This second week of racing was marked by Alex Thomson taking power, who has been leading the fleet for 8 days now. The skipper of Hugo Boss was able to take the lead by cutting between the Cape Verde Islands and then by perfectly negotiating the doldrums. Thanks to this good option in the trade winds of the South Atlantic, he was able to widen the gap with his pursuers, led by Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII) and Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rotschild), accumulating a lead of nearly 100 miles over them. But since his starboard foil was damaged after a collision in the Atlantic, Alex Thomson has slowed down a little.
The rest of the fleet has suffered more or less severely from the Doldrums. While for the moment, the skippers have not yet faced Dantean conditions, the pace of the race has been extremely high. However, Tanguy de Lamotte broke his masthead, forcing him to stop his round-the-world race, and Bertrand de Broc had to abandon the race after a shock to his hull.
Day 9: Alex Thomson, the big winner of the Atlantic descent
With the Doldrums, caution is always the order of the day. But this Monday evening, November 14, Alex Thomson seems to be the big winner of the crossing of the Doldrums . The British sailor managed to head straight south, to slip through a mouse hole, when his first pursuers curved their route to the west. The skipper of Hugo Boss has escaped the active squalls and will soon reach the long-awaited SE'ly trade winds. As for Tanguy de Lamotte, arrived this afternoon on the island of Mindelo He will do everything possible to get back into the race, despite the breakage of his masthead.
Day 10: Record for Alex Thomson and return to Sables-d'Olonne for Tanguy de Lamotte
After diverting to Mindelo (Cape Verde) the day before, following damage to the masthead, Tanguy took stock of the situation. Faced with the extent of the damage, the skipper of Initiatives Coeur will not be able to continue his solo round the world trip . He has therefore decided to go to Les Sables-d'Olonne. The 28 other Vendée Globe sailors are well underway. The Doldrums are stretching out the fleet and while the frontrunners are hitting a steadier trade wind, allowing them to accelerate, those chasing after them are feeling the slowdown... Still leading, Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) to cut across the Equator at this Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at 20:05 french time, setting a new record.
Day 11: The fleet divided in two
This Wednesday evening, eight Vendée Globe sailors are sailing in the southern hemisphere and twenty-one in the northern hemisphere (including Tanguy de Lamotte, who is heading back to Les Sables-d'Olonne, but has not given up). The top eleven, from the leader Alex Thomson to Jean-Pierre Dick (11th), are out of the Doldrums and are racing in the trade winds. One question is on everyone's mind: how best to get around the St. Helena high, which is blocking the South Atlantic? Behind them, the Doldrums continue to make life miserable for the chasers..
Day 12: The Gaps Are Widening
With each new score, the gaps between the leaders and the rest of the fleet are getting bigger and bigger. The leaders are racing in the trade winds along the Brazilian coast, while a large number of the fleet is stuck in the Doldrums and struggling to get out. Still at the helm of the fleet, Alex Thomson is keeping the chasing pack at bay. Eleven days after the start in Les Sables d'Olonne, the pace remains extremely high. They will have to keep up the pace or risk being dropped..
Day 13: Alex Thomson makes the break
At the head of the fleet, the leaders are moving forward like arrows and the counters are ticking over in conditions that are conducive to gliding. The leaders of the eighth Vendée Globe are averaging over 20 knots and are bending their course eastwards with the Cape of Good Hope, the gateway to the Indian Ocean, in their sights. Alex Thomson has made the break, relegating his first pursuers to over 100 miles. The gaps with the pack are widening and, given the weather situation, it is highly likely that they will continue to grow..
Day 14: The leaders follow the Thomson locomotive
The leaders have hit the northerly wind blowing in front of a cold front on its way to the Deep South: in the wake of Britain's Alex Thomson, there are six of them to break away from their pursuers still in the trade winds and from the pack that has finished with the Doldrums. About thirty miles from Fernando de Noronha, Bertrand de Broc prepares for a pit stop to inspect his keel in the shelter of the islands. While the skipper of Hugo Boss was leading the fleet, he hit a UFO while sailing in the South Atlantic and damaged its starboard foil.
Day 15: 3 groups, Thomson leader and de Broc abandons
While the 27 solo sailors still on their way to the Cape of Good Hope left Les Sables-d'Olonne almost two weeks ago, the fleet is clearly split into three groups that are spread out between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn... Alex Thomson is still in the lead, arriving at the Roaring 40s, while the Spaniard Didac Costa is overtaking the Cape Verde. In spite of a contact with a floating object which would have broken the foil of Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson remains the opener of this great and very fast descent towards Tristan Da Cunha. The novelty of this Sunday is the acceleration of Vincent Riou (PRB) who is now able to maintain the pace. Finally, Bertrand de Broc (MACSF) has officially announced his retirement The solo sailor anchored in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago (300 miles to the north-east of Brazil) is thinking of going to Recife to take action with his technical team. The keel fairings are indeed delaminated.
