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Cool brains needed for leaders but Ice is front of mind for skippers at Point Nemo

It seems like for every time the two Vendée Globe leaders believe they are getting into the South Easterly trade winds they have been disappointed, served up another helping of light and unsettled winds. Whilst they made better progress this morning by this afternoon they are back to single figure speeds.

RACE, JANUARY 02, 2025 : Photo sent from the boat PAPREC ARKÉA during the Vendee Globe sailing race on January 02, 2025. (Photo by skipper Yoann Richomme)
COURSE, 02 JANVIER 2025 : Photo envoyée depuis le bateau PAPREC ARKÉA lors de la course à la voile du Vendée Globe le 02 janvier 2025. (Photo du skipper Yoann Richomme)

For all that, Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) has continued to regain miles lost to leader Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) and this Thursday afternoon he I is about 25 miles behind. 

Richomme observes, “What is impressive is the speed at which you can get caught and gain miles. You lose 100 miles during one day and you gain 70 the next day. It is even a little disorientating. You have to stay calm in your head, which is not always easy, I admit. If I can just maintain a moderate gap, that is good. With the trade wind, Charlie will lengthen his stride a little. If I can make the transition into the anticyclone (ndlr, the Azores High starting near the Canaries) without too many gaps, that could be great to keep a little suspense for the finish but I am not sure that Charlie will have the same opinion.” 

He summarises their weather situation today:

We're going around the anticyclone and at times there are some calms but it will gradually stabilize and then we'll have a little trade wind of about fifteen knots. Not very, very strong but enough to make a good route towards the equator. We should accelerate gently. We should see the Equator on the 6th in the morning, so in four days maybe a little earlier.

Yoann Richomme
PAPREC ARKÉA

Record on ice

Computer modelling still has a predicted finish for the winners on or around 15th January for an elapsed time of about 66 days, almost certainly more than one week faster than the established record of 74 days. That would be the second biggest advance of the record since the 12 days jump between the second and third editions. 

Ice on the record 

Whilst Les Sables d’Olonne is correspondingly advancing with the preparations for the first finishes and the leaders, at least fleetingly, are counting down the final milestones, way back in the Pacific – almost due south of Point Nemo – the group of skippers there are experiencing a very different atmosphere. They are having to deal with ice, seen on the race course for the first time since 2008. And so they are living an even higher level of vigilance. 

"Impressive, majestic, they bring a dose of magic to the race... but also a big dose of stress. Imagining seeing one of these frozen giants on the horizon is both fascinating and a little scary. Because, let's be honest, as beautiful as it is from afar, we don't really want to get too close to them.” commented 31st placed Antoine Cornic who continues to deal with anticyclonic conditions of light winds, as does Switzerland’s Ollie Heer, 30th, on Tut Gut. 

For Conrad Colman (MS Amlin), Sébastien Marsset (FOUSSIER) and Éric Bellion (Stand as One / Altavia) seeing ice up "very close" is no exaggeration. Marsset did take avoiding action whilst Colman had the presence of mind to put his drone up and make his own mini epic film! Marsset said:

My radar alarm went off and I had an echo four miles ahead. I stuck my head out, and straight away I saw the iceberg. There it was all hands on deck because I was at 17 knots under small gennaker! So you have to furl to avoid the iceberg. I luff up which temporarily makes me aim at it even more, I furl and I find myself 2.5 miles from the iceberg.  I try to luff but without accelerating too much, I end up taking a second reef to really slow down, and I wait a long time! Because frankly, it knocks the wind out of me, I was heading straight for it! So this iceberg had 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!

Sébastien Marsset
FOUSSIER
RACE, JANUARY 02, 2025 : Photo sent from the boat L’Occitane en Provence during the Vendee Globe sailing race on January 02, 2025. (Photo by skipper Clarisse Crémer) Albatros and dolphins
RACE, JANUARY 02, 2025 : Photo sent from the boat L’Occitane en Provence during the Vendee Globe sailing race on January 02, 2025. (Photo by skipper Clarisse Crémer) Albatros and dolphins

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