the essential
The race enters the final straight. While the leading sailors have just crossed Cape Horn and begin their journey up the Atlantic, Christmas time has come. A necessarily special moment since they will have to spend it without their loved ones, in the middle of a hostile sea and while the competition obviously does not stop. Most still find a way to have a nice time on this special day.
Christmas is the family celebration par excellence. But, this year, the 36 skippers still competing in the Vendée Globe will spend it alone at sea. The competition is obviously a sporting event but if it is so difficult, it is also because it is painfully lonely. The record for this round-the-world sailing trip is 74 days. For the majority of skippers, this means more than 80 days spent alone on their boat. Some even far exceed 100 days on board!
The two leaders of the race, Yoann Richomme and Charlie Dalin, passed the legendary Cape Horn a few minutes before December 24. At 11:36 p.m., the first crossed the line to enter the Atlantic, followed, 9 minutes and 30 seconds later, by its main competitor. Reaching this point after only 43 days of racing is a record, by far! The previous reference was established by Armel Le Cléac'h in 47 days…
Cape Horn has built its legend due to the very strong and frequent storms that occur there. It is therefore in particularly extreme conditions that the sailors at the head of the race will spend New Year's Eve.
New Year’s Eve or not New Year’s Eve?
But then, alone, do they really celebrate it? Yoann Richomme published a video where we see him installing decorations on his boat. For Samantha Davies, interviewed by our colleagues from Ouest-France, “despite the conditions which are often harsh”, it is necessary “to maintain a sort of 'normal' life.”
Also read:
“I am a loner in a crew”: in the cosmogony of Titouan Lamazou, the first winner of the Vendée Globe
For some, like Damien Seguin or Denis Van Weynbergh who also spoke to Ouest-France, there will be “an improved meal” on the menu. The latter will even have gifts. “I have presents in bags that I haven’t opened yet,” he said. Most sailors therefore try to mark this special day by treating themselves to a moment of relaxation, so rare in the Vendée Globe.
Also read:
Vendée Globe: “As if we didn’t have enough with two”… When a skipper learns the sex of his future child in the heart of the Indian Ocean
However, you should not relax for too long, because on this solo round-the-world trip, every minute of inattention can cost you dearly. The skippers will have to re-mobilize after this rather special moment… Before a New Year which will once again be very lonely.
France
