Vendée Globe Race – Day 11 – Leadership Shift Approaching the Doldrums
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 19 Nov 16:00 PST
20 November 2024
Sam Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) – Vendée Globe – November 17, 2024 © Sam Davies
Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) has taken the lead in the Vendée Globe Race, accelerating to 24 knots as the lead group passes the Cape Verde Islands on their way to the Doldrums.
As of the 2200hrs UTC schedule on November 19, Seb Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) is in second place, sailing at 22.5 knots and trailing 41 nautical miles behind the new leader.
Race favorite Charlie Dalin is currently in third, 57 nautical miles behind Goodchild, and sailing slightly faster at 23.5 knots.
The gap is widening, with 100 nautical miles separating the top eight boats on the water. Sam Davies (Initiative Coeur) holds eighth place within this leading group, all of whom are using foiling technology.
Former leader Jean Le Cam has dropped to 11th position, sailing at 16.3 knots as of the 2200hrs UTC sked, seemingly in the wind shadow of the Cape Verde island with Mt Fogo (9281 feet), the highest peak, nearest to him. The 65-year-old race veteran was at the forefront until November 19. Along with Conrad Colman (MS Amlin), Le Cam was among the only two to navigate between the Cape Verde islands and the West African coast, affected heavily by the arid conditions of the Sahara.
Their strategy, although showing potential at times, contradicted the round-the-world racing adage of “West is Best.”
As the fleet occasionally split into three formations—west, central, and east—they have now converged; however, Le Cam remains 400 nautical miles east of Goodchild.
With the exception of Conrad Colman, the rest of the fleet is heading south, hoping for a swift journey through the Doldrums, which seem quite formidable yet present some navigational options. The 39 boats in the Vendée Globe fleet will be making leapfrog progress—updating their courses with each weather report.
A comprehensive update and routing analysis will be provided later today.
