At 7 p.m. Monday evening, Charlie Dalin still led the group of three, a tad ahead of Sébastien Simon in his wake, Yoann Rrichome at their level but further north. Positions tight enough to possibly change Tuesday morning, and even more so after Wednesday.
The race head in its position on Monday at 7 p.m. and the depression as it will be on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
VG24 Mapping/Screenshot
Because the big thing is to find the way to reduce the impact of this big depression which blocks the direct route to the Kerguelens.
A real potato. Gusts of 65 knots (120 km/h) and waves of ten meters for those who experience it directly; “only” 35 knots (65 km/h), gusts to 40-45 knots and six to seven meters of swell dodging a little. “It's strong, 40-45 knots, but ultimately a bit like the price of these southern navigations,” summarized Yannick Bestaven, who describes a shared feeling: “there is no longer any passage through the South. »
Christian Dumard, weather consultant for the event, estimated the best route: “All the solo sailors will logically pass to its north (Editor's note: to the depression). Lower in latitude, they would experience it longer, with more wind and more sea and would find themselves facing a headwind at one point.”
Dodging
The detour would enormously lengthen the path since it could take them up to 500 miles (926 km) north of the Kerguelen archipelago. Lengthen, how much? The Dalin-Simon-Richomme trio is currently furthest south and seems determined to continue towards the East, without going back up like the group following.
Since the “big storm”, says Richomme, arrives from behind and deepens as it advances, its impact will not be the same depending on the routes chosen and the timing. “I see a little difference in the path with Macif and Groupe Dubreuil,” Richomme said Monday morning, “I don’t really know where they are going to go. There is nothing simple. We don't really know where to stand regarding this depression. »
Handicapped by the wear of the ends and sheaths which allow his foils to be raised or lowered, Yannick Bestaven has also fallen into a stingy wind zone which leaves him 700 miles from the leaders. The wind will return, but will it have time? Sébastien Simon announced rapid progress towards Australia: “the routings give us nine days to cross the Indian Ocean. »
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