Faced with conditions that are difficult to say the least in the Indian Ocean, the skippers are put to the test.
The pace does not slow down at the top of the Vendée Globe. More and more comfortably installed in his leader's chair, Charlie Dalin is leading the race, now nearly 180 miles ahead of his runner-up, Sébastien Simon. An advance which has therefore doubled in barely 24 hours. The skipper of Macif Santé Prévoyance nevertheless remained on alert while still battling severe depression.
“It’s quite invigorating but it’s not going too bad. I'm a little tired because the wind has been quite unstable all night, with gusts over 30 knots. I also had to manage the shallows of Kerguelen. There it softened a little so I sent back some canvas. I am progressing towards the East at a good pace. I'm a little faster than my routings so that's cool”, he explained, adding: “But we’re still a long way from there! It has to last quite a while longer. Another 24 hours like this. If I can do that, when I get caught by the strong wind, it will be less strong. I'm running. I know that every meter I gain towards the East means a little less sea and a little less wind when I get caught up. I'm racing with depression. »
“Beautiful and super scary”
Behind, the rest of the fleet is not spared either. This is evidenced by the testimony of Tanguy Le Turquais, 18e in the ranking, at the bar of Lazarus. The conditions were such that the sailor suffered a little seasickness. “I think it's partly to do with the state of the sea and a bit of stress because I'm discovering what the South Seas are like,” he confided.
-“I always believed that I was a sailor with a little experience, and today I realized that I had never really left my garden, and that’s a sick thinghe added. I'm amazed. The sea is rubbish, this story isn't tidy at all, the swell is steep, it's breaking, it's in all directions, the sky is filled with black clouds, it's a mixture both magnificent and at the same time super distressing. »
