Ice monotoring at Cape Horn to keep the skippers safe

Before Charles Caudrelier passed Cape Horn last Tuesday icebergs was seen north of the AEZ (Antarctic Exclusion Zone). And so with Armel Le Cléac'h (2nd) and Thomas Coville (3rd) set to round the third great cape this weekend, the ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest race management team has mobilised an operation to guarantee the safety of all the skippers as they pass through the area.  

As well as the satisfaction of a job well done, and the sense of deliverance as he passed out of the southern oceans into the Atlantic, Charles Caudrelier must also have been relieved to have crossed Cape Horn without incident. Last Friday, CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites), which determines the risk areas in terms of icebergs for the race direction, spotted icebergs further north than the previous ice which had defined the ZEA (Antarctic Exclusion Zone) until then.

A member of the DC dispatched to the area

During the race so far CLS's monitoring had required the ZEA to be modified, notably at the Kerguelens on the weekend of 21 January. The news of the Cape Horn situation was  the immediately passed on to all the teams by the Race Direction (Direction Course-DC).

And so an initiative has been taken to monitor the area as closely as possible flying over the area to keep the passage as safe as possible. As requested by the organisation Gitana sent a member of their team, Yann Riou, to the area so that he could carry out this surveillance mission as well as providing images and videos of the skipper.

In addition, the race management wanted to put in place a process to guarantee sporting fairness and the same level of safety for the other skippers. A member of the DC team, Frédéric Le Peutrec has been sent to the site. Based on the latest satellite images studied by CLS, he will fly over the area and inform the teams of any possible risks.

Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI, in second place( is expected to round Cape Horn on Saturday afternoon and Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3, in third place) on Sunday.

Race Update

Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) passed the Falkland Islands on Wednesday. "He was on the edge of a big depression which is now positioned to his south-east," explains Guillaume Rottee, race director. "He had tough downwind conditions last night and still has 30 to 40 knots of gusts with big seas." Caudrelier's challenge for the next few hours is to find the right trajectory between a high-pressure cell that blocks his way in the north and the AEZ in its east.

Behind, more than 2,300 miles to the west, Armel Le Cléac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) and Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) are around Point Nemo. "They gybed in order to recalibrate to the South. They are in a good westerly and north-westerly flow and continue on their way to Cape Horn." observes Rottee

Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) passed Tasmania at 06:56:47 Zulu  and has officially entered the Pacific Ocean. "He's on a direct course at a good speed, heading due east towards Cape Horn. It's in a good northwesterly flow with 25 to 30 knots of wind," says Rottee.

As for Éric Péron (ULTIM ADAGIO), "He was able to find some wind after crossing a windless zone yesterday afternoon, which now allows him to head in the right direction". However, Éric will have to deal with a high-pressure cell before reaching Cape Leeuwin, which is still 600 miles ahead of him, i.e. more than 24 hours of sailing.