Vendée Globe Day 9: Still Not Out of the Woods
by Vendée Globe Media 18 Nov 09:33 PST
18 November 2024
Vendée Globe leader Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) has seen his lead gradually diminish as the skippers behind and to his west have managed to maintain wind for slightly longer than he has, causing the British skipper to drift south into very light airs once again.
“Right now, I have four knots of wind, and I need to make the most of it to escape this situation as quickly as possible,” Goodchild said with a smile over his breakfast of scrambled eggs.
As light winds have persisted today west of the Cape Verde islands, with the race entering its second week, Goodchild has witnessed his lead shrink from over 40 miles to just nine miles by Monday evening. Nevertheless, he remains focused, not letting the ‘leader’ status distract him too much.
“I didn’t expect to be leading the Vendée Globe after a week, but while I didn’t plan for it, I appreciate it and am enjoying it. It feels quite special. It wasn’t my goal at all, but I found myself leading the western group for a couple of days, while the eastern group was ahead of us on the chart. When I took the lead on the chart, it didn’t feel monumental at sea, but it’s still quite special.”
Lined up for a potential restart
This evening, Goodchild, Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE), and Seb Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) are nearly positioned west to east for a mini ‘re-start.’
Goodchild stated on the English Vendée LIVE show (broadcast daily at 1330hrs UTC), “The positional risk is Thomas Ruyant, who is 100 miles to the west. I’m currently navigating through this final area of light winds. After this, we should experience the closest conditions to Trade Winds we’ve had since the race began, for a few days as we pass through the Doldrums. So how we manage this will be crucial.”
“I may still face some light winds, but I’ll have a better angle coming out and more options for entering the Doldrums compared to Thomas to my west. I’ll just have to wait and see.”
Dalin: ‘Focused on the fleet, not the strategy’
This morning, one of the pre-race favorites, Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), currently sixth and who led after Cape Finisterre, remarked, “I’m trying to determine the best approach to navigate the light wind zone ahead. I’m also considering the Doldrums, which look quite intense. I have plenty to think about. I’m feeling zen; the Vendée Globe is a long race, and there’s no point in getting frustrated now. There are still many choices and options ahead. I’m as calm as I can be.”
“My previous choices haven’t worked out as well as I hoped. During the first light wind zone we crossed a few days ago, I concentrated more on the fleet rather than the strategy. Initially, I planned to go further south, which is why I executed the double gybe off Madeira, but I chose to follow the main fleet, which may not have been the best approach. But that’s the way it goes. They’re not too far away. It’s all good.”
Beyou expresses frustration
The gap between the top three and the other leading skippers is difficult for many to accept. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) confessed this morning, “The initial plan was to navigate around the weak wind zone to the west. It was a well-thought-out decision; I took the time to confirm my choices, and I wasn’t the only one to do this. Now, it’s frustrating to see that it didn’t work and has turned out to be counterproductive. It will slow down again, but everything is random; I think we need to stop overthinking.”
Paul Meilhat spoke on the French broadcast, “In light winds like these, pressure differences can create significant gaps. Sometimes it works out for me, and sometimes for others. Essentially, it goes back and forth. The wind will likely reshuffle the order even if the two VULNERABLEs are already far ahead of us.”
Rejoining from the east
Meanwhile, to the far east route, Jean Le Cam (Tout Commence en Finistère – Armor-lux) and Kiwi Conrad Colman (AS Amlin) both gained speed today in breeze as they passed to the east of the Cape Verdes. “The Doldrums will subsequently require them to reposition toward the west,” predicts Christian Dumard, “which seems highly uncertain and random for their course.”
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