A message from the skipper’s team shoreside usually confirms the actual passage time and stats. But for the six skippers who passed Cape Horn today within 10 hours of each other in brisk winds of 25 to 35, gusting 40 knots – depending on timing – there was really precious little time to celebrate but all shared their emotions in due course.
He may be at the back of this main group and, in 11th deeper in the fleet than when he led round in January 2022, but Cape Horn on his 52nd birthday today should have been a dream timing for the defending title holder Yannick Bestaven. But, after suffering a breakage to his steering system, damage to the main central axle to which the link arms connecting the twin rudder are joined, Bestaven is really now struggling. Close to tears on the Vendée LIVE! French show today, the popular skipper who won the last edition of the race, admitted he and his La Rochelle team are fighting to find a solution to keep him in the race.
Still with 250 miles to make to the Horn, Bestaven has set up a temporary system with a spare gennaker sheet to drive the rudders and is making 11kts under mainsail only.
“Yesterday the link bar connecting the rudders and the shaft have separated. And that is a big problem because my boat is unsteerable in 30 knots of wind and 5 meters of waves. I have tried everything possible to repair. Under the water at the back of the boat to remove the shaft to see what I can do to fix it but unfortunately I don’t have a spare part.” Explained Bestaven on the show which had a full capacity audience in Les Sables d’Olonne as well as a big global reach on account of having Loïck Peyron as a guest and French actor Daniel Auteuil on what should have been a show making his birthday.
“So at the moment I have set up this temporary system to try to reach Cape Horn with what I have. I have attached my gennaker sheet and I have done this to connect the rudders that will allow me to get towards Cape Horn under mainsail only, at a slow speed.”
He grimaced, “I’m working with my team to see what we can do. For sure I can’t get back up the whole Atlantic like this Cape Horn is not the finish line, it’s just the end of the Southern Ocean. I need my boat in a good enough state to get back to Les Sables d’Olonne.”
“My idea would be to find shelter in the islands at Cape Horn and then see what’s possible whether I can repair it myself or to stop at Ushuaïa. I really don’t know. For sure I’m not able to chase the leaders anymore.”
Slender margins
Margins at the Horn between the boats have been slender. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Nico Lunven (HOLCIM-PRB) crossed just fifteen minutes apart in fifth and sixth places respectively, Beyou some 10 hours and 38 minutes behind fourth placed Ruyant. Then some 6 hours and 19 minutes behind Lunven – who was his navigator on The Ocean Race – Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) completed the seventh rounding of Cape Horn of his sailing career by pipping Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) to seventh place by just 31 seconds. Briton Sam Goodchild went round at 14:44:52hrs UTC in ninth place on VULNERABLE. It is his first time solo and the second of his career after racing on HOLCIM PRB in The Ocean Race.
“It feels great, it is the fifth time I have set out hoping to get to the Horn and the second time I’ve made it.” Smiled Goodchild who made unsuccessful Trophée Jules Verne attempts with Sodebo and Spindrift.
Choices?
Meanwhile at the front to the fleet the two leaders are making good progress up the South Atlantic. Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) leads Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prevoyance) by 130 miles this afternoon. They face an imminent strategic choice how to deal with the semi stationary cold front at Cabo Frio, speaking on the English Vendée Globe LIVE! show today he told Loïck Peyron and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, “It has been quite intense since Cape Horn with lot of wind changes, sail changes, it has been pretty full on. The options I have with this front, there are mainly two options. Either you stick with the rhumb line and try to make the best of it with what you get with the front which is quite active at Rio de Janeiro or you go round to the east and you try to shoot the centre of the high and use the shift as much as you can. It is a tough decision to make and I’ll have to make that tomorrow morning with some new weather files. The centre of the high does not look too strong, so there might not be too much option than the rhumb line.”
Following observers’ questions whether Dalin’s boat is at full capacity, Richomme responded, “ I am not sure Charlie has got any problems, the situations have looked pretty normal to me. He has been catching up and I have been putting some miles on him related to the weather, there is some logic regarding the weather and so that makes sense, I am pretty sure he is at pretty much 100%.”
“Do I feel lucky? Yes I do feel lucky to have had the right weather pattern around me every time to keep on moving forward and to keep on putting miles on the other. But it is definitely intense sailing and it is not all to do with the weather.”
“Right now if I were a battery what charge would I read? Well this morning I would have been at about 20% probably and this afternoon 50% after some sleep. But it is very intense sailing in this race. It is very tiring after 50 days at sea. I’ll try and get some rest tonight.”
Hare docked in Aus
And in Melbourne, Australia Pip Hare received a warm, empathetic welcome from ocean racing fans and supporters when she docked today after sailing nearly 800 miles NEE under Jury rig since dismasting two weeks ago.
