Recent editions have proven that no lead on the Vendée Globe is a safe one. As Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) streaks further ahead driving hard on the heels of a major low pressure system, Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) and Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) in third and fourth, both now more than 400 miles behind Dalin, are in full ‘damage limitation’ mode doing all they can to keep it ‘reasonable’ as Ruyant described it today.
Dalin’s efforts remain remarkable aboard his Verdier design. He will very soon have a lead equivalent to 24 hours of racing at current speeds ahead of these third and fourth placed skippers and at the weekend seems likely to set a new record for the passage across the Indian, which will no doubt please Dalin who lead in the Indian last race but who struggled to find high speeds in the confused seas which seemed to plague him back then.
Ruyant, who was Dalin’s closest, most regular rival on the last Vendée Globe said today, “The wind is easing behind us. The goal is to go fast. Even that is not going to make us catch up with the lead that Charlie has taken. Seb, I have not routed so much. But Charlie is doing great with his South option. He's going to have a nice lead but on the scale of the Vendée Globe, it will still be a reasonable lead. We're going to be the hunters. We're going to dig deeper to stay ahead of what is behind us. If we can stay in this flow we have and go fast in the rough seas. I don't want the gap with the front to be too big either. I want to stay in the game at the head of the fleet. I didn't imagine the South option going so well. I want to make sure he doesn't get too far ahead either. Charlie managed to go fast. If I set too much sail the boat starts to go so much faster and accelerates too much in the waves and if there's not enough, it doesn't start early enough. Play with the angle of the boat. From time to time, a few small crashes but I'm really happy with the behaviour of the hull in these conditions which are not easy at all.”
Dalin has managed to stay ahead of the centre of the large depression that is chasing him, so much so that he continues to benefit from the favourable wind direction he keeps and so should be able to and thus be able to follow a direct course along the Antarctic Exclusion Zone to the corner of the plateau imposed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. As he turns there to follow the exclusion limit under under the SW tip of Australia and Cape Leeuwin he is expected to have could a 250-mile lead over Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) his nearest rival with whom he went to war with the monster low.
"It's been sailing on a knife edge," Dalin said yesterday, recalling the importance for him of pulling out all the stops to avoid being caught by the centre of the depression that is chasing him. Simon who was swallowed into the guts of the system and had a very unpleasant spell of big seas and strong winds, will now have to make multiple gybes, slaloming along the AEZ in big sea and wind conditions. Although he doesn't gain as much out of his option he shared with Dalin, staying south he should end up with a good, solid second place when he too crosses Cape Leeuwin.