« Thank you Pacific, ciao the South and long live the Atlantic! », exclaimed Sébastien Simon, even happier than a child discovering a bottomless packet of sweets when passing Cape Horn this morning, despite the somewhat rough conditions which accompanied him for that moment. “ I passed with more than 40 knots of wind and heavy seas, which didn't stop it from being the best Christmas present! », added the Sablais who, despite everything, preferred to rely on caution to go around the Chilean tip by choosing to move away from it by around thirty miles in order to avoid the turbulence. And rightly so, because even if he would obviously have liked to see it, trying to get closer to it would have been like trying to tan under a flashlight, that is to say completely counterproductive. Now that it is sailing upwind and in very light airs, it could suffer from the winds of the coast, the Horn cliff itself rising to 425 meters all the same! “ It's a good thing to do », added the skipper of Groupe Dubreuil, whose current speed is struggling to exceed seven knots, approximately the same average as his two predecessors.
A striking contrast
« A little calm is good », However explained Yoann Richomme during the official session this morning, after an “absolutely abysmal” nap, as he himself described it. The fact is that after almost a month of roller coaster in the South Seas, the leaders unreservedly appreciate the return to a certain serenity in the Atlantic. Flat seas, winds barely strong enough to turn a weather vane, and suddenly, the impression that the Earth itself has decided to breathe a little! Now they are rediscovering the pleasure of walking straight without bouncing against the walls of their cockpit like pinball balls. “ The sea is magnificent since passing Cape Horn », related the leader who savors this rare moment when the Atlantic makes eyes at him. No giant waves, no killer gusts. In the north-east of the Falklands, it only has this strange feeling of luxury: moving quietly, without being shaken. “ After the Horn, we had great conditions with generally very fast crosswinds. This allowed us to progress well towards the North », explained Yoann, who chose to skirt the Antarctic Exclusion Zone as long as possible to make the most of the pressure. A strategy that paid off, since he opened up a gap of 100 miles on his rival, who found himself trapped in a soft zone.
The magic of the antimeridian
However, he is not getting carried away and remains focused on the transition phase that he will have to negotiate before hitting the wind to rush to the latitude of Rio de Janeiro. “ I need to recover a little and there is a little cleaning to do on board the boat », specified the sailor who does not shy away from his pleasure of gradually returning to warmer temperatures. Say goodbye to the hat and maxi socks! This is unfortunately still far from being the case for his pursuers who are evolving, for the large majority of them, in the Hurling Fifties. “ It's very-very cold! », confirmed Justine Mettraux (TeamWork – Groupe Snef) who stacks the layers like an onion but nothing works: it curdles dry, the ice water seeps everywhere and the breath turns into steam. The Swiss woman's attention is, however, primarily focused on her race, especially since, like Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer), she is making a remarkable comeback within the group led by Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE). “ The weather helped me a lot because I had more wind than those in front for the last 24 hours. Now, I see Yannick (Bestaven) and Paul (Meilhat) at the AIS. It's great to have found them. It's a bit unexpected because they were still quite far away! », added the sailor, quite satisfied to benefit from such a Christmas gift. Christmas which always remains a special moment for Vendée Globe sailors and especially for those, like Jean Le Cam (Tout Commence en Finistère – Armor-lux), Isabelle Joschke (MACSF), Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Alan Roura (Hublot), have recently crossed the antimeridian and therefore defy time. For them, Christmas, already experienced, is offered a second time, like an unexpected gift. This double New Year's Eve, between yesterday and today, becomes a unique celebration. A poetic reminder of the power of travel: crossing time as you cross the ocean.
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