On 13th and 14th December 2016, a violent low off Tasmania affected three skippers racing in the Vendée Globe: Jean Le Cam, Yann Eliès and Jean-Pierre Dick. All of them had to face extreme sailing conditions, with nervous tension at its highest level... In fact, they chose to opt for three different strategies, forced to put performance on stand-by and to sail with the preservation of their boat and themselves as their primary criteria.
Jean-Pierre Dick chose to turn due NE to pass through Bass Strait (between Australia and Tasmania), where the wind was only blowing at around twenty knots. Yann Éliès (Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir) preferred to put on the cape, almost doing nothing when the breeze picked up to more than 50 knots with waves of over eight metres... While Jean Le Cam initially slowed down, still heading towards New Zealand, then gradually put up some sail when the bulk of the gale passed in front of him.
Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam have therefore made the most of this storm to make some superb videos of the stormy seas in 50 knots of breeze and hail... The sailing conditions are impressive! "It's a little scary, but it's beautiful! We laugh a little yellow [...] Now I'm taking risks... Oh my mother [...] We're not laughing either, we can't wait for this to happen..." says King John.
But he hasn't forgotten his sense of humor, despite the apocalyptic conditions "We're at number 29 in the exclusion zone and we're two boats from Finistère, Queguiner and I to be in that zone. It's a funny thing!" he explains, while clinging to his living area.
Yann Eliès, for his part, confident that he will be on the radio session "The boat is no longer in the cape. I left under mainsail alone with three reefs. The wind varies between 30 and 45 knots in the squalls and the boat peaks at 20 knots. The sea is going to rise in a while and that's what worries me the most. There's going to be up to 7 metres of swell! I'm not refraining from doing a little session at the cape to let that swell core pass through. I'm still worried..."
This December 15, Yann Éliès (Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir) and Jean Le Cam (Finistère Mer Vent) may blow after the storm that has penetrated the Tasman Sea and Jean-Pierre Dick (StMichel-Virbac) may blow out of Bass Strait towards Stewart Island on a less stormy sea.
After the Finisterians, it was Jeremie Beyou and Paul Meilhat who had to deal with the storm, as Jeremie explained during his radio session "End-of-the-world ambience before the apocalypse. It's gray, you can't tell day from night. The crest of the waves has been smoking for many hours, a sign that the wind has exceeded 35 knots. Strange feeling: fear of doing something stupid, breaking something and getting eaten. And at the same time the adrenaline of being out there defying the elements. What a crazy race, only in the Vendée Globe do you experience that!"
But since images always speak louder than words, here are the two videos made by Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam. The one of the skipper of Finistère Mer et Vent is particularly impressive! And for those in a hurry, go at 4:35 min to see the squall coming down on Jean Le Cam!
