They participate in the same event – the most prestigious of their sport –, live the same dream, aspire to the same goal (to go to the end) but each experiences very distinct realities. You feel dizzy when you look at the cartography and see the differences: almost 6,000 miles, an ocean, separate the leader (Charlie Dalin, MACIF Santé Prévoyance) from the red lantern (Szabolcs Weöres, New Europe) which inevitably creates daily newspapers that no longer have much in common.
Stable gaps for the leading trio
At the head of the race, Charlie Dalin continues to advance, having held first place in the race continuously for nine days. Soon, the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance will have to face a front but clearly much more is needed to worry him. Behind, however, things are tough. For the moment, Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) is holding on despite his foil damage (almost 200 miles away) and Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) is at 360 miles. During the session, Yoann held on solidly despite a big crash in the waves. His armchair, perched on a spring, absorbs shocks and he enjoys it: “it is the 2nd most expensive seat in history after Napoleon's”. Yoann therefore smiles before debriefing the situation: “I have the impression that I am gradually closing the gap on Sébastien (Simon) and Charlie (Dalin). We are making good progress in an average of 25 knots of wind. feeling in tune with my boat, I think I have it well in hand, even if it sometimes bombards with squalls at 30 knots like yesterday, I am in my rhythm!
The pursuers and the backboneHowever, Yoann monitors a “transition zone”, a windless zone. Although it should not concern the leading trio, it focuses the attention of their pursuers. “Some will be caught by this ridge, which can create significant gaps,” underlines Basile Rochut, weather consultant for the Vendée Globe.
Among the skippers concerned, there is the duo Jérémie Beyou (Charal, 5th) – Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB, 6th) not really helped by the succession of systems, the trio which follows – Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE, 7th), Paul Meilhat (Biotherm, 8th) and Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V, 9th) – and, a little further, the Boris Herrmann quartet (Malizia-Seaexplorer, 10th), Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team Snef, 11th), Clarisse Crémer (L'Occitane en Provence, 12th) and Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur, 13th). The gang of four has also slowed down since the start of the day. Clarisse was at the session this Wednesday morning and did not shy away from her pleasure at finally having slightly more lenient conditions: “It's cool to have a little respite! For ten days, I have the impression of being lost in the corridors of time. Everything went by very quickly, especially since we had the chance to go straight… I'm a little stuck in the sluggishness but I'm not focusing on that for us. the big topic will be depression which is digging under Australia, the first big whim that I will have to face.
Before, the sailor regretted not having seen anything of the Kerguelens. “Four years ago, I saw some islands but not there. We go around the planet but we only see the fleet! » To keep going, Clarisse can count on dishes “just like at home”, pasta carbonara yesterday, as well as these almonds and hazelnuts coated in chocolate that she “eats all day”.
The backbone which concerns his quartet could allow those behind – Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT environment – Water Family, 14th), Romain Attanasio (Fortinet Best Western, 15th) and Pip Hare (Medallia, 16th) – to come back slightly. “They are facing a fairly active front with unstable wind and fairly cross seas,” explains Basile Rochut.
Behind, alone facing the stormOn the other hand, change of atmosphere for the group led by Jean Le Cam (It all starts in Finistère – Armor-lux, 16th). These sailors will be caught by a virulent front, a meteorological phenomenon which resembles that which the leader of the race faced last week. Average winds of more than 40 knots, troughs approaching 10 meters… We will have to hang on aboard boats that have already been overloaded in recent days.
The most advanced will compete tomorrow afternoon and those at the back of the group this evening. Some are located very north (Jean Le Cam), others in the center (Tanguy Le Turquais, Lazare) and some further south (Louis Duc, Fives Group – Lantana Environnement and Guirec Soudée, Freelance.com). Antoine Cornic (HUMAN Immobilier) is one of the supporters of the southern route. Deprived of a downwind sail (FR0) since Sunday, he is preparing to face the “heaviest” of the gale: “Finally, it's a fairly classic depression compared to what we experience in the South. This It was sunny in the morning but the weather is going to get cloudy, the rain is going to arrive with perhaps squalls Then, we should have gusts of 65 knots so it's going to be a bit sporty Afterwards, I don't want to get carried away! put the spleen in broth. I continue to enjoy being at sea. Yesterday, I surfed at over 30 knots, it was incredible.”
In any case, it takes more to make him lose his cool. Hat screwed on his head, Antoine has a sense of the formula. And he had one this morning to describe what he saw in this no man's land of mists and foam. “I take great pleasure in looking at the sea, the incredible colors, the albatrosses… My boat has taken off in its lyrical flights.”
Find all the weather forecasts on METEO CONSULT Marine and follow all the news from the Vendée Globe in our special report.
