On the Vendée Globe front line the Christmas truce is over. Days of light winds and mild temperatures have been summarily replaced by 30-35 knot winds. Deep reefed sails are the order of the day. It is cold, miserable and wet with freezing South Pacific water sluicing the decks. As the leading duo Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia) pass Point Nemo today, the loneliest point on the Southern Ocean - the Furious Fifties offer a rude reminder why they are so called.
TRACKER
From Point Nemo it is nearly 2000 miles to Cape Horn where deliverance waits. This stage, to the Horn, is about remaining prudent, preparing perfectly for the Cape and knowing the timing of the weather transitions as accurately as possible.
“There is so much contrast with yesterday I almost cannot remember how it was, I cannot remember yesterday it seems.” Said seventh placed Boris Herrmann wistfully today. “Now we are back to a normal Southern Ocean ambience sailing at 17 knots in 30kts of breeze. We are dealing with a low pressure system and the contrast is just amazing.”
On his 50th day at sea the German skipper, who stands a fighting chance of being the first ‘Cape Horner’ (he has been round three times) among a group of first timers at the Cape next weekend mused, “It takes a strong mind to take it all, you are always being thrown into new situations. Better not to think about it too much. Sometimes I think I think too much about the boat. If could let go a bit more I could sail a bit faster…. but looking up I am anxious all the time. In the bunk I am sleeping only 15 minutes. Maybe I should just let it go, and go faster.”
He continues, “But I want to reach Cape Horn in one piece. I have a boat at 100% and very few of the others can say that. So let us get through the week without losing too many miles, but certainly without breaking anything.”
Mike Golding, four times Vendée Globe racer, says this is one of the toughest parts of the course mentally, “But it is essential to keep doing what they have been doing, getting through each day, one day at a time, without pushing too hard, just staying in the rhythm and looking after the boat. The sense of anticipation grows and grows for those who have not been round the Horn before but there is so much can be gained and lost just after, it is important to be there in the best shape mentally and physically.”
Golding adds, “In fact if there is a little more compression, as we might expect, then anyone in this main group can be on the podium in Les Sables d’Olonne. It is that open. Right now I am impressed by Boris and his approach and especially by Isabelle Joschke who has really come into her own. Like Boris she has a largely unbroken boat, she’s in the play. And don’t discount Jean Le Cam. He is ‘steady Eddie’, you never hear of his problems because whatever he deals with, he just gets on with..”
Joschke in fifth is still struggling with the cold, which she does not like at all, and like Herrmann is taking time to re-adjust to the rude return to fast, wet and hard sailing, “Last night it was really slamming and crashing, I even got seasick again because I was not used to the movement again.” Heavily fatigued Joschke was trying to grab some rest before adding more sail area to her charge.
Rest was high on the agenda too for Benjamin Dutreux. The tenth placed 30 year old Vendée skipper of OMIA-Water Family has climbed the mast of his IMOCA to release his J2 headsail which had split near the top. The climb was extremely tough, after he reported that he was’ thrown around like a rag doll being smashed between the sail and the mast’.
“And now I have to repair the sail and a few other things, so it is not good for my morale, really.” Dutreux told the French Vendée Globe live show today, his face wracked with fatigue and stress.
Leader Yannick Bestaven was not short of wind - were he in need of any more puff to blow out his 48 candles on his birthday. He had 40 knots of wind at times in front of the depression though with crossed seas which made progress less than comfortable. But the Vendée Globe leader for 12 days has opened more than 50 miles on second placed Charlie Dalin over the last 24 hours. Maître Coq’s lead is now 133 miles over APIVIA which has been closer to the centre of the depression. Thomas Ruyant is third on LinkedOut, now 150 miles behind Dalin and 31 miles behind Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil) who has consistently been the quickest of the top 10 today.
Message from Miranda Merron (Campagne de France).
"Yesterday I discovered with some amazement that I have passed the half way point in the race. I didn't know where the half way point was, and I don't have the computer-calculated information that is on the website (no internet access here), but I assumed it was somewhere still far ahead. It is just wonderful to be sailing towards home, loved ones and friends at last, rather than away from them. We (the boat and I) are still in the Indian Ocean, and it hasn't finished with us yet. I am sailing on an unfavourable gybe to the northeast to get out of the way of the worst of a low pressure system. The sea is disorganised and the boat is slewing sideways down waves. There is still a very long way to go!
It seems like a long time ago since the start of the Indian Ocean and the first proper heavy weather. There have been other windy and rough periods since, but none were as quite as frightening as the first one which was a very convincing display of the superiority of mother nature, and conversely how small, inconsequential and vulnerable we are, especially in places like this. There have been light airs from time to time too, useful for inspecting and fixing things. There are always things to do. It hasn't been as foggy and grey as last time. Other than ending up less than 2 miles from Alexia in light airs before one of our windy episodes, I haven't seen another vessel since somewhere near Tristan da Cunha. The bird life is impressive, and I wish I hadn't forgotten my bird book. It is always uplifting to have an albatross, or indeed any bird, follow the boat."
At just under 2000 miles to Cape Horn, the leaders of the Vendée Globe have a long, tough week of work ahead to reach the big left turn, the release out of the Pacific back into the home ocean. There is some relief that speeds are quick again as their position on the depression finally yields reaching conditions, cold SW’lies for the chasing peloton, NW’ly for Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia).
And while there were predictions that Bestaven might run away from his pursuers, Dalin is less than 90 miles – or about six hours – behind.
The pack is still tightly grouped but Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil) is up to fourth and Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) fifth, Seguin is fastest of the top 10 this morning. Although it is cold and wet skippers’ energy reserves are restored for the meantime after the lighter wind period over Christmas.
This depression should roll away by Tuesday when there might be a little period of respite before the long assault on the eastern Pacific when conditions look challenging for the latter part of the week. It still looks like Saturday 2nd January for the leading duo at the Cape. And with the new systems coming in from behind there should be more compression among the top ten or 12 boats, maybe even a chance for Cremer, Tripon and Attanasio to close in to the pack a little more.
All the way back to Cape Leeuwin (or more for Sébastien Destremau, who is still on a course towards Tasmania), the fleet also seems to be compressing under the influence of the southern depressions. Finland’s Ari Huusela (STARK) should thus cross the longitude of Leeuwin today 200 miles behind Alexia Barrier (TSE-4myplanet) who passed Leeuwin at 23:48 am UTC Sunday night having had some repairs to make over the weekend last before tackling the end of the Indian Ocean that Manuel Cousin (Groupe Sétin) and Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One) should emerge out of late today.
Already in the Pacific: Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Stéphane Le Diraison (Time for Oceans) have the start of a nasty low coming down from Tasmania. On the contrary, in front of this front, Pip Hare (Medallia) and Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline-Artisans Artipôle) have caught close to Alan Roura (La Fabrique) who has his keel problems three days ago.
And so it looks like the waters of the south of South Americaa will be scattered with Vendée Globe racers in an unprecedented climb back up the Atlantic.