Destiny calling?

On tighter angles, the breeze has headed them as they climb the coast – over 600 miles offshore – Dalin was quicker but both were holding typical averages of over 25 kts in the small hours of our night. 

A numbers game?

Progressively in the South Atlantic a certain sense of reality will bite. History on the Vendée Globe has shown that big leads can and do evaporate, but with just over 6,000 miles to the finish line Seb Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) will - at least subconsciously - do the math and recognise he is 10 per cent of that distance behind. Similarly, though, he is over 600 miles ahead of Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE). The beauty of ocean racing is that anything can, and does happen, but these are numbers it is hard to overlook. 

And while the leaders are making 25kts towards Les Sables d’Olonne the posse of pursuers who rounded Cape Horn yesterday are mired in light winds for their first miles in the South Atlantic, a big bubble of high pressure keeping their speeds to single figures, and whilst they are in a race within the race which is almost ridiculously close considering we are 50 days in – Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Nico Lunven (HOLCIM-PRB) a mile or two apart, Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) and Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) also mile or two apart in terms of distance to finish. But they must all increasingly be thinking they need a big shut down -in the Doldrums  for example or a big blocking high pressure in Biscay – if they are going to get on the podium. 

Bestaven beset with problems

Maybe the hardest reality of all this morning, at eight weeks into the race, is with Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ) who is visibly struggling, making speeds of around 12kts in ‘safe mode’ towards Cape Horn after which he will have to make a repair or the toughest decision, a feeling he knows from the past after abandoning his first race in 2008. 

Mettraux-nome Mettraux reflects 

In that main group, climbing towards the Falklands this morning, is Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team Senf), who reflects on a job well done in the south and a place in the top 10 at Cape Horn. For her the Pacific was harder, making use of a low pressure to effect her comeback in committed conditions.

 “I managed to get the recovery right and get the boat going well these last few days so I feel pretty good. The memory I’ll keep is that my group, we had two different oceans and two atmospheres, a rather mild Indian and a more committed Pacific. We know that we can’t pass over the Southern Ocean in easy conditions. It was harder on the second part but that’s part of the game and I think I’ll keep in mind especially certain sea states. I think it’s mainly the seas that are lasting memories of the Southern Oceans. These next few days are going to be close-hauled, not always in tough conditions. We’re going to have a bit of everything. That doesn’t affect me too much. Maybe I won’t say that in a few days. It changes the configuration a bit. We should be able to do some not too horrible tacks either. We should be able to gain quite a bit towards the North.” 

She continues, “Over this month in the Deep South, I still changed regularly. Even if it's cold and you don't want to change, you still sweat a lot during maneuvers and all that. I had to do it once a week in the South and then, of course, you wash yourself with a wipe. Of course, I think it's been a month since I last shampooed but after a certain point and since it's cold in the South, you don't feel unclean but yes, I can't wait for it to warm up a little. Today, it was sunny and it was already really nice. The first shower with hot water when it's a little more tropical, that's going to be nice. But already getting back into a slightly less committed sailing rhythm, where there's a little more time to go and do boat checks from time to time, which is complicated to do in the South and in fairly committed conditions. No longer are you in the classic rhythm of the south, more of a transatlantic rhythm where you feel like you are able to take a little more care of the boat. That's what's missing a little in the Southern Ocean. Being able to be up to date with the job list and not let things drag. I am in the position of chaser with people behind me who seem to have some problems - Yannick with his rudders, Clarisse with her computers. There is still a big gap with this group. I am in the position of chaser now behind very experienced sailors who have boats, on paper, more efficient than mine. So it's not going to be easy. We're going to try to do well. I know that if one or the other has no problems or if there are no big moves to play, it's not going to be super easy for me either. There will be some chances on this climb and we're going to try to do it as best we can.”

Mettraux observes, “And that was my first Cape Horn solo. Still, you get the impression that you are leave a big chunk of the race behind you. It's already a satisfaction to get here. To have come all this way. We know that we have covered more than two-thirds of the course and now we are back in an ocean that we know a little better, that we are closer to the coast and less exposed too. There is a reassuring side to getting back into the Atlantic. It's funny because I hadn't come across any boats other than the competitors since the Cape of Good Hope and here, all of a sudden, we come across passenger ships returning from the Antarctic, cargo ships. All of a sudden, we have the impression of finding civilisation again and it's quite marked.”