10th Vendée Globe, a big weekend at Cape Horn

The top two skippers on the Vendée Globe are bidding farewell today to the ice exclusion zone which has been their friend and enemy ever since they first felt its effects on the 12th December at Marion Island.

They should also be breaking free of the zone of lighter winds, a high pressure ridge, which has been blocking their way northwards. Speeds have risen above 20 knots and Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) has maintained a steady lead of between 13 and 14 miles over his nearest rival Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) 

Since rounding Cape Horn third placed Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) has found lighter winds, trying to mitigate against the worst of this he is routing west of the Falklands to stay out of their lee, but Simon is relatively slow this morning, he should be able to get to the other side of a front after some close hauled sailing to find some faster downwind speeds. But the south Atlantic looks complex for him. 

Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) continues to profit from his gains of yesterday and has a good runway into Cape Horn today, his second racing on the Vendée Globe after retiring from the 2016 race into New Zealand. 

Big weekend at The Horn
Then tomorrow and Sunday will be a big weekend for Cape Horn, potentially the busiest period in the history of the race. With seven skippers within 207 miles this morning it will be an unprecedented weekend for the lighthouse keeper who lives there with his family. Even if he wont see many of them he monitors their progress very closely and is in regular contact with the race. 

Among them in 11th place today Briton Sam Goodchild is looking forwards to his first solo rounding, reporting yesterday, “ The wind is just going to come in before Cape Horn with this depressions which is the fifth one of The Southern Ocean, we are 849.6 miles from the Cape and so we should be there the day after tomorrow (Sunday). At the moment we have 25 knots expecting up to 30-35kts and probably quite a bit more sea state, probably up to five metres, so it is a depression but nothing we have not seen before.  

I am looking forwards to heading north even if looks like I will be heading north the whole way, well a lot of the South Atlantic is upwind anyway. I am looking forwards to pointing north as we are at 59 degrees south right now, that’s a long way down and there is a long way to go.”
SamGoodchildVULNERABLE

Further back Goodchild’s counterpart Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) has made a prudent decision to avoid the worst of a mean system, a choice which has separated her away from Clarisse Crémer. 

“ Everything is fine on the boat, I had a great Christmas! We were happy to be together with Clarisse, but now we don't have the same strategies. I looked carefully, I find that the conditions further south in this depression are quite extreme, with a wave height above 6 meters and strong wind, I find that it's a bit risky to go straight, so I chose the good sailor option, which is a bit longer, which goes around the area with very strong wind and very difficult seas from the North, it's a choice to preserve the equipment, the sails and the boat, because my goal is to be at 100% for the return trip up the Atlantic, and I think that the conditions there were too extreme! I hope it's the right choice, it's not going to be easy anyway, I'm going to have strong wind and big swell too, but when I have the strongest sea the period will be longer, so a little more manageable a priori. I also accepted the fact that potentially it can cause gaps, but at the same time at Cape Horn it's possible that we arrive in calm water, and it can be very long, so a priori the small delay that I will have should not be too penalizing because they will slow down in the South of Cape Horn.

The passage should be on January 1st, that's great! I hope it will be daylight, normally I should pass close, with strong wind, and it will ease when arriving under the point. The gale arrives tomorrow, and a second gale from the North that will take me to the 14th.

Today I passed two symbolic points for me, the place where I had dismasted on my first round the world trip, not far from Point Nemo. I have been a little superstitious since then and I always make an offering to Neptune there to commemorate this lost mast, and to ensure passage between Nemo and Cape Horn! And there I pass Point Nemo!

Currently I no longer have blackouts, it is not completely resolved, since I charge less well, I also lost a hydrogenerator, it is a little temporary, when I will be in more clement conditions I will try to increase the output!

I am enjoying the last days in the Southern Ocean, this place is so incredible. Yes I am looking forward to the sun and to being a little warmer, but I find that the south has gone by super fast!