Vendée Globe Race – Day 26: Dalin set for a substantial reward despite a second major storm approaching
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 6 Dec 06:48 PST
7 December 2024
Freelance.com – Southern Ocean – Vendée Globe – December 4, 2024 © Guirec Soudee
After covering more than 10,000 nautical miles and experiencing more lead changes than the latest America’s Cup, the leading competitors are poised to reap the benefits following a significant strategic move during the Southern Ocean storm.
Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), the race leader, is set to secure a lead of over 500 nautical miles ahead of third-place competitor Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa).
The race favorite has maintained his position alongside a substantial low-pressure system that has significantly impacted the competition—more due to the navigational choices made by the sailors two days prior than the actual weather conditions.
Dalin has positioned himself perfectly in the upper right quadrant of the low-pressure area and has traveled with it over the last 12 hours, achieving a remarkable 553 nautical mile distance (in 24 hours), which is 120 nautical miles more than Richomme, who opted to sail north three days ago to avoid the low-pressure system’s direct path.
Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) was the only other sailor to stay with Dalin south of the Kerguelen Islands but could not match Dalin’s speed of 22.6 knots over the past 24 hours. Predictwind weather routing indicates that Richomme is anticipated to narrow the distance to Dalin, benefiting from stronger winds and improved sailing angles, while maintaining his second-place position as they approach Cape Horn.
Earlier this week, the now 38-boat Vendée Globe fleet spread out in response to an incoming low-pressure system with winds exceeding 50 knots and a chaotic sea state with wave heights over 10 meters.
In the past 12 hours, the sailors are beginning to realize the varying effects of their strategies.
Some boats, led by Richomme, positioned themselves to the north to sidestep the storm’s center and the worst conditions; however, those high winds seem to have subsided, leaving them to regain the distance lost while taking the more cautious northern route.
Others, such as Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable), have remained central but are sailing at much lower speeds than their competitors.
Race leaders Dalin and Simon are currently situated just north of the Kerguelen Islands, close to the virtual Ice Gate. They are anticipated to leverage the leftover effects of the storm to propel themselves over the top of the Ice Gate.
As they near the end of this phase, all groups will need to optimize for the appropriate wind angle and diminishing wind strength.
However, in the middle of next week, both North and South groups of competitors will encounter a second intensifying storm, which is again expected to generate gusts of 50 knots for some.
To balance the short-term deficits, we have adjusted the virtual waypoint to a longitude east of the Chatham Islands—New Zealand’s easternmost point in the Southern Ocean—and we are assessing results across a distance of 3,500 nautical miles, aiming for Cape Horn.
Dalin and second-place Sébastien Simon passed just north of the Kerguelen Islands, also called the Desolation Islands (Îles de la Désolation), located in the sub-Antarctic zone. The duo appears not to feel the full force of the anticipated storm, which is expected to gust over 50 knots, likely even stronger on the water.
Reports from other sailors experiencing lighter winds show that the natural behavior of the IMOCA 60 tends to push the boats to speed over 35 knots under such conditions and surf through the large waves, presenting the challenge of reducing speed to safer, manageable levels.
Boats in the southern group will face maximum anticipated gusts of 50 knots by mid-afternoon on December 6 UTC, while the northern group can expect 38-40 knots during the early morning hours (01:00 UTC) of the same day. The real effects of these situations will unfold over the next few days.
Latest video reports from December 5 UTC.
English update
Conrad Colman:
Sail-World:
Vendée Globe English version:
