Vendée Globe | Richomme and Dalin pass the Doldrums before the final sprint

(Paris) The Norman Charlie Dalin and his runner-up Yoann Richomme put the dreaded Pot-au-Noir behind them on Monday before beginning their final sprint towards Les Sables-d’Olonne to win the 10^e Vendée Globe.

At 7 p.m. (GMT+1), Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) was 100 miles behind leader Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) and the victory was logically going to be decided between these two sailors, expected between January 14 and 15 in Vendée .

Behind them, the courageous Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), orphaned from his starboard foil for several weeks, was around 700 miles from Charlie Dalin and was due to cross the equator during the day on Tuesday.

“It’s quite intense, the pressure is constant, but it’s part of the game. All the sailors who come to the Vendée Globe with sporting ambitions would dream of being in our place,” the race leader told the organizers.

“I have a lot of fun, I have more detachment and less pressure than four years ago,” continued Dalin, 2^e of the 2020-21 edition.

Further south, the battle still rages on the 4^e at 10^e place, and Justine Mettraux (9^e) has made the right move in recent hours by gaining a position.

Two more navigators passed Cape Horn during the day, Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Isabelle Joschke (MACFS), respectively 18^e et 19^e. The defending champion, Yannick Bestaven, returned to sea outside the race, after an elimination stopover in Ushuaia to repair several damages.