In a race slowed by capricious winds in their journey up the Atlantic, Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) remains at the head of the Vendée Globe this Thursday, closely followed by the Varois Yoann Richomme (Paprek Arkéa). Far, very far ahead of certain competitors who are still sailing in the Pacific, and tense by the appearance since yesterday of an iceberg, escaped from the ice zone prohibited to competitors. Gold, “the last sailor to have seen an iceberg on the Vendée Globe course was skipper Samantha Davies, in 2008“, recalled the organizers.
“I found myself… facing him!”
“It’s scary, we’re not being smart“, breathed Eric Béllion, 23rd in the solo race around the world. “I remind you that my case is 3.6 mm thick, I can’t afford to type that. Icebergs are beautiful with expedition boats equipped with steel hulls but not with our carbon racing boats.“
Before him, Sébastien Marsset, 22nd, was the first to see the iceberg and began a “battle movement“to avoid it: this vision,”frankly, it blows my mind, I was going straight for it! This iceberg had therefore ultimately not drifted towards the North at all, but due East, so I was at the same latitude as it, and I found myself… facing it!“
-Marsset maneuvered well to move away and continue on his way. He can now “take a breath“even if another ice monster has been announced a little further to the East.”The year 2025 is starting off very intensely, and I saw an iceberg for the first time in my life!“
Race direction on alert
Warned by the skippers, the race management also ordered action to be taken. “As indicated this Wednesday, January 1, detections of icebergs had been announced and confirmed by the mission company CLS – which mobilizes satellites and experts to monitor the ice from space – north of the Antarctic Exclusion Zone on the Vendée Globe route in recent days. On alert, the race management, fully mobilized with the experts, warned the skippers. The teams are hard at work monitoring these detections and keeping the skippers informed.“
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