“I'm happy to be in the lead, happy to have a boat in a very good state for the Atlantic stretch. I am starting to do my routings in the Atlantic, it's cool!" Dalin adds. "We have a significant lead over the others and it's easier to manage three boats than a fleet."
Dalin also says that in this edition of the race he has, “always been in a racing mode and never had to switch to survival mode. Just a good racing mode all the way. On board, I live my own little life and I never feel alone. What is impressive is the speed at which the days go by. I can't get over it."
A split in progress, another to come?
At the same time, the chasing group of eight boats, which extends from Ruyant (4th) to Mettraux (11th), has considerably widened the gap with the rest of the fleet in recent days. A split occurred as a result of Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence, 12th) and Samantha Davies (Initiatives Cœur, 13th) having been forced to sail close-hauled to the north of a low pressure system.
They are now 900 miles back, to the south of New Zealand along with Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT environnement – Water Family, 14th) and Romain Attanasio (Fortinet-Best Western, 15th). “They will be close-hauled, then reaching in crosswinds before returning to a more usual weather system from Monday,” says Dumard.
Behind them Isabelle Joschke (MACIF 17th) and Alan Roura (Hublot 18th) are less than six miles apart at the head of a group of five boats that passed the latitude of Tasmania yesterday and are now making progress in the Pacific Ocean. The rest of the day does not look easy, due to complex weather patterns between depressions and windless zones. "Under New Zealand, this group could split in two, between those who will try to sail upwind and those who will attempt a more southerly route", predicts Dumard.
A great exotic phase
Meanwhile Boris Herrmann (Malizia – SeaExplorer, 8th) seems far removed from the pressures of four years ago, when he says, “it wasn’t easy being the first German to compete in the Vendée Globe.” He assures us that he doesn’t suffer from loneliness and almost regrets the end of the Southern Ocean that is looming, calling it a “great exotic phase that won’t last.
