Nooooooooo, we had almost lost the habit of being interested in gaps beyond 0.5 miles in this Vendée Globe 2024. But rest assured, nothing is tilted in favor of the current boss of the Charlie Dalin race, which has not yet put Yoann Richomme and Sébastien Simon out of reach. On this 39th day of trial, 20 Minutes in any case takes stock of everything you need to know about this Vendée Globe, particularly on this uncertain race lead, but also on the (catching) state of mind of the title holder Yannick Bestaven (7th), and on “the epic night” of the Benjamin Ferré-Tanguy Le Turquais tandem.
- Charlie Dalin regains his ease (a little)
Gone are the days of “We said hello”, as Yoann Richomme said on Wednesday? This Thursday there is no longer any risk of having in sight the boat of leader Charlie Dalin. If Dalin, Richomme and Sébastien Simon were in the 900m on Wednesday noon, the gaps have indeed become more “classic” again on the side of the leading trio, namely 39 and 62 miles, respectively for Richomme and Simon.
Almost halfway between New Zealand and Cape Horn, Macif Santé Prévoyance is currently the fastest boat among the 36 still in the running, with a speed of 24.74 knots this Thursday. Proof that the repair of the sail that Charlie Dalin mentioned on Wednesday, and which still took him a day and a half, played a real role in his new highlight ahead of this 10th Vendée Globe.
- The ranking this Thursday noon
1. Charlie DallinMacif Santé Prévoyance) 9,237 miles from the finish
2. Yoann Richomme (Parprec Arkéa) 39.24 miles from the leader
3. Sébastien Simon (Dubreuil Group) 61.65 miles from the leader
4. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) 763.88 miles from the leader
5. Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB) 806.33 miles from the leader
6. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) 817.99 miles from the leader
- A top three out of reach? Not according to the title holder!
Unlike the last two days, the gap between the three leading men and the chasing trio composed of Thomas Ruyant (moved from 5th to 4th), Nicolas Lunven and Jérémie Beyou, has stopped narrowing, and on the contrary widened significantly , from around 600 miles twenty-four hours ago to more than 760 miles this Thursday noon. What reason to believe that the final victory can only be played out between Dalin, Richomme and Simon?
Currently 7th, 956 miles from the leader, Yannick Bestaven (Master Rooster V) is not on this line: “Four years ago, I spent a lot of time arrested in Brazil. Lots of things are still going to happen, nothing is prohibitive. The main thing is to pass Cape Horn as quickly as possible. Until then, there will be work to do, weather and strategy-wise.” You will have understood, although dropped to the general, the title holder does not give up his arms.
- The “epic night” by Benjamin Ferré and Tanguy Le Turquais
“We were sending each other messages every hour telling each other that we were all going to die! » When we get annoyed by a few drops of rain on our dry land, here is the mood who accompanied Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – Duo For A Job) and Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazarus), respectively 21st and 22nd in this Vendée Globe. Victim of a major crack along a bulkhead of his Imoca, Tanguy Le Turquais had to embark on a repair at sea this Thursday, with seas still difficult.
The consequences of an “epic night” as Benjamin Ferré describes it, given the extremely harsh conditions. “It was nonsense,” he says. We will remember it all our lives. We laugh about it afterwards, but at the time we weren’t being smart. It was one of the most memorable nights of my young seafaring life, and I laugh about it because I’m so glad we escaped almost unscathed. » For both of them, the gap of more than 3,300 miles with the leader of the race is not the priority issue, as you will imagine.
- “Marina Foils” slowly moves towards happiness
The boat of 20 Minutes, launched on his first experience within the fascinating virtual race Virtual Regattais back in the Top 100,000 this Thursday. No more crazy speeds, but what a pleasure to find yourself in this gratifying 95,833rd place.
Our file on the Vendée Globe 2024
Be careful, there is less wind in the south of Australia, although it should blow stronger at the end of the day. We will therefore have to maneuver carefully in the coming days to get around the looming windless wall and avoid losing carloads of places in the ranking again. Not the type of house to break down and grumble in the face of difficulties (hum hum).
