Holly arrival for skippers from the Vendée Globe, forced by the Herminia storm to extend their journey

Will you leave for a tour? They thought they had finished with their journey, but some navigators of the Vendée Globe are forced to play the extensions, after having crossed the finish line. Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot-environment), which finished, Sunday, January 26, at the 10^e Place of the racing around the world alone, non -stop and without assistance, was forced to continue on its way. Like him, his closest pursuing, Clarisse Crémer (Occitane-en-Provence), which was only 87 nautical miles from the finish (161 kilometers) in Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée)-at the 7-hour score-will not immediately set foot on the ground after some 45,000 kilometers and More than seventy-seven days at sea. The fault of the Herminia storm, which swaps on the Atlantic facade on Sunday.

Due to gusts of winds (nearly 130 kilometers per hour) recorded off the Vendée city and a very agitated sea “Make the channel impassable” Arrival at the port, as soon as the “storm finish line” – a large compulsory door which turns into arrival when the weather conditions require it – crossed, Benjamin Dutreux has headed for La Rochelle, just over 30 Miles (55 kilometers) further south. Over there, “Less unfavorable sea conditions” will allow “To the team and the boat to take shelter for the next twenty-four hours”announce the organizers of the race in a press release.

Same option for Clarisse Cremer, who has not yet completed her world tour. “Deliverance is close to Clarisse, but perhaps not for now either. Expected on the “storm special” finish line of the Vendée Globe on Sunday evening, [elle] is not yet guaranteed to be able to borrow the Sables-d’Olonne channel and arrive from the pontoons ”said the French skipper team on Sunday on their Instagram account. Evoking “A violent” cartridge “” “ now called Herminia, which “Officially gives it storm status”et “Waves of 10 meters expected”the Imoca team (18 -meter monohull) Occitane-en-Provence studied several scenarios with the organization of the race to ensure the safety of their navigator and his boat.

Samantha Davies “put the hand brake” preventively

Sunday morning, the village of Vendée Globe was closed to the public due to the depression, which also disrupted rail and road traffic in several regions of western France. Météo-France has placed nine orange alert departments in its latest assessment, five of which due to the risk of floods.

While the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe was won, on January 14, by Charlie Dalin (Macif-Sété-Prévoyance), some of the skippers still in the running have chosen to slow down to let the Herminia storm pass. After seventy-five days of racing, the British Samantha Davies announced on Friday to have “Put the hand brake” Preventively, while his arrival was scheduled for Sunday. “It’s frustratingshe recognized during her vacation, Because I can navigate to the finish line, but the conditions after passing the line will be so difficult that it will be impossible to return to Sables-d’Olonne. »» Rather than the danger, she chose the option “More” safe “, even if it will shake”and squarely turned hutches to slow down. In the South Pacific, other skippers had done the same to avoid a large depression when passing Cape Horn.

Navigators who finish the Vendée Globe without immediately going up the channel – in any case taking into account the tides -, the case seems unprecedented in ten editions of offshore race. And Benjamin Dutreux as Clarisse Crémer will be entitled to their honor channel “As soon as the conditions allow”specify the organizers. After more than seventy-seven days around the world, are they a few days old?