A defining split?

Will Harris, weather expert and aspiring 2028 Vendée Globe skipper, gave his view on the Vendée Globe LIVE! English show, “It may yet be a defining moment of the race entering the Pacific Ocean. The leaders are going to be able to escape with the back of the low pressure to the east, but any of the boats stuck in the high will be caught by the boats riding the train in the next low.”

He details, “There is a high pressure to the north of the fleet leaders. Over the next few days this high pressure will block the fleet roughly where Tasmania is, the high pressure moves east and it will block the fleet. Charlie should stay with the low pressure but the group 6th to 10th might be caught if they’re not fast enough but Boris, Sam, Justine and Clarisse will definitely be caught by the high pressure.”

Harris adds, “ Timing really will be everything as the high blocks the exclusion zone as well so they have to stay ahead of the system to get into the low pressure or if you are one of the boats further behind you will catch up to the boats stuck in the high pressure.”

Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) is pushing himself as close to the limit as he dares and gained another 100 miles or so on second placed Seb Simon (Groupe Dubreuil). The intensity is draining to the point that he would relish time to check his boat fully and have some moments of respite. 

“The Indian has been so intense, so intense, since nearly the beginning. I am just trying to live by the days, do my list of things to do, trim the sails, reef in reef out, check the boat, eat, sleep, check the boat Right now I am living day to day. I am really not realising we are nearly half way through the race. It is incredible.” 

Dalin explains his next phase, “I have about 36 hours or two days left the corner of the ice zone so I have two days to decide what to do I will be sailing right to that corner and it is quite uncertain and the weather forecasts to align on what to do at this point. The routing is taking about ten days to Point Nemo, 9-12, days which all in all looks better which makes a big difference so we can carry more sail area.” 

Richomme rumbles 

Meanwhile the hard driving Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) feels he is in a strong position in third, preying on Simon and his damaged foil and at the same time moving clearer of fourth placed Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE). Richomme, on his first Vendée Globe, is on robust form, “It is a pleasure to be here, to be on the other side of the world so quickly, but then it is a long way back too! I could not hope for much more we are close to record pace, well Charlie is, my morale is good. I am happy with third right now and I am third because of the option I took round the low pressure in the Indian Ocean so now I am going to try and claw my way back to Seb, I feel a bit faster than him. And I am trying to keep Thomas away behind, and I feel a bit faster than him I think he has a bit lighter wind than me, he has not got the conditions I have.” 

He has a custom shock absorbing seat mounted on big springs. Crashing into a huge wave he bounces back to some kind of equilibrium, “It's the 2nd most expensive seat in history after Napoleon's" he laughs. 

Repairs needed….some more than others

Running repairs continue to prove essential. Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) seems to be having ongoing problems this afternoon after an electrical blackout this morning. Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) spent three hours fixing his rudders, telling the French LIVE! show today, “I spent 3 hours almost stopped because of a rudder problem. It's little things like that that make you lose a bit of distance, but here I am again!” 

And Pip Hare (Medallia) has kept things rolling with a repair to her bulkhead. 

A relieved Hare called in this morning, “My repair is embarrassingly messy but the main components are hanging in there. I think I have done the job. I hope I have because I never want to do that again. Trying to do it when you are being thrown around in a massive open space is not easy. There is nothing to hold on to and lots of hard carbon to land on. But these jobs just completely wipe you out. You mess up your routine, you don’t eat, you don’t sleep. I was so tired overnight and we have another low pressure creeping up on me now.” 

Gales incoming 

Further back, the group led by Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère - Armor-lux, 16th) is preparing to face a new, particularly harsh southern depression, with an intensity close to that which hit the the head of the fleet last week. Average winds of more than 40 knots are forecast, wave troughs approaching 10 meters. Some have positioned themselves very north (Jean Le Cam), others in the centre (Tanguy Le Turquais, Lazare) and some further south (Louis Duc, Fives Group - Lantana Environnement and Guirec Soudée, Freelance.com). Antoine Cornic (HUMAN Immobilier) is one of on the southern route. Deprived of a downwind sail (FR0) since Sunday, he is preparing to face the worst of the gales, “Ultimately, it's a fairly standard depression compared to what we experience in the South. This morning the weather was nice but the weather is going to cloud over, the rain is going to arrive with perhaps some squalls. Then, we should have gusts of 65 knots so it's going to be a bit sporty!”