Vendée Globe Race – Day 14 – “Left, right, left” – the Route March to the Southern Ocean concludes
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 23 Nov 21:10 PST
24 November 2024
Charlie Dalin – MACIF – IMOCA – November 22, 2024 © Charlie Dalin
The top competitors have begun adjusting to rapidly changing weather conditions in the South Atlantic. This stage of the race serves as a key point for avoiding or adapting to the ups and downs of Southern Ocean weather systems.
However, in later position updates, some competitors following Dalin have veered left by about 10 degrees.
Charlie Dalin on MACIF remains in the lead, with Thomas Ruyant in second place and Sam Goodchild in third – so in terms of rankings, little has shifted – all have been moving south at a 24-hour VMG of over 20 knots, achieving 24-hour runs of 490 nautical miles, and Dalin has recorded a remarkable daily run of 523 nautical miles.
Everything is set to change as the solo sailors chart their course across the South Atlantic; they must balance between high-pressure systems to the east and low-pressure cells and fronts to the west, while also catching the strong winds or staying ahead of them as they strengthen into a significant storm before calming down as they reach the Southern Ocean.
We’ve adjusted the virtual mark closer to the Kerguelen Islands to explore weather options as the boats prepare to sail a more conventional Southern Ocean route. Historically, they tend to stay close to the Ice Gate to navigate the shortest distance to Cape Horn.
The sailors’ onboard weather routing systems will navigate the delicate balance of leveraging the safety of lighter winds while navigating the edges of fronts to maintain speed. It becomes a game of Velocity Made Good as they select a path that leads them to the Ice Gate, where they must turn left and head toward the Kerguelen Islands.
Comparatively, the women sailors in the 39-boat fleet are excelling, with all six women positioned among the top 22 boats. Leading this internal competition is Swiss sailor Sam Davies (FRA/GBR) in 10th place, followed closely by Justine Mettraux (SUI) in 11th and Clarisse Cremer (FRA) in 12th.
Further updates will follow from the 1600hrs UTC schedule and the 0800hrs UTC weather report.
Previous weather maps and routing:
