Vendée Globe Day 5: Four Days, Four Leaders, Lunven in Front
by Vendée Globe Media 14 Nov 09:17 PST
14 November 2024
Day four of the Vendée Globe solo, non-stop circumnavigation race sees another fresh leader. As the front runners pass the latitude of the Canary Islands, where normally they might encounter trade winds pushing them towards Cape Verde and the Equator, the breeze is becoming lighter and increasingly unpredictable.
Following previous leaders Charlie Dalin, Sam Goodchild, and Yoann Richomme, Nicolas Lunven (HOLCIM PRB) has claimed the top position in the fleet of 40 boats this afternoon, overtaking Yoann Richomme (Paprec-Arkéa). The race now stretches 400 miles back to China’s JingKun Xu (Singchain Team Haikou) in 40th.
However, while the leaders seek the best course south to the Equator, significant issues remain for Maxime Sorel (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne); his ankle is a concern, and he needs to climb his mast, as well as for Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe), who this morning ascended his mast to partially address issues with his A7 headsail caught on his forestay and J2. He has cut away much of the sail but still requires a calm spot to repair his badly damaged mainsail.
Figaro-Level Intensity
At the front of the pack, the intensity mimics that of a Figaro solo offshore championship race. It is no surprise that both Lunven and Richomme, who have each won the French multi-stage solo one-design race twice, are performing so well. Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prevoyance) is currently in sixth and sounded somewhat frayed and tense during a French media call this morning: “I had a sleepless night filled with a series of mistakes and poor choices. I was stuck in front of the island and faced bad luck, which was really frustrating,” Dalin commented.
Briton Sam Goodchild was in sixth this morning but managed to move up to third on VULNERABLE. He had to replace a malfunctioning pilot with his backup. He described his temporary setbacks this morning, stating, “I just halted in a rain cloud for 25 minutes, which is a bit annoying; hopefully, others have faced similar conditions. The upcoming weather isn’t straightforward; viewing the Canaries, you’d expect trade winds, but they’re not very stable, making a clear route south more complicated, so we’ll have to see how we navigate south either through the Canaries or via another path.”
Boris Without Shoes
Boris Herrmann from Germany (GER Malizia SeaExplorer), currently ninth, has found his racing rhythm: “I’m feeling great. This is my first barefoot morning; the sun is shining, and I’m sailing at 14 knots in 11 knots of wind, and I can see Justine Mettraux slightly behind me. I passed her about an hour ago. I didn’t get much rest last night handling Madeira; there was significant instability, numerous clouds, and gusts, which I know the others dealt with too, as I spoke to Yannick Bestaven earlier. I feel good both physically and mentally; I’m quite Zen but have to work on my sleep. Once these challenging conditions pass, I’ll tidy the boat and organize the ropes strewn around the cockpit, plus eat. I’m enjoying it and am mindful of my mood; I need to keep stress at bay, as there’s nowhere to escape on the boat. I’m careful to take care of myself and have found a good rhythm. Leaving Madeira on the port side was tricky, gybing, and finding the wind shift was definitely challenging.”
Expected Compression
After a tough passage around Cape Finisterre, the weather now appears to provide some relief, welcomed by the solo sailors. “The leaders are decelerating with less wind – 13 to 15 knots – and a flatter sea allowing for smoother sailing and stability,” explained Basile Rochut, the Vendée Globe weather consultant.
“It already feels like a T-shirt and trade wind environment,” Lunven noted this afternoon during a daily race show, Vendée Live.
For the leaders, wind conditions are expected to continue diminishing, which should help the rest of the fleet, some of whom still face lively seas. “We recorded an average of 30 knots with peaks at 40 knots for Jingkun Xu (Singchain Team Haikou), who is in last place,” stated weather expert Rochut.
“It seems complicated to navigate these trade winds,” admitted Fortinet-Best Western’s skipper, Romain Attanasio. Both Louis Burton and Boris Herrmann commented today on a “fairly unclear situation.”
Pip’s Finding Her Pace
Meanwhile, in 24th, Pip Hare (Medallia) reports feeling better after a challenging start: “I now feel good and am settling into my rhythm. Ahead, it’s not straightforward, and I’m trying to balance taking risks while not overextending myself. Generally, I’m observing that heading west appears to be more favorable, so I’m keeping that in mind and adjusting a bit. Primarily, I’m focused on sailing quickly and utilizing the foils we’ve invested so much effort into to maximize speed. The racing is so tight that when you slow down to change a sail, you lose significant ground against others, creating an exciting but also thought-provoking situation.”
Szabi Ascends
There is better news regarding Hungarian skipper Szabolcs WEORES aboard NEW EUROPE, who faced a setback two nights ago. Early this morning, he seized the crucial chance to unwind his damaged A7, small gennaker headsail tangled on his forestay. In calmer conditions, he climbed 22 meters up the mast to the forestay attachment and successfully freed the entangled sail.
He brought down the upper portion of the damaged sail, stabilizing the forestay and greatly reducing the risk of losing the mast due to excessive flapping and vibrations. However, the lower section of the A7 sail remains tightly wound around both the forestay and the J2 upwind sail. After nearly an hour up the mast, along with several additional hours on deck cutting away sections of the damaged sail, the six-time Ironman finisher is exhausted and will need some recovery time before addressing the remaining tasks.
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