Sunday, Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) and Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) crossed the equator. Now head towards the famous doldrums, and then straight on to Les Sables-d'Olonne (or almost).
Charlie Dalin leader at the equator and close to a record
The skipper from Le Havre took 12 days and 15 hours between Cape Horn and the equator. A great performance but not a record. During the previous edition of the Vendée, Boris Herrmann did a little better, in 11 days and 18 hours.
It won't keep Dalin from sleeping either. What interests him is the gap with his pursuer Yoann Richomme, who is still clinging to his coattails. The distance between the two men has remained stable over the past 24 hours, around 128 miles (around 200 km). The next important meeting in this journey up the Atlantic, the doldrums, which the two sailors should cross during the night.
But with the Sands fast approaching, is Dalin already thinking about winning? ” No way. As soon as I think about the finish, I come back to what needs to be done, said the leader during an interview with AFP. The road is long, there are traps still to be avoided: the doldrums, probably a high pressure ridge on the Canary Islands side. Things can happen. The trap is thinking about it, as soon as my brain thinks about it, I try to reframe it. »
Simon says goodbye to the race to win
The third in the standings, Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), on the other hand, has let go a lot on his two sidekicks since Saturday. The skipper from La Roche-sur-Yon had to repair his mast in recent days and then was confronted with an engine generator problem. He thus covered almost 200 km in the view in the space of half a day. His objective now is no longer victory, but to reach the finish without further damage, having been forced to retire during the previous edition.
The ranking at 3 p.m.
1. Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance)
2. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) 128 miles from the first
3. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) at 857 miles
4. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) at 1953 miles
5. Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) at 1975 miles
Nico Lunven had the best weekend
The skipper of Holcim-PRB, long 6th in the footsteps of Jérémie Beyou, is inexorably losing ground in the South Atlantic. Here he is now 8th, under the immediate threat of Boris Herrmann (Malizia) and Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team Snef), who should soon overtake him.
During a message sent on Sunday morning, the Vannes resident did not hide his current difficulties: “I am in storms. Last night (Saturday) was more than bracing, we were shaken up a lot, we had to do a lot of maneuvers, sail changes, tacks, etc., he said. I'm trying to get out of this area of light wind, plus with this mixed sea state, I would think I was in the witch's pot. »
To top it off, Lunven saw its masthead torn off, to the point of damaging all of its antennas. “I no longer have aerials (the data sensors placed at the top of the mast). So in storms, with the erratic wind and the slightly dirty sea state, finding the route, knowing how to trim the boat, it's not easy! » As he sums it up, “it’s the big tile”.
News from Marina Foils
Only good! Our virtual skipper is on fire at the start of the year, and continues his crazy rise. Since the very small slight error when entering the Pacific, things are going at full speed (at least compared to the competition) and our boat has moved up 100,000 places, to reach the gates of the top 70,000 this Sunday.
After having passed the Falkland Islands at lightning speed, Marina Foils continues its climb up the South American coast, but will have to face a zone of light wind which a priori awaits it on Monday. Don't panic, we are prepared for all eventualities.
